Stephen Halliday

In the 13th century a remarkable trading block was formed in northern Europe. Stephen Halliday explains how the Hanseatic League prospered for 300 years before the rise of the nation state led to its dissolution.

London 2012 Olympics will cost over £10 billion. In today's money, the 1948 Olympics would cost £20 million to stage and, as Stephen Halliday finds out in a book by Janie Hampton, they even turned a profit.

The 1908 Summer Olympics opened in London on April 27th. It was the first occasion on which the Olympic movement visited Britain. Stephen Halliday describes how the British Olympic Association prepared for the Games with barely two years notice.