The Rise of Air Conditioning
Air conditioning across the US brought an industrial boom – at a cost to the environment.
History Matters
Thoughts, opinions and commentary on all things historical.
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How the Press Created Jack the Ripper
At first glance, the newspapers’ sensational coverage has changed little since Jack the Ripper struck. However, the tone of the Victorian press was as varied as its readers.
Iran, Britain and Operation Boot
Why the British government can’t reveal more about an ‘open secret’.
A Very Brief History of the Manx Language
From monks to Vikings to tourists, the Manx language has (almost) survived against the odds.
Letters to Sardinia
The concerns of a Sardinian abbess, as seen through the letters of Gregory the Great.
Forgetting Fascism
Never fully exorcised, the memory of Italy’s fascist past is fading.
A Single Woman in West Africa
The diaries of a young teacher reveal the complexities of racial tensions in the Gold Coast.
Rewriting the Classics
A translator alters more than a text’s language, turning the process into a political statement.
Private Lives? Leave Me Out
As technology changes, so do ideas about the borders of the self and the nature of privacy.
Making a Monster
The worst monsters to the Anglo-Saxon mind were those who thought like humans but chose to act differently.