The Man Who Invented Pi
In 1706 a little-known mathematics teacher named William Jones first used a symbol to represent the platonic concept of pi, an ideal that in numerical terms can be approached, but never reached.
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Shackleton in the Antarctic, 1914-1916
The great explorer’s skill and courage rescued a whole expedition from disaster after a struggle that lasted nearly two years. ‘Not histrionics but steady and constant leadership saved Shackleton and his men’.
Slaying Myths: St George and the Dragon
St George only gained popularity in England in the 15th century and Richard the Lionheart had nothing to do with his adoption as the nation’s patron saint.
Poltava: The Battle that Changed the World
In 1709 Russia emerged as a major power after a clash of armies in Ukraine. Peter the Great’s victory, Derek Wilson argues, had repercussions that last to this day.
The Long Road to Equality for African-Americans
John Kirk charts the progress of the civil rights movement through its most prominent body, the NAACP.
Passing the Torch
Michael Dunne reflects on past US presidential Inaugurals, and the words which still resonate.
Edward Heath
Robert Pearce attempts to put the Prime Minister of 1970-74 into historical perspective.
‘U-turn if you want to…’
Mark Rathbone analyses the causes and consequences of sudden changes of policy in nineteenth-century British politics.
Solving Stonehenge
Anthony Johnson argues that an accurate interpretation of the great monument rests in the sophisticated geometric principles employed by its Neolithic surveyors.
Selma and Civil Rights
Mark Rathbone examines the importance of one Alabama town’s contribution to the civil rights movement.