History Today

The March of Time

Asa Briggs comments on the historical division of time, and whether such landmarks as centuries and millennia hold any real meaning.

The Heavens and the Earth

Rudolf Kippenhahn on how astronomy has altered our vision of the universe - from 10th-century Cairo to the Big Bang.

The Rise and Fall of the Age of Miracles

Roy Porter charts the whirlwind of medical triumphs that promised limitless progress in human health and our more sober reflections on the eve of the third millennium.