History Today

A still from the 1955 adaptation of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo.

The Publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four

On 8 June 1949, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four was published. His final novel, its themes had been present throughout his literary career.

A woman diagnosed as suffering from melancholia. Lithograph, 1892, after a drawing made for Sir Alexander Morison. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain.

‘The Undesirables’ by Sarah Wise review

Sarah Wise’s The Undesirables: The Law that Locked Away a Generation lays bare the cruelty and injustice of the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913.

President Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy toast each other at the bar of O'Farrell's Pub in Ballyporeen, while on a four day visit to the Republic of Ireland, 3 June 1984. PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo.

Ronald Reagan’s European Tour

A tour of Europe cemented Ronald Reagan’s reputation as an international statesman and helped secure his re-election.

The defeat of the caliph of Baghdad, the religious head of Sunni Islam, by the Mongols, Rashid al-Din, c. 1596. Cleveland Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘The House Divided’ by Barnaby Rogerson review

In The House Divided: Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East Barnaby Rogerson seeks geopolitical answers for ideological conflicts.

A prehistoric man defends his family from an attacking bear, c. 1840-1900. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain.

What Use is Prehistory to the Historian?

History is built with words. How have historians filled the silence that came before?

A Viking Age ship scene on the Lärbro Stora Hammars I picture stone, c. 8th-10th century. Gotlands Museum. Mike Ferguson (CC BY).

‘Age of Wolf and Wind’ by Davide Zori review

Age of Wolf and Wind: Voyages through the Viking World by Davide Zori proves that if you want to understand the Vikings, you need to rove just as far.

President Calvin Coolidge with Native American delegates, possibly of the Yakama Nation, at the White House, 1925. Library of Congress. Public Domain.

The Indian Citizenship Act

The decision to make Native Americans citizens of the United States was not straightforwardly progressive.

Massacre of Christians in Syria, French illustration, late 19th century. Universal History Archive/Getty Images.

‘The Damascus Events’ and ‘Sea of Troubles’ review

Sea of Troubles by Ian Rutledge and The Damascus Events by Eugene Rogan watch as the ‘sick man of Europe’ turns violent.

A 17th-century manuscript of the Gospels in Cyrillic. National Library of Poland. Public Domain.

Inventing Cyrillic

The Cyrillic alphabet is celebrated across the Slavonic-speaking world, but not only as an appreciation of literacy – it has a political dimension too.

Illustrated Police News (IPN) front page featuring the murder of Martha Tabram, 18 August 1888. British Library/Bridgeman Images.

Jack the Ripper: Dark Tourism and the Gutter Press

Jack the Ripper was a media sensation. The press frenzy surrounding him made the sites of his murders tourist destinations, attracting thousands of visitors.