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On The Blog

The Great War: A Conflict From Another World

Paul Lay reflects on the differences between his generation and that of his grandfather, who fought in the First World War.

Video: The Comet's First Flight

Watch footage of the world's first jet airliner making its maiden trip.

Alternative Histories: Robert the Bruce on Rathlin Island

The Scottish patriot makes a surprising confession.

In the August issue of History Today

The outbreak of the First World War, the day Washington burned and the secret history of the Panama Canal.

The Black Prince and the Tour de France

The visitor to Leeds this summer may be surprised to see the Black Prince sporting the Maillot Jaune, usually worn by the leader of the Tour de France. Fortunately, there is a simple explanation.

Gallery: London's Bridges

Pictures of London's bridges, old and new.

The History Today Quiz: July 2014

This month's quiz includes questions on the Ottoman Empire, the Klondike Gold Rush and the Seven Years' War.

Reconstructing Baroque Opera

The recently opened Sam Wanamaker Theatre marks an intriguing step forward in the revival of baroque opera, says Mark Ronan.

In The Magazine

Graeme Garrard describes the events that led to the torching of the new US capital by British troops in August 1814 and considers the impact of the ‘greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms’ on the US, Britain and Canada.

From Agincourt to Bosworth

Dan Jones argues that Nigel Saul’s article on Henry V and the union of the crowns of England and France does not take into account the long-term consequences of the king’s achievements.

How Does It Feel?

Understanding the emotional lives of people in the past is one of the most difficult challenges facing the historian, argues Suzannah Lipscomb.

The Fire Fly on Union Mills Bridge, 1863

Roger Hudson expands on a photograph of a locomotive taken during the American Civil War by one of Mathew Brady’s team.

A New Moral Order: Britain at the Start of the Great War

When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914 there was no outbreak of jingoism and no immediate rush to enlist. What Anthony Fletcher finds instead, in letters, diaries and newspapers, is a people who had little comprehension of the profound changes to come.