History Today

With the BBC Charter renewal in the news, Taylor Downing recommends studies of the institution’s past, present and future.

The Civil War began in Scotland, so why did its radical ideas not appear to take hold north of the border?

The former city-state and birthplace of Christopher Columbus has long been a global city. 

The monumental city of Persepolis was the pride of the Persian empire until its destruction by fire. Richard Stoneman revisits its builders, Darius and Xerxes, and their role in its construction.

Were the fifties a dull decade? Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes: The Story of Women in the 1950s by Virginia Nicholson has the answer.

One of the most brilliant intellectuals of his age, Isaiah Berlin voiced impeccably liberal views.  Yet were his political beliefs compromised by some unsavoury associations?

The neglected life of a political idealist, whose 30-year ordeal, hidden from the world, spans a period of momentous change in Spain. 

Joseph Lister's medical technique was first performed on August 12th, 1865.

In 1562 the young monarch was cured of a dangerous attack of smallpox.

William Kemmler was killed on August 6th, 1890.