History Today

A military dental surgery, pen drawing by H. Bury, early 20th century. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain.

Brushing for Britain

The First World War revealed the bad state of Britain’s teeth. Intervention was required to keep the nation biting fit.

A folding screen showing an indigenous wedding in Mexico, c. 1660-90. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘Patria’ by Laurence Blair review

In Patria: Lost Countries of South America, Laurence Blair explores nine nations, dissolved or imagined, and what they tell us about Latin America.

Young Falangists in Spain, by Granz Grasser, 1937. Deutsche Fotothek. Public Domain.

Is it Possible to Forgive and Forget?

Where fraught national histories are concerned, do policies of remembrance and education work, or is it better to wipe the slate clean?

The collapsed spire of Chichester Cathedral, 1861. Historic England.

The Allure of Medieval Churches

The ancient stones of churches are portals to the past. Each new generation becomes a custodian.

Picture of a man thought to be Doc Holliday, 1882. GRANGER - Historical Picture Archive/Alamy Stock Photo.

Doc Holliday: The Perennial Sidekick

Misfit, Old West villain or tragic hero of the O.K. Corral: who was the real Doc Holliday?

A bronze head of Ptolemy II or III, c. 246-222 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘The Last Dynasty’ and ‘The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome’ review

Can The Last Dynasty: Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra and The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome: A History of the Ptolemies fashion a finale for the pharaohs?

Silver denarius of Cassius Longinus, depicting a citizen casting a ballot, 63 BC. CNG coins.

How to Win an Election in Ancient Rome

Ancient Roman election advice suggested some uncomfortable campaign strategies. Evidence from Pompeii suggests many candidates followed it enthusiastically.

Edward Heath, newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, outside his home, London, 27 July 1965. PRISMA ARCHIVO/Alamy Stock Photo.

The Conservative Party Popularity Contest

How the first Conservative leadership election modernised the party in the 1960s.

Woodcut illustration from the Roxburghe Ballads showing a man pleading before a lawyer or magistrate, early 17th century. Bridgeman Images.

The Tudor War on Libel

As rude rhymes and rumours threatened reputations, the Elizabethan government attempted to regulate barbed language.

People gather to read a special edition of the Nürnberger newspaper reporting the sentences handed down by the International Military Tribunal, 1 October 1946. US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Gerald Schwab.

‘The Writers’ Castle’ by Uwe Neumahr review

In The Writers’ Castle: Reporting History at Nuremberg, Uwe Neumahr discovers that it wasn’t just the men in the dock who had scandalous social lives and hidden agendas.