Birth of Beatrix Potter
The author was born on 28 July 1866.
Volume 66 Issue 7 July 2016
Paul Julius Reuter born in Germany
The news pioneer was born on July 21st, 1816.
The first issue of Punch
The satirical magazine appeared on July 17th, 1841.
Britain's Forgotten South American Colony
The short-lived colony of Willoughbyland, in what is now Suriname, was both verdant and dangerous. In the end, it was exchanged for New York.
The First Public Historian
The idea of public history, in which academics seek to address a wider audience, is considered to be a modern one, but, discovers Eleanor Parker, a form of it was practised during the Middle Ages.
The Somme: An Exercise in Futility?
The first day of the Somme has become synonymous with incompetent leadership and a callous disregard for human life. Gary Sheffield offers a more complex picture of the battle and the role played by General Sir Douglas Haig.
Democracy: A User's Guide
It comes in many forms and often disappoints, yet democracy has come to be regarded as the most desirable of all political systems. Paul Cartledge offers a guide to its roots in ancient Greece and reminds us of its long absence in the West.
When All Roads Led to Palmyra
The desert city of Palmyra, ravaged recently by ISIS, held a key position on the Silk Route, connecting the Chinese, Persian and Roman Empires. Raoul McLaughlin describes how a remote caravan settlement assumed a leading role in international affairs, generating enormous wealth.
Aboriginal Tribes of Australia, 1940
Kate Wiles introduces a map highlighting the diversity of indigenous tribes that was in danger of being lost.
Fascist Architecture
Though many writers, film-makers and other artists found it difficult to work in Fascist Italy, modernist architecture flourished under the less than watchful gaze of Mussolini.