History Today

J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI from 1924 to 1972, thought the Bureau’s mission was to defeat the godless forces of liberalism, feminism and civil rights.

From backbench MP and minor gentleman to Lord Protector and almost-king, a new edition provides the most complete and accurate version of Oliver Cromwell’s writings to date.

The 19th-century Korean peninsula was a chessboard on which the fates of great powers were decided. China, Japan and Russia learned this to their cost in the 'Other Great Game’.

Christopher Hatton rose to great power as a favourite of Elizabeth I. Born in obscurity, why has he returned to it?

As the 19th century wore on, social reformers campaigned for charitable modernisation. Their target: England’s most useless foundations.

For citizens of Ancient Rome, the recurrence of brutal civil war was par for the course. For writers, the Years of the Four, Five and Six Emperors were an opportunity.

The latest in Rob Murray's series of Alternative History cartoons.

The legend of Ravachol, the terrorist ‘mastermind’ of the fin de siècle. 

On 14 June 1632, the Ethiopian Emperor Susenyos abdicated in favour of his son.

A Shanghai bookshop played a pivotal role in promoting Sino-Japanese friendship.