History Today

In an age when nationalism is on the rise, the role of the historian becomes ever more valuable – and controversial.

In this podcast, Simon Heffer reflects on the year 1916, as conscription was introduced and the Battle of the Somme claimed huge casualties.

The work of Elizabeth Fulhame made huge leaps in science, despite the obstacles she faced as a woman.

The origin of bacalhau, the Portuguese national dish with a global past of ingenuity and exploitation.

A troubled UK is in desperate need of politicians and commentators who can think historically.

In the 18th century, Europeans in the tropics found themselves beset by an array of unpleasant afflictions. They blamed black women, the climate and the strength of their own masculinity.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was as much about beginnings as it was about endings. Out of the rubble came a new hope: techno music.

Provincial museums, easy to overlook, remind us that everywhere matters.

A scene of ancient Arcadian bliss which hints at the coming of modernity.