History Today

Though they are often seen as polar opposites,the architect of modern Germany and the great British Liberal statesman shared more in common than one might think. Roland Quinault draws comparisons.

Buildings like the Shard may look like heralds of the future, but they are part of a long history of idealistic urban planning, says Alexander Lee.

Nicholas Henshall examines the politics of aristocratic culture in Europe between 1650 and 1750.

Proust's epic first appeared on November 14th, 1913.

Thomas Tompion, a master of time, died on November 20th, 1713.

Marilyn V. Longmuir looks at the historical background to the Burmese obsession with pristine bank notes.

British democracy owes a debt to the country’s first civil rights movement, says Malcolm Chase.

Australia and the US were allies during the Second World War, though that wasn’t always apparent in the relationship between GIs and Diggers. This is the story of one especially bitter encounter.

Stuart Andrews profiles a scientist, controversialist, and pillar of the British enlightenment; Joseph Priestley found his spiritual home in the United States.