Cultural

Will the new super-casinos bring about the demise of the commercial bingo hall? Carolyn Downs traces the history of the game back to the eighteenth century and finds that then – as now – it had a strong attraction for women gamblers.

Colin Jacobson looks at the history of a pioneering photojournalism magazine.

Daniel Snowman gives his verdict on this history of the Promenade concerts.

How did Washington Post cartoonist Clifford Kennedy Berryman – with a little help from Theodore Roosevelt – spark the creation of the world’s favourite soft toy?

Kevin Shillington looks at the impact on Africa of the slave trade, and its abolition 200 years ago this month.

Christopher J. Walker asks whether the two religions that frequently appear locked in an inevitable clash of civilizations in fact share more than has often been thought.

Andrew Ellis introduces a huge on-going project to publish a series of catalogues showing every oil painting in public ownership in the United Kingdom.

Simon Lemieux explain why witch-hunting ended when so many Europeans supported it.

Robin Evans examines the connections between language, culture and national identity in 19th-century Galicia.

Marius Ostrowski explains why the Church was so dominant in the Middle ages, but also sees traces of a growing secularism.