When Nostalgia Was Deadly
When it was first named in 17th-century Switzerland, nostalgia was a very real – and very dangerous – disease.
History Matters
Thoughts, opinions and commentary on all things historical.
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The Value of Wills to Historians
Wills in early modern England tell us much more than simply who left what to whom, and should not be discarded lightly.
William Adams: English Adviser to the Shogun
How an English navigator became one of the shogun’s most trusted advisers.
The US Treasury’s Money Laundering Machine
The term ‘money laundering’ is often associated with mobsters, drug lords and morally dubious executives. But the expression’s first use was far less lawless.
Political Graffiti in Georgian Britain
The 18th century was the age of graffiti, when the writing on the wall turned political.
‘The World at War’ and the Holocaust at 50
‘Genocide’, the Holocaust episode of The World at War, was pioneering when it first aired. Does it stand the test of time?
Keeping Blinded Veterans in View
To support ex-servicemen injured during the First World War, charities like St Dunstan’s found creative ways of fundraising.
Was the Trojan Horse Real?
Did the Greeks really trick their way into Troy inside a gigantic wooden horse?
Ancient Rome’s Failed Building Projects
Alongside the great successes of Roman architectural feats were expensive failures. Who was to blame?
The End of Britain’s Weeks-Long General Elections
General elections in Britain were once weeks-long affairs of corruption and chaos. The shift to one-day polling was slow.