Miscellanies

Hurricane, Bahamas, by Winslow Homer, 1898.

Let There Be Wind

From DIY experiments to giant offshore farms, the history of extracting electricity from air has been driven by individual innovation pursued against the headwinds of public scepticism.

Gayatri Devi with villagers in Rajasthan during her election campaign in 1962.

Jaipur’s Last Stand

The new government of an independent India sought to curtail the influence of the old princely order. When the Maharani of Jaipur entered politics in 1962, it had a popular problem to contend with.

Funchal Morning Sun by Edward Poynter, 19th century.

The Portuguese island of Madeira had the misfortune to play host to more than its fair share of expatriate religious strife in the early Victorian period. In the 1840s, tensions reached a violent crescendo.

The Dog and the Thief, by Wenceslas Hollar, 17th century.

Who’s Afraid of the Dog-Banditti?

For as long as dogs have been valued as companions, they have been a target for thieves. Their theft and ransom became a lucrative practice in the 18th century, with high-profile victims.

Destruction of the Vendôme Colonne during the Paris Commune, by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, 1871.

The Paris Commune’s Bloody Week

In May 1871, a short-lived Parisian revolution in social relations was brutally suppressed. What is the legacy of the Paris Commune, 150 years on?

The Inquisition Tribunal by Francisco de Goya, c.1808-12.

The Spanish Witches of Cartagena

The Spanish Inquisition arrived in the New World convinced of the existence of heretics and witches. Learning to navigate the Inquisitors’ demonic expectations was one way to survive, as shown by the case of Paula de Eguiluz.

President Nixon attending a table tennis exhibition in Beijing, 23 February 1972.

The Myths and Realities of Ping-Pong Diplomacy

When the United States’ table tennis team was invited to China in 1971, the trip was about far more than sporting competition. Dubbed ‘ping-pong diplomacy’, it heralded a thaw in diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Caricature of Thomas Paine, unknown artist, 26 December 1792.

Revolting Romantics

The story of a young William Blake warning Thomas Paine of impending danger is one of the great myths of English Romanticism. But did it happen?

'Drawbacks of celebrity: a cricketer pestered by autograph hunters', by Tom Browne, early 20th century.

The Autograph Fiend

There was no known remedy available to help those afflicted with ‘autographomania’. Spreading far and wide in the late 19th century, the obsession with collecting autographs held ‘all sorts and conditions of men in its deadly grip’.

The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after takeoff, 28 January 1986.

Challenger and Chernobyl, Cold War Catastrophes

In 1986, the world’s superpowers were each rocked by disasters occurring just three months apart. Technological prowess had driven the Cold War: what did it mean for it to fail in such catastrophic circumstances?