History Today

The brilliant inventor and engineer William George Armstrong died on December 27th, 1900, aged ninety.

Joseph Needham, one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable scholars, was born on December 9th, 1900.

The ancient town of Zeugma, now flooded by the damned Euphrates

Alistair Bonnett identifies the ingredients that produced an 'identity crisis' for white people in the early 20th century. 

Martin Johnes and Iain McLean examine the political aftermath of the Aberfan disaster.

Asa Briggs completes our Portrait of Britain series with a survey of the islands at the beginning of the 20th century.

Charles Maechling argues that the Japanese attack, which took place on December 7th 1941, was partly a response to the country's limited energy resources.

Eric Ives looks at the cases of two English monarchs who broke with convention by selecting spouses for reasons of the heart, rather than political convenience.

Richard Hodges reviews the evidence for long-distance trade in his empire.