Life on the Mississippi
Mark Twain painted an evocative vision of the Mississippi River, but he didn’t tell the whole story.
Feature
Keeping India Cool
Sweltering British imperialists relied on an army of fan bearers, whose stories are as invisible as the air they circulated.
A Liberal History
Liberalism became the dominant ideology of the West when it was adopted by Britain and the United States. But its roots lie elsewhere.
The Free Frenchman
A proud, pious aristocrat, loyal to General de Gaulle, Philippe Leclerc found a kindred soul among Britain’s wartime elite.
Memories of a Massacre
It is the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre. How have the events of that day been remembered?
Doctoring the Ladies
Although not allowed to study at university, women in 18th-century England still found ways to join – and challenge – the scholarly world.
Slaves to War
The military elite of the Muslim world was comprised of men who had been captured and forced into service. But to what extent were they subject to slavery?
Oil and Water: The Tanker Wars
The Strait of Hormuz has become a fraught passage in the Tanker Wars between Iran and Iraq.
The Bengal Famine of 1943
Starvation and disease killed millions in British India during the Second World War. Why?
The Civil War’s ‘Martyr of Peace’
In an age of political and religious division that ended in Civil War, Lucius Cary and his circle at Great Tew offered a space for debate and compromise.