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BBC History UK Magazine - August 2025

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In this issue

The Live Aid phenomenon David Hepworth reflects on the enormous rock concerts that changed the face of live music The queen who started a revolution Breeze Barrington tells the story of Maria of Modena, the Italian Catholic pitched into a hostile Protestant court Victorian Britain’s boxing sensations Sarah Elizabeth Cox introduces the pugilists who punched their way to fame in the golden age of bare-knuckle prize-fighting The Srebrenica massacre Why did the world fail to stop the worst act of mass killing on European soil since the Second World War? Jan Willem Honig investigates

Movie star Hedy Lamarr patents the forerunner of wi-fi

The Hollywood actress officially registers the ingenious idea

2 mins

New York newspaper announces lunar civilisation

One of history's greatest hoaxes seizes the world's imagination

1 mins

"There's little understanding of the shared history of Britain and the subcontinent"

As Britain celebrates South Asian Heritage Month, SHALINA PATEL, SUMITA MUKHERJEE and SHRABANI BASU talk to Matt Elton about how histories of the subcontinent can be better shared and explored

10+ mins

"When justice is sovereign, the wicked are stripped of all power"

SIENA IS ONE OF THE GREAT HISTORIC CITIES – a living vision of the medieval world found now in very few places. Here is the architecture and street plan of a medieval city-state, the oldest bank in the world, and one of the oldest universities. Siena was even the first place to ban the car, in 1966! In its centre, the great square called the Campo hosts the famous Palio horse race twice a year. It's a place to relish the continuance of the past into the present.

3 mins

"A UK museum that tells the long, rich history of migration is long overdue"

IF YOU GAZE UP AT THE SKYLINE IN ROTTERDAM, in the Netherlands, you might spot a new addition. Made from stainless-steel panels and shaped like a rollercoaster, the Tornado sits on top of the city's newly opened Fenix, a museum that tells the story of human migration.

2 mins

"The Age of Spectacle starts here"

When Bob Geldof exhorted audiences to fill Wembley Stadium and empty their pockets for famine relief in Ethiopia, he changed the face of charity fundraising – and of live music. On its 40th anniversary, David Hepworth – one of the BBC presenters on the day – explores the legacy of Live Aid

10+ mins

The queen in the eye of a storm

She was an Italian Catholic in a ferociously anti-papist English court. An aspiring nun in a hotbed of hedonism. Breeze Barrington follows the extraordinary trials and tribulations of James II & VII's second wife, Maria of Modena

9 mins

VICTORIAN BOXING SENSATIONS!

Sarah Elizabeth Cox introduces the pugilists who punched their way into Britons' affections during the dying days of bare-knuckle prize-fighting

8 mins

Designs for life

In the interwar era, artists and designers embraced a sleek modern style that embodied the optimism and elegance of the age. On the centenary of the Paris expo that launched Art Deco on the international stage, Emma Bastin explores its origins and lasting impacts

8 mins

WARHORSE

From William the Conqueror's battle-winning cavalry to Richard III's fatal final charge, Oliver H Creighton and Robert Liddiard explore five moments when horsepower changed the course of medieval history

9 mins

“A connection was made between the rarefied world of the royal court and the politics of the street”

JONATHAN HEALEY tells Ellie Cawthorne about the dramatic moments that sparked the breakdown of Charles I’s relationship with parliament and the outbreak of the Civil War

9 mins

The opening salvo

NICK LLOYD enjoys a rich account of the outbreak of the First World War and the early weeks of the conflict

4 mins

India's Iron Lady

GYAN PRAKASH examines an innovative study of the political transformations experienced in India under the rule of its only female prime minister

2 mins

What lies beneath

PENELOPE M ALLISON is impressed by a study of the famous Roman town inundated by Vesuvius’s eruption

2 mins

Capital ideas

DONALD SASSOON is won over by a comprehensive study of economic theorists and their ideas, despite some key omissions

2 mins

Grand salad

ELEANOR BARNETT prepares a colourful dish, inspired by Tudor and Stuart recipes, that's designed to impress eyes as well as stomachs

2 mins

A temple to textiles

A magnificent Georgian venue designed to showcase the finest Yorkshire cloth, the Halifax Piece Hall has been repurposed numerous times over the centuries. CONNIE ROUT explores this spectacular al-fresco venue

2 mins

Lorenzo Da Ponte

Librettists get overlooked, but Mozart's great operas wouldn't be what they are were it not for Da Ponte, who was immensely gifted

2 mins

Read all Stories from BBC History UK

BBC History UK Magazine Description:

Publisher: Immediate-Media

Category: Education

Language: English

Frequency: Monthly

BBC History Magazine is Britain’s bestselling history magazine devoted to history enthusiasts of all levels of knowledge and interest. Published 13 times a year, BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world’s leading historians and journalists. Whether it is the history of our politics and institutions, or the fascinating stories of our private lives through the ages, BBC History Magazine sheds new light on the past and helps make more sense of today’s world.Covering the latest new developments in history and archaeology from Britain and around the world, the latest, most thought provoking historical research and strong links with TV and radio programming maximizing use of BBC’s existing expertise in the genre.