CATEGORIES

WHAT IF...EMPRESS MATILDA HAD DEFEATED KING STEPHEN?

In the 1130s, England descended into civil war as two rival cousins vied for the throne. Spencer Mizen asks historian Matt Lewis whether the struggle - known as the Anarchy - could have unfolded differently

A MOST UNLIKELY SUSPECT

In May 1922, a respected solicitor was sent to the gallows after being convicted of poisoning his wife. But was he truly guilty? A century on, Stephen Bates asks whether Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong was the victim of a terrible injustice

Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company

"I'm continually amazed by the incredible insight and empathy Shakespeare shows for the human experience"

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR

Professor Benjamin Carp answers key questions about the colonies' 18th-century fight for independence

OBSOLETE OBJECTS

Technological advances and scientific discoveries have consigned many inventions of yesteryear to the dustbin of history. A new book of now-defunct objects and ideas takes a trip down memory lane to explore futures that never were. We bring you 10 examples...

Oscar Wilde is released from prison

THIS MONTH... 1897 ANNIVERSARIES THAT HAVE MADE HISTORY

TEA, TAXES AND THE TAKING UP OF ARMS

The seeds of revolution and calls for independence were brewing in Britain's American colonies many years before a shooting war broke out...

THE BATTLES THAT MADE THE UNITED STATES

From the first shots at Lexington and Concord, to the surrender at Yorktown, we explore the most important clashes of the war

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

5 THINGS YOU(PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT... | In 1776, as the conflict heated up, Britain's North American colonies announced their independence with a groundbreaking document. Dr Tom Cutterham explores the Declaration's lasting impact

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

A highly unusual painting sheds new light on the experiences of people of colour in 18th-century England

ON THE CUSP OF WORLD WAR III - Q&A WITH ROGER HERMISTON

In 1953 the US and Soviet Union became capable of mutually assured destruction. Soon after, safeguards were put into place in an attempt to prevent it

RESISTANCE & REBELLION

Many tribes stood against the legions, putting up a fierce fight that made the Roman conquest of Britain far from a foregone conclusion

TIMELINE OF THE... ROMAN INVASIONS OF BRITAIN

Over centuries the empire's borders expanded across the prized islands, reaching as far north as Scotland but always facing fierce tribal resistance

Great Battles CANNAE

After crossing the Alps and outwitting the Romans twice, despite being hugely outnumbered, Hannibal dealt Rome a crushing blow with one of the most celebrated double-pincer movements of all time

THE — DOOLITTLE RAID

On 18 April 1942, American bombers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle took off from the USS Hornet. Their target: Tokyo. Their mission: Avenge Pearl Harbor

THE TSAR'S WAR WWI'S EASTERN FRONT

Tsarist Russia was unprepared when World War I began, and the disastrous experience hastened the end of the Romanov Dynasty and the rise of communist rule

THE ROMAN ARMY

The legions in Britain helped Romanise the remote province and guarded its northern border

Heroes of the Medal of Honor: JAMES STOCKDALE

The highest-ranking US POW during the Vietnam War, imprisoned for nearly eight years, this air wing commander was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and leadership while incarcerated

FALKLANDS SHORT HISTORY OF A LONG DISAGREEMENT PART 1: 1485 – 1833

For hundreds of years these South Atlantic islands have been the focus, and sideshow, of trade missions, treaties and conflicts. In this two-part series, former British Army intelligence officer and now historian Nick Van Der Bijl looks at the five centuries preceding the 1982 war

ADMIRAL YI SUN- SIN

The Korean military genius who overcame overwhelming odds to grind Japan’s samurai war machine to a halt

How Britain Became a Cultural Colossus

The secret to the nation's status as a creative superpower lies not in stability and peace but a past dominated by invasion, disruption and war

What Is Truth?

Richard Oxenberg on the need for an old paradigm, especially in ethics.

Robert Nozick's Metaverse Machine

Lorenzo Buscicchi asks, would you plug into Mark Zuckerberg’s virtual world? He finds that the question has been considered by philosophers for decades.

Smart Hub

Smart hub Design duo Formafantasma settle into a chic new live/work space in Milan cultural complex Assab One

MONGOLIAN MIGHT MEETS SAMURAI STEEL

Waves of the Khan’s forces swept across the shogunate’s lands. They were met by Japan’s outmatched yet determined and skilful warrior class

CLASH OF CULTURES: Q&A WITH JONATHAN CLEMENTS

With the Mongol way of war already a proven conquering force, the invasion of Japan was a clash of two unique warrior societies

AMERICA'S ZOUAVES

Historian and author Iain MacGregor shares his passion for the brightly uniformed infantrymen who served in the US Civil War, and interrogates some of the myths about their combat role

BATAAN DEATH MARCH

After Japan conquered the Philippines in WWII, its army inflicted one of the war’s worst atrocities on Allied POWs

THE REAL TOP GUN

From humble beginnings the US Navy Fighter Weapons School was instrumental in turning the tide of the air war over Vietnam

THE DIVINE WIND

With his invasion forces scattered by storms, the Khan planned yet another attempt to conquer Japan