‘Contradiction on Stilts’
A uniquely personal take on the transfer of power in Hong Kong.
History Today
Creating Iraq’s Military State
Foreign armies acted with impunity in Iraq from the first decade of independence. In response, the Iraqi military became a tool of internal repression.
England’s Monasteries: Gone But Not Forgotten
The Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII is a well-worn tale. Are we getting the whole story?
The Great Alpaca Heist
A Victorian wool merchant set out on an audacious, decade-long quest to smuggle alpacas out of Peru. But transporting his flock to Australia was only half the struggle.
The Menorah
The oldest continuously used religious symbol in the western world.
Turning on the Waterworks
Britain’s privatised water companies are under attack, but private ownership of a vital public service has a long history of controversy.
A Century of Fascism
Fascism would plague the 20th century, but when Benito Mussolini seized power in October 1922 few could agree on exactly what it was.
Cuban Missile Crisis: the View from Havana
For 13 days in October 1962 the world watched Cuba with bated breath. What was the view like from the epicentre of the missile crisis?
Written in Heraldry
Lions are noble; unicorns pure. Knowing how to decipher heraldry reveals the aspirations – and humour – of the regal past.
Death of a Master Forger
John Payne Collier died on 17 September 1883, after a lifetime of creating deliberate fictions, falsehoods and forgeries.