Social

The air of London in the seventeenth century was polluted by clouds of sea-coal smoke against which Evelyn proposed some drastic remedies. By Steven R. Smith

Patricia Fara recounts the moving story of a gifted contemporary of Isaac Newton who came to symbolise the frustrations of generations of female scientists denied the chance to fulfil their talents.

John Etty questions whether Serb nationalism was an irresistible force that helped unleash the First World War.

David Hipshon regrets the degree to which our history syllabuses have censored the roles of British heroes.

Robert Pearce recommends a first-hand account of the Third Reich.

In 1947, as Zionist insurgents wreaked havoc, British special forces in Palestine adopted counterinsurgency tactics that attracted worldwide condemnation. David Cesarani discusses a scandal whose ramifications persist to this day.

Richard Cavendish remembers the first Native American hero, who died on 17 February 1909.

Hannah Boston explains how a single piece of evidence contributes to a wider understanding.

Richard Wilkinson questions the motives of important historical figures, and of historians writing about them.