Wikipedia's first sentence called it “book”. Today it says “book by the british historian simon schama”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2025 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2025
The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words, 1000 BCE–1492 CE is a book by the British historian Simon Schama , which is being published in three volumes. The first volume, entitled Finding the Words, 1000BCE – 1492CE , was published in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head in September 2013. The second volume, entitled Belonging: The Story of the Jews, 1492–1900 , was published by The Bodley Head in October 2017. A television series, based on the book , was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two in September 2013 and in the United States on PBS in March and April 2014. "Simon Schama: Speaking for the dead" . the Jewish Chronicle . The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words, 1000BCE – 1492CE . Belonging: The Story of the Jews, 1492–1900 .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1267022213.
The opening as it stood in 2015
The Story of the Jews is a book, in two volumes, by British historian Simon Schama . The first volume, entitled Finding the Words 1000BCE – 1492CE , was published in the United Kingdom in September 2013. The second volume, entitled When Words Fail: 1492 – Present , was published in November 2014. A television series, based on Schama's book , was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two in September 2013 and in the United States on PBS in March and April 2014.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 651600346.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Story of the Jews is a book by the British historian Simon Schama , which is being published in three volumes.The first volume, entitled Finding the Words, 1000BCE – 1492CE , was published in the United Kingdom by Bodley Head in September 2013.The second volume, entitled Belonging: The Story of the Jews, 1492–1900 , was published by Bodley Head in October 2017. A television series, based on the book , was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two in September 2013 and in the United States on PBS in March and April 2014. "Simon Schama: Speaking for the dead" . the Jewish Chronicle .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 962727559.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Book by the British historian Simon Schama The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words, 1000BCE – 1492CE is a book by the British historian Simon Schama , which is being published in three volumes. The first volume, entitled Finding the Words, 1000BCE – 1492CE , was published in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head in September 2013. The second volume, entitled Belonging: The Story of the Jews, 1492–1900 , was published by The Bodley Head in October 2017. A television series, based on the book , was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two in September 2013 and in the United States on PBS in March and April 2014. "Simon Schama: Speaking for the dead" . the Jewish Chronicle . Belonging: The Story of the Jews, 1492–1900 .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1158005769.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “book”. Today it says “book by the british historian simon schama”. Read the current article and compare.
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2015, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
book
Now
book by the british historian simon schama
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
