Volume 71 Issue 8 August 2021

A lusty gathering of Roman deities ends in embarrassment. 

Captivated by swarming cicadas, the young son of a freed slave was inspired to become one of the greatest minds of the American Enlightenment.

We ask 20 questions of leading historians on why their research matters, one book everyone should read and their views on historical drama …

A unique chronicle of a perilous journey reminds us of the need to reach beyond the horizon.

The rise of laboratory science in the late 19th century put stark focus on the moral cost of medical innovation.

An unprecedented force of 86,000 men fought against Hannibal’s Carthaginian army on 2 August 216 BC.

Modern naval intelligence, from the 19th century to the Cold War. 

How has The Beano’s Dennis the Menace survived the rise of television, increased cultural consumption and the digital age? 

Will current crises make it possible to study the ‘uniquely evil’ Third Reich as if it were just another period of the past?

Whether it was a conquest or an invasion, the events that took place in the Aztec capital 500 years ago are in desperate need of reappraisal.