Through a Glass Darkly
The real history of wine can be a dry – even bitter – beverage.
History Today
Stakhanovite Shopping
Even the retail sector became part of the second Five Year Plan imposed on the Soviet Union by Stalin.
The Black Death: A New Culprit?
Should the finger of blame be pointed at the marmot for the global spread of the plague?
Writ in Water
A kaleidoscopic tour of the Volga and the history of the people who have resided by it.
Prometheus
The immortal Titan abandoned to his eternal fate.
Discovery of the Periodic Table
Dmitri Mendeleev identified a general theory underlying all elements on 1 March 1869.
The Edict of Thessalonica
On 27 February 380, divine punishment and imperial retribution were threatened for those who rejected the Nicene creed.
Haiti’s Black Legend: Zombies, Cannibals and Werewolves
The complexities of Haitian Vodou were misunderstood and exploited by imperialists, with tales of human sacrifices and cannibalism a backdrop to the US invasion of 1915.
Protest, Power, Play
Not since the Middle Ages have the ancient traditions of fancy dress been so potent.
1771: The Year Britain Lost America?
Having achieved success in the Seven Years War, the following decade would be a chastening experience for Britain, culminating in the loss of its American colonies.