History Today

In 1820 the discovery of an ancient Greek statue with missing arms posed more questions than answers.

A selection of our favourite articles from the past year.

In 1917 the roof of Westminster Hall was on the brink of collapse; death-watch beetles had bored through it.

Do leaders and leadership matter most at times of crisis?

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

Crassus: The First Tycoon by Peter Stothard follows Marcus Licinius Crassus on the Roman road to disaster in Parthia.

In the Bible, angels do not have wings. How did they come to take the form we know today?

The Ministry of Food was founded to help people survive rationing and to bolster morale during the Second World War. This became particularly important at Christmas.

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

The Cudgel War broke out on 25 November 1596, in Kyrö, South Ostrobothnia.