Richard Nixon’s Opening to China and Closing the Gold Window
Like President Trump, Nixon made a virtue of unpredictability. In the case of his China strategy, this paid off while his decision to close the gold window did not.
History Matters
Thoughts, opinions and commentary on all things historical.
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The Battle of Rorke’s Drift
Why is the siege such a popular and controversial imperial episode?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
In their quest to collect all the knowledge of the known world, Roman authors also recorded the strange and the fabulous.
Medieval Millennials
When does a boy become a man? Medieval millennials were just as hard to define as those of today.
New Orleans: The Mississippi Bubble and the Big Easy
The unusual circumstances of the founding of New Orleans in 1718 have had a lasting impact on its culture.
A History of Ink in Six Objects
From cave paintings to Kindle, our history is written in ink – adapted and reinvented to reflect, and influence, the needs of the day.
Votes for All!
Why did only some women get the vote in 1918 and what did they do with it?
The Mysterious Death of Henriette, Duchesse d’Orléans
Henrietta of England, daughter of King Charles I, died in agony claiming she had been poisoned. The cause of death is still disputed.
Skanderbeg: a Man for Our Times?
Albania’s greatest military hero Gjergj Kastrioti, also known as Skanderbeg, dedicated his life to fighting for his beleaguered homeland.
Poland and the Holocaust
A new law exposes the problematic nature of Holocaust remembrance.