Commonly referred to as “the dress rehearsal” for World War II, the Spanish Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in Spanish history. The result of deep political and social divisions within Spain, the conflict that erupted became the site of intense fighting, as well as a training ground for the Axis powers and further demonstrated […]
The Romans used powdered mouse brains as toothpaste. Julius Caesar gave us our modern calendar of 12 months. Originally there were only 10 months, running from March to December, but then they added two more. This meant that September (from the Latin for seven) became the 9th month. October (from the Latin for eight) is […]
In November 2024, countries at the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan agreed on a $200bn per year increase in climate financial assistance to developing countries across the world. Western nations say a ‘massive deal was struck’ and the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the pledges made were ‘ambitious’ from both a UK and an […]
James Lees-Milne is not a name that the majority of people will be familiar with. Born in 1908 to a prosperous manufacturing family in Worcestershire, England, Milne gained a top rate education at Eton College and Oxford University. Described as shy, withdrawn and suffering from an inferiority complex, he did not appear to shine at […]
David Bowie morphed from character to character, challenging every norm along the way. In his most iconic stage persona, as Ziggy Stardust, he stated that he wanted “to tart rock up.” Aladdin Sane was his next, often remembered for his lightning bolt portrait on the album cover.
As historians we should be excited by the discovered of Richard III’s body, since it seems very likely indeed that it is his; it is not every day that the bones of an anointed English king are discovered. The significant scoliosis of the spine is also very interesting, since this seems to bear out contemporary […]
Far-left party Syriza’s victory in the recent electionhas heralded a new age of politics in Greece. It signals another enormous shift in the political landscape of the country. It signals the end of the customary, pragmatic, rational status-quo in existence since the transition to democracy in the 1970’s. But despite Syriza’sradical, far-left agenda, this isn’t […]