Today’s featured articles
Was it the mob? A coup? Cuban dissidents? War hawks? Over 60 years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the theories are still debated. Do any of them hold up?
In May 1871, a short-lived Parisian revolution in social relations was brutally suppressed. What is the legacy of the Paris Commune?
For much of the 20th century, young working-class women in England found out about procreation the ‘hard way’ or the ‘dirty way’.
Most recent
‘The Celts: A Modern History’ by Ian Stewart review
Historians may no longer talk of a single Celtic culture, but in The Celts: A Modern History Ian Stewart crafts a unified history of a changing idea.
Brahmins: The Origins of India’s Priestly Caste
In the first millennium BC the Brahmin class organised as a community and assumed responsibility for learning the sacred Vedas. What are the origins of India’s priestly caste?
‘The Soldier’s Reward’ and ‘Matchmaking and the Marriage Market...’ review
The Soldier’s Reward: Love and War in the Age of the French Revolution and Napoleon by Jennifer Ngaire Heuer and Matchmaking and the Marriage Market in Postrevolutionary France by Andrea Mansker reveal romance in a time of revolt.
The Library of Ashurbanipal
When it was discovered in the 19th century, the Library of Ashurbanipal revealed an ancient Assyrian empire previously known only through myth.
On the Spot: Annabel Teh Gallop
‘What historical topic have I changed my mind on? Orality. Historians search for ‘lost’ manuscripts which might never have existed.’
The African King at Edward VII’s Coronation
King Lewanika’s invitation to the coronation of Edward VII was intended to stabilise British relations with the Barotse nation. Instead, it exposed the cracks in the imperial veneer.
The Real Magna Carta
Less famous than its 1215 predecessor, the Magna Carta of 1225 held the true power.
Pain Management before Anaesthetics
Surgeons trying to eliminate pain eventually arrived at anaesthesia – but not before a contest with older, more unusual therapies. Why was mesmerism so magnetic?
Current issue
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In the March issue:
The Great Peasants’ War, the firebombing of Tokyo, Pelayo and the Reconquista, delivering the Chinese Post Office, curbing the power of the popes, and more.
Plus: reviews, opinion, crossword and much more!
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