The Jellyfish Problem
Plant, animal or other? The struggle to categorise jellyfish mirrors the desire to impose a hierarchy on the natural world.
History Today
End of the Edge of the World
The last islanders living on the small archipelago of St Kilda were evacuated on 29 August 1930.
Frankenstein: Between Two Worlds
Mary Shelley’s great novel is not a commentary on the Industrial Revolution, nor is it a simple retelling of the myth of Prometheus. It is far more original than that.
The Lessons of Shell Shock
The global crisis wrought by the First World War prompted the birth of free mental health care.
Victorian Britain’s Culture War
The abolition of slavery was only the beginning of a culture war on race and empire that divided the intellectual classes of Victorian Britain.
Should Hagia Sophia be a Museum or Mosque?
Whether a museum or mosque, Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia has been a monument to selective readings of Turkey’s history.
Nero Versus the Christians
Was Nero the Antichrist? The bestial image of the Roman emperor as the enemy of Christians persists, but the truth is more complex.
The Enemies Within
A terrorist attack on Wall Street a century ago aroused suspicion of anarchists, socialists and foreigners, as America saw danger around every corner.
Perfume, History, Dreams
Perfumes and sweet scents affect our sense of smell, but their true realm is that of the imagination.
This Blessed Plot
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 offered an opportunity for the ambitions of a well-connected group of Puritan politicians and businessmen. The result was civil war.