History Matters

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Utopian societies promise a new way of living, but are they doomed to fail?

London used to ring with the cries of street sellers. Changes for the city brought changes to their way of life.

The smooth whiteness of paper belies the mess and hard labour that went into its production.

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

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, which became particularly important at Christmas.

Did Tudor beds have footboards? The conundrum illustrates the challenges of early modern history.

Access to land was once a common right; we have lost more than just the freedom to roam.

John F. Kennedy idolised Winston Churchill, but his efforts to host his hero proved abortive.

Iranian women have always been present in national uprisings and protests, but this time female activists are leading them.