The Hanseatic League: Europe’s First Common Market?
In the 13th century a remarkable trading block was formed in northern Europe. The Hanseatic League prospered for 300 years before the rise of the nation-state led to its dissolution.
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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.
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’.
Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Baritsu
Bartitsu – rather than Baritsu – was a hybrid martial art that flourished in fin de siècle London. As an amateur boxer, Arthur Conan Doyle was fascinated.
Slaying Myths: England and St George
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.
No Karl Marx without Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels financed the research behind his friend Karl Marx’s epic critique of the free market, Das Kapital. His role is now being recognised.
Henry VII: England’s Miracle King
Henry Tudor invoked providence to gain his throne in 1485, but it was skilful use of heraldic and religious imagery, as well as promotion of the cult of Henry VI that ensured he retained it.
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.
Spain’s Ethnic Cleansing of the Muslim Moriscos
The expulsion in 1609 of more than 300,000 Spanish Moriscos – Muslim converts to Christianity – was a brutal attempt to create a homogenous state.
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.