History Today

Two new biographies advance our understanding of the Ultima Thule in evil.

During the Renaissance, the beard was the defining feature of a man.

The Third Reich’s obsession with a pure Germanic past led to a renewed interest in the witch hunts of early modern Germany.

Mark Twain painted an evocative vision of the Mississippi River, but he didn’t tell the whole story.

The first successful unaided swim of the English Channel began on 24 August 1875.

Sweltering British imperialists relied on an army of fan bearers, whose stories are as invisible as the air they circulated.

1964 was the first time Indians were mentioned in a State of the Union address, not as belligerent enemies or a 'problem'.

Commemoration of the Peterloo massacre remembers the dead, but also promotes future democratic change.

The author’s trips to Cuba had an impact on more than just literature.

The Polish volunteer who infiltrated Auschwitz.