The Battle for Britain
Andrew Stewart investigates the forgotten role of those ‘ideal soldiers of democracy’, troops from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, who arrived to defend Britain from invasion.
History Today
The Birth of Comedy
From sausage-sellers to suffragettes, questioning and puncturing our political leaders through satire has been essential for democracy ever since comedy was born in Ancient Greece, argues Edith Hall.
Death of Sir Geoffrey de Havilland
The aviation pioneer died on May 21st, 1965.
John Wycliffe condemned as a heretic
The theologian was denounced by the church on May 4th, 1415.
Who Wrote Piers Plowman?
The popularity of the Middle English poem has endured for 650 years but the question of who wrote it remains unanswered. Lawrence Warner addresses the mystery.
The Death of John Wilkes Booth
The man who killed Abraham Lincoln was shot dead on 26 April, 1865.
A World Without Teenagers: Jihadi brides in Syria
Arriving in Syria, three London schoolgirls will find themselves in a ‘medieval’ world where the teenager is an unknown concept.
The Origins of the Early Medieval State
Paul Fouracre looks at the states that formed after the Fall of Rome and the early historians who questioned whether the barbarians were oppressors or liberators.
Ranji's Special Guest
Roger Hudson explains why the great cricketer W.G. Grace embraced Indian headwear for a day.
The Familiar and the Fresh
Steven Runciman’s profile of Richard the Lionheart, written at a time of impending crisis in Anglo-Cypriot relations, offers a nuanced and sensitive portrait, writes Minoo Dinshaw.