History Today
Fighting the Afghans in the 19th Century
Bruce Collins considers the mixture of adventurism, disaster, and lethal reprisal that marked British activities in Afghanistan under Victoria
Birth of Lord George Gordon
Lord George Gordon was born on December 26th, 1751.
Richard Trevithick's First Steam Carriage
The 'puffing devil', the first passenger-carrying vehicle powered by steam, made its debut on a road outside Redruth in Cornwall on December 24th, 1801.
Down The Tube
Stephen Halliday investigates the murky world of financing the London Underground.
The Kingdom of Libya is Established
Richard Cavendish explains how the Kingdom of Libya was established on December 24th, 1951.
The C.I.A. Con-Trick
Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones explains the historical roots of the arguments surrounding the CIA following their failure to anticipate the attacks of September 11th.
Scrooge and Albert
Christine Lalumia sees the 1840s as the key moment in the creation of the modern celebration of Christmas.
W.T. Stead's Controversial Visit to South Africa, 1904
'Frankly I am ashamed of being a Briton for the treatment we have meted out to the Boers as revealed by you and so justly condemned in your pages’ - John Burns to W. T. Stead.