History Today

The Body as Machine

The life of George Balanchine, the man behind a quintessential American ballet aesthetic.

An Eggless Christmas

The Ministry of Food was founded to help people survive rationing and to bolster morale, which became particularly important at Christmas.

Khans of Crimea

The Crimean Khanate was the last surviving heir of Chinggis Khan’s dynasty. Respected, feared and reviled, it found itself caught between empires.

Books of the Year 2022

Our year in reading covers the year’s major anniversaries such as Partition, Stalingrad and the March on Rome as well as space travel, English law and, of course, the Tudors.

Death of Thomas Tallis

One of the first – and greatest – composers of English Protestant church music died on 23 November 1585.

Ulster’s ‘Lost Counties’

In December 1922 a proclamation signed by George V formally established the Irish Free State. Among loyalists in three border counties of Ulster, partitioned and cut adrift from unionist jurisdiction, the sense of betrayal was acute.