ABSTRACT
History of all fields—whether political, business, social, or cultural—can provide fertile ground for communication scholarship and practice. If one were to examine history through the lens of public relations, the scholar or practitioner today could uncover a wealth of insights which could be put to good use. Although the work of the early pioneers was not called “crisis management,” an examination of the work they did—their research, strategies, tactics, and results—would reveal fairly sophisticated programs of “crisis management.” Researching these incidents is best done, of course, when organizations maintain authentic and accurate accounts of their actual crisis management activities and when researchers have access to archival documents, photos, and contemporaneous news reporting. Scholars and professionals can use information from many decades ago to inform their research and practice today. This chapter offers insight into crisis history both practically and theoretically. The pairing of these perspectives offers valuable information for crisis managers and scholars alike.
