Calculating the Return of Halley’s Comet
Halley’s Comet will not be visible again until 2061. But how did scientists discover how to accurately predict its return?
History Today
A History of Consumer Culture
The notion that ‘Greed is Good’ was not born in the 1980s, nor even in the 20th century. Frank Trentmann traces the roots of today’s rampant consumer culture to the imperial ambitions of the great European powers.
King Henry of Haiti
Amid the instability of post-revolutionary Haiti, torn between Britain and France, Henry Christophe rose from lowly roots to become its ruler. Paul Clammer remembers his vital role in shaping a new kingdom.
The Strange Tale of the Kibbo Kift Kindred
The Boy Scout movement produced a little-known offshoot of ‘intellectual Barbarians’, whose charismatic leader had dreams of overcoming the existential crises of the 20th century.
The Brief but Brilliant Reign of Edmund Ironside
Though he was king for just 222 days, the life and legacy of Edmund II, who ascended to the English throne 1,000 years ago this year, remain impressive, claims David McDermott.
The Science of the Supernatural
Many assumptions and values separate us from the Victorians, but belief in the supernatural is not one of them, argues Simone Natale.
A Question of Interpretation
The public expects historians to deliver authoritative accounts of the past, yet different conclusions can be drawn from the same sources.
The French Revolution: A Complete History
A nuanced history of the French Revolution, which shows that its facts are anything but fixed.
Drilling and Disaster in the North Sea
Klaus Dodds looks back 50 years to a crucial – and ultimately tragic – moment in the UK’s exploitation of its oil and gas resources.
'Curing' Homosexuality
During the 1950s and 1960s, debates over the legality and morality of homosexuality drove gay men and doctors to desperate and dangerous measures in their search for a ‘cure’, writes John-Pierre Joyce.