History
Stand on an old railway platform somewhere in the Argentine Pampas and you may experience a peculiar geographical confusion. The station has red brickwork,…
7 min read
History
Imagine trying to find the real King Arthur by walking backwards through time. At first, everything looks reassuringly familiar. There is Camelot, the Round…
8 min read
History
The British campaign for women’s right to vote has acquired a wonderfully convenient cast of characters. On one side stand the suffragists, respectable women…
7 min read
History
The Thames likes to pretend it has seen everything. It has watched Romans grumble about the damp, Victorians lay down railways with reckless confidence,…
7 min read
History
In the 1890s, Western civilisation found itself facing a terrifying new threat. Respectable women were climbing onto bicycles. They were leaving home without horses,…
6 min read
Britain
There are historical dates, and then there is 1066. British schoolchildren once learnt it almost before learning their own birthdays: William the Conqueror, Harold…
6 min read
Culture
Ask most Europeans where the burqa came from and there is a reasonable chance that the answer will contain two words: Afghanistan and Taliban.…
5 min read
History
Mention the Ku Klux Klan and a familiar picture appears almost automatically: white robes, pointed hoods, burning crosses and shadowy gatherings somewhere in the…
6 min read
History
Waterloo has enjoyed more than two centuries of excellent marketing. For the British, it became a glorious victory. For the French, it became the…
7 min read
History
There are military defeats, and then there is the Great Emu War. A lesser-known, delightfully bizarre chapter in Australia’s history, but arguably the most…
7 min read
