History Today

Victoria Gardner looks back at earlier attitudes to Britain’s press freedom and how the withdrawal of the Licensing Act of 1662 spawned a nation of news addicts.

How Victorian gentlemen’s clubs in London’s West End played a role in oiling the nation’s political wheels.

A pioneer of global governance, Lionel Curtis is all but forgotten today. His ideas, says Tom Cargill, are in urgent need of reassessment.

Who is and who is not an American? The question goes back to the Revolution. The answer is always changing, says Tim Stanley.

Jerome Carson and Elizabeth Wakely explore the mental illnesses suffered by some famous historical figures and consider the impact on their lives and achievements.

The ill-fated fortress was opened on February 14th 1938.

The celebrated little person was married on February 10th, 1863.

The wedding of Elizabeth Stuart and Frederick V took place on February 14th 1613.

Joseph Merrick inherits another kind of pachyderm trait in this cartoon from Rob Murray.

At Deptford, on April 4th, 1581, Francis Drake, who, during the previous autumn, had returned from his triumphant circumnavigation of the globe, knelt before Queen Elizabeth and received a knighthood