History Today

Bartholomew's Fair, which dates back to the 12th century, was held for the last time on September 3rd, 1855.

Following his re-election in 1952, Juan Peron was overthrown on September 19th, 1955.

Alison Barnes reveals a new discovery about the Eddystone lighthouse: the first of its kind to be built on rocks in the sea.

Max Adams investigates the truth behind the introduction of a key invention of the early Industrial Revolution.

Archaeologist Chris Scarre finds fascination in discovering the past by examining its material remains.

Looking back on the sixtieth anniversary of the surrender of Japan, Rana Mitter finds the political background to the demonstrations in China against Japanese history textbooks are full of complexities.

As thousands of pupils prepare for their exam results, Richard Willis describes the origins of school examinations in England.

Julius Caesar first landed in Britain on August 26th, 55 BC, but it was almost another hundred years before the Romans actually conquered Britain in AD 43.

Jonathan Hughes discovers the humanity of Thomas Charnock, a forgotten Elizabethan alchemist in search of the philosopher’s stone.

John MacKenzie suggests that imperial rule and the possession of empire were an essential component of British identity, life and culture for over 200 years from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries.