Canada’s Forgotten Founder
York Membery remembers John By, the brilliant British military engineer responsible for building the 175-year-old Rideau Canal.
History Today
Ethiopia’s New Millennium
A.S.H. Smyth witnesses the first Meskel Festival of Ethiopia’s Third Millennium, in the ancient capital of Gonder.
The Years of Extermination
Roger Moorhouse reviews a title on the Holocaust.
Greek Odyssey
Simon Goldhill explains how he came to be hooked on Greek tragedy at an early age – and has stayed hooked.
The Birth of Charles Wesley
The man who wrote the words of 'Hark! the Herald Angels Sing', 'Love Divine, All Loves Excelling' and hundreds of other much-loved hymns was born on December 18th, 1707.
Lenin Flees Russia Again
On December 12th, 1907, Lenin fled Russia for a second time.
Ottawa chosen as Canadian Capital
The small logging town was chosen as the country's new capital on December 31st, 1857
The First American Political Cartoon
Mark Bryant looks at the first political cartoon – and one of the most influential ever – to be published in America.
The Liberator: Daniel O’Connell and Anti-Slavery
The story of the British anti-slavery and abolitionist movements has been dominated by the figures of Clarkson and Wilberforce. Yet, the success of the Slave Trade Act of 1807 and the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 benefited from the votes of Irish MPs.
Whatever Happened to the Non-Aligned Movement?
Martin Evans recalls the ‘third way’ of Cold War international politics, now all but forgotten.