Thomas Cook in the Victorian Age
How Thomas Cook and his son changed the aspects of travel, at home and abroad.
Feature
The Rise of the Turkey
The turkey’s path to festive supremacy was much more unexpected – and glorious – than it might seem.
When Alexander met Thalestris
The romantic liaison between the great Amazon warrior queen and the conqueror of the known world has been much mythologised. But did such a pairing really happen?
Saving Life at Sea
‘Valour and virtue have not perished in the British race’, said Winston Churchill, describing the long record of the national life-boat service.
Nestor Makhno and the Ukrainian War of Independence
During the struggle that followed the Russian Revolution, Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno waged war against Whites and Reds alike for an independent Ukraine.
Banks to the Rescue
The opening battle of the First World War was won by the Bank of England before the British had so much as fired a shot.
Washington is Burning
In August 1814, the US capital was torched by British troops. The ‘greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms’ left its legacy on the US, Britain and Canada.
How Britain Went to War in 1914
When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914 there was no outbreak of jingoism and no immediate rush to enlist.
The Iron Amir: Britain’s Afghan Legacy
In 1880, the British withdrew from Afghanistan. Abdur Rahman Khan, the new ruler installed after the Second Anglo-Afghan War, unified the fractured nation at a terrible cost.
Black Equestrians
Africans in Georgian Britain have often been portrayed as victims of slavery, unfortunates at the bottom of the social heap. The reality was far more fluid and varied, with many African gentlemen sharing the same cultural and social aspirations as their fellow Englishmen.