History Today

Representation of the Prophet Zachariah’s vision of a menorah between two olive trees, by Joseph Ha-Zarefati in the Cervera Bible, c.1300.

The Menorah

The oldest continuously used religious symbol in the western world.

The waterworks built beneath old London Bridge by Peter Morice in 1581 to supply water to the City, c.1600.

Turning on the Waterworks

Britain’s privatised water companies are under attack, but private ownership of a vital public service has a long history of controversy.

Benito Mussolini leading the March on Rome, October 1922.

A Century of Fascism

Fascism would plague the 20th century, but when Benito Mussolini seized power in October 1922 few could agree on exactly what it was.

A surface-to-air missile launcher on Smathers Beach, Florida, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. Florida Keys History Center-Monroe County Public Library (CC BY 2.0).

Cuban Missile Crisis: the View from Havana

For 13 days in October 1962 the world watched Cuba with bated breath. What was the view like from the epicentre of the missile crisis?

Read my shield: Henry VI on horseback with a coat of arms, 15th century.

Written in Heraldry

Lions are noble; unicorns pure. Knowing how to decipher heraldry reveals the aspirations – and humour – of the regal past.

N.E.S.A. Hamilton. "An inquiry into the genuineness of the manuscript corrections in Mr. J. Payne Collier’s annotated Shakspere, folio, 1632: and of certain Shaksperian documents likewise published by Mr. Collier." Special Collections, University of Delaware Library.

Death of a Master Forger

John Payne Collier died on 17 September 1883, after a lifetime of creating deliberate fictions, falsehoods and forgeries.

17th-century manicule and notes in the margin of translations of Aristotle. Courtesy of the Penn Library.

Filling the Gaps

Notes in the margins of early modern books can be very revealing about their readers’ lives and interests.

Sri Lanka’s Deep Wounds

Sri Lanka’s historic ethnic divisions were forged during British colonisation and a bloody civil war. Could the current crisis help unify a divided country?

The Face of Beatrice Cenci

The painting that inspired Shelley and Stendahl is thought to be of a young woman executed on 11 September 1599 for the murder of her father.

Oil painting of a man smoking an opium pipe, Europe

Has a War on Drugs Ever Been Won?

Society’s battle against what Richard Nixon called ‘public enemy number one’ is an ancient one. Is there any sense in fighting?