History of War
THE SAS FRAUD?
Heralded as the founder of the Special Air Service, a new study alleges that David Stirling might not have been the military genius of legend. Historian Gavin Mortimer unravels the truth behind Britain's famed special forces officer
10+ min |
Issue 107, 2022
History of War
TIMELINE OF...NATO
With the Soviet threat looming over Europe, the United States moves to contain Moscow's influence with a new and more potent alliance between the continent's leading democracies
10+ min |
Issue 107, 2022
History of War
WOJTEK THE 'SOLDIER BEAR'
This legendary brown bear accompanied Poland's army in exile across continents and onto the frontline
10+ min |
Issue 107, 2022
History of War
ANTIETAM
On September 17 1862 the Union and Confederate armies in the eastern theatre met at Antietam Creek in Maryland. It would be the bloodiest day in American military history
8 min |
Issue 107, 2022
Total Film
"I've learned how much I owe to the sensibility of Punk." Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle has been one of the most distinctive voices in British filmmaking over the past three decades, from revitalizing '90s culture with Trainspotting to Oscar and Olympics glory. For his latest project - Sex Pistols miniseries Pistol - he's returning to TV to tell a story about a pivotal moment in British musical and social history. "I really love our culture, for all its faults," he says, "and I love to use it."
10+ min |
June 2022
History Revealed
LIFE AS A PHARAOH
They ruled over ancient Egypt and were immortalised by their tombs and statues, but what was life really like at the top?
5 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
EGYPT'S MOST POWERFUL WOMEN
Men weren't the only people to help shape one of the most remarkable civilisations of the ancient world
4 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS
Professor Joyce Tyldesley answers key questions about Egypt's ancient rulers and the power they wielded
8 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
6 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT... TUTANKHAMUN
Professor Joyce Tyldesley shares some lesser-known facts about the life, death and legacy of Egypt's famous 'boy king'
6 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
AN A-Z OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II
As Her Majesty marks 70 years on the throne, we take an alphabetical look back at the story of her life and reign
7 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
The struggles that made Charles Dickens
Few British authors have achieved the same level of adoration as the creator of classics such as A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations. But where did Dickens find the inspiration for his literary masterpieces?
3 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
ENSURING A LEGACY
From temples to tombs, bigger was definitely better in the eyes of the pharaohs and their gods
2 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
Instantly familiar and much parodied, Grant Wood's Depression-era painting leaves observers with more questions than answers
3 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
WHAT IF... OLIVER CROMWELL'S SON HAD NEVER BEEN NAMED LORD PROTECTOR?
Professor Peter Gaunt tells Nige Tassell why a more capable leader than Richard Cromwell might have secured the long-term future of England's republic - but not necessarily forever
3 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
YOU'RE BARRED!
Throughout history, women have faced barriers and discrimination in virtually every area of daily life. We explore eight of the most unusual bans imposed on members of the 'fairer sex' in Britain and beyond - and how they were finally revoked
8 min |
June 2022
History Revealed
A REVOLUTION IN WOMEN'S LIVES
In the struggle for independence, America's “ladies” served as medics, cooks, campaigners and even as fighters
4 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
WHAT IF...EMPRESS MATILDA HAD DEFEATED KING STEPHEN?
In the 1130s, England descended into civil war as two rival cousins vied for the throne. Spencer Mizen asks historian Matt Lewis whether the struggle - known as the Anarchy - could have unfolded differently
5 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
A MOST UNLIKELY SUSPECT
In May 1922, a respected solicitor was sent to the gallows after being convicted of poisoning his wife. But was he truly guilty? A century on, Stephen Bates asks whether Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong was the victim of a terrible injustice
7 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company
"I'm continually amazed by the incredible insight and empathy Shakespeare shows for the human experience"
4 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR
Professor Benjamin Carp answers key questions about the colonies' 18th-century fight for independence
6 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
OBSOLETE OBJECTS
Technological advances and scientific discoveries have consigned many inventions of yesteryear to the dustbin of history. A new book of now-defunct objects and ideas takes a trip down memory lane to explore futures that never were. We bring you 10 examples...
3 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
Oscar Wilde is released from prison
THIS MONTH... 1897 ANNIVERSARIES THAT HAVE MADE HISTORY
7 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
TEA, TAXES AND THE TAKING UP OF ARMS
The seeds of revolution and calls for independence were brewing in Britain's American colonies many years before a shooting war broke out...
3 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
THE BATTLES THAT MADE THE UNITED STATES
From the first shots at Lexington and Concord, to the surrender at Yorktown, we explore the most important clashes of the war
9 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
5 THINGS YOU(PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT... | In 1776, as the conflict heated up, Britain's North American colonies announced their independence with a groundbreaking document. Dr Tom Cutterham explores the Declaration's lasting impact
4 min |
May 2022
History Revealed
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
A highly unusual painting sheds new light on the experiences of people of colour in 18th-century England
3 min |
May 2022
History of War
ON THE CUSP OF WORLD WAR III - Q&A WITH ROGER HERMISTON
In 1953 the US and Soviet Union became capable of mutually assured destruction. Soon after, safeguards were put into place in an attempt to prevent it
4 min |
Issue 106, 2022
History of War
RESISTANCE & REBELLION
Many tribes stood against the legions, putting up a fierce fight that made the Roman conquest of Britain far from a foregone conclusion
5 min |
Issue 106, 2022
History of War
TIMELINE OF THE... ROMAN INVASIONS OF BRITAIN
Over centuries the empire's borders expanded across the prized islands, reaching as far north as Scotland but always facing fierce tribal resistance
4 min |
Issue 106, 2022
History of War
Great Battles CANNAE
After crossing the Alps and outwitting the Romans twice, despite being hugely outnumbered, Hannibal dealt Rome a crushing blow with one of the most celebrated double-pincer movements of all time
10 min |