Jared Sparks (May 10, 1789 - March 14, 1866) was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He served as President of Harvard College (now Harvard University) from 1849 to 1853.... Francis Parkman Jr. (September 16, 1823 - November 8, 1893) was an American historian, best known as author of The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life and his monumental seven-volume France and England in North America. These works are...