CATEGORIES

ENSURING A LEGACY

From temples to tombs, bigger was definitely better in the eyes of the pharaohs and their gods

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

Instantly familiar and much parodied, Grant Wood's Depression-era painting leaves observers with more questions than answers

WHAT IF... OLIVER CROMWELL'S SON HAD NEVER BEEN NAMED LORD PROTECTOR?

Professor Peter Gaunt tells Nige Tassell why a more capable leader than Richard Cromwell might have secured the long-term future of England's republic - but not necessarily forever

YOU'RE BARRED!

Throughout history, women have faced barriers and discrimination in virtually every area of daily life. We explore eight of the most unusual bans imposed on members of the 'fairer sex' in Britain and beyond - and how they were finally revoked

A REVOLUTION IN WOMEN'S LIVES

In the struggle for independence, America's “ladies” served as medics, cooks, campaigners and even as fighters

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