Vile Verse and Desperate Doggerel
Was the worst poet in history a hidden visionary?
History Today
What is a ‘Just War’?
On the 20th anniversary of the worldwide protest against the Iraq War in February 2003, we ask: is there such a thing as ‘just war’ or is there just war?
Charles Darwin’s Rocks of Ages
On his early travels across the world it was geology that struck Charles Darwin’s interest, not biology.
A Dynasty is Founded
On 8 February 1644, Li Zicheng, a rebel warlord, proclaimed the foundation of his own Shun dynasty.
‘Guru to the World’ by Ruth Harris review
Guru to the World: The Life and Legacy of Vivekananda by Ruth Harris uncovers the Hindu guru’s life of epiphanies and contradictions.
Ringing the Changes
The first-known secular bell-ringing society was founded on 2 February 1604.
A Perfect Storm
The Bethnal Green tube station disaster, 80 years on.
Historical Omertà
Menopause is an inescapable fact of life. Why is history silent on it?
Are you Experienced?
Not a queen or a saint, witch or idealised lady-love, the Wife of Bath is a much-married working woman and an enthusiastic traveller.
‘Edda Mussolini’ by Caroline Moorehead review
Edda Mussolini: The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe by Caroline Moorehead explores how Italy became enslaved by ‘a corrupt gang of warmongers’.