70-Year-Old Historian Releases First App Game After 36 Years in Educational Software Development

History Run brings American history to life through fast-paced gameplay. As player attempt to restore artifacts to the virtual National Museum

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Marc Schulman has been creating history-education software since 1989, the year the Berlin Wall fell and the first Macintosh portable shipped. Now 70, the longtime historian and educator is releasing his first iOS game: HISTORY RUN, a mobile platform-style runner that challenges players to sprint through 17 eras of American history while recovering artifacts for preservation and display in a virtual museum collection.

“I’m a historian who happens to make software, not the other way around,” says Schulman, founder of Historycentral.com. “Most educational games are made by game developers who bolt on some facts. I built this the opposite way—starting with what makes American history fascinating and figuring out how to make that into a game.”

Gameplay That Teaches Without Lecturing

HISTORY RUN combines classic arcade “platformer” game mechanics with educational depth. The app opens with a fictional robbery at the Smithsonian: the museum has been robbed, and players must recover stolen artifacts from across American history. Players choose from historical character avatars and race through eras spanning early exploration to modern times. Each level features period-accurate visuals, timeline events, and a hidden artifact that must be recovered and returned to the player’s growing museum collection.

Players can try the game with four levels at no cost, and a one-time in-app purchase opens all 17 historical eras. HISTORY RUN is designed for students preparing for history exams as well as casual gamers looking for a more substantive experience.

Three Decades of History Education

Schulman’s portfolio includes educational apps on the Constitution, American history, and military history, as well as Historycentral.com—a comprehensive history resource he has maintained for nearly three decades. HISTORY RUN represents his first foray into gaming, enabled in part by advances in modern development tools.

“The technology has finally caught up to what I always wanted to create,” Schulman says. “I’ve always believed history should be engaging, not just informative. This game is the culmination of everything I’ve learned about making the past come alive.”

Availability

HISTORY RUN is available now on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. The first four levels are free; all 17 levels can be unlocked with a single in-app purchase.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/history-run/id6749299240

Website: https://www.historycentral.com/Apps/historyrun.html

About HistoryCentral

Founded in 1989, HistoryCentral has been creating history-based learning tools for more than three decades. From early Macintosh educational software to modern iOS apps and one of the web’s longest-running history education websites, Historycentral.com, the company’s mission has remained consistent: making history education accessible, engaging, and factually accurate.