History Today

Though denied credit Rosalind Franklin’s work on the molecular structure of DNA was pivotal to Watson and Crick’s discovery of the double helix.

These Truths: a History of the United States by Jill Lepore is a reminder of how tenaciously previous generations have clung to the view that the country is the ‘last, best hope of earth’.

‘The most common misconception about my field is that classicists study a past that no longer impacts on our world today.’

Germany is the country most closely associated with militarism, but Britain has had its militarist moments, too.

The staple dish of the Middle East is as contested as the region, with different peoples claiming falafel’s origins as their own.

Birds in the Ancient World: Winged Words by Jeremy Mynott explores the role birds played in intellectual, practical, and emotional lives.

The world’s first filmmaker disappeared without trace. Are we watching his outtakes?

The Common Freedom of the People: John Lilburne & the English Revolution by Michael Braddick charts his remarkable rise.

A mythological creature of extraordinary resilience.

Can the collective endeavour of history still be our guide in the age of solipsism?