Why we’re still living in the age of the witch hunt

WELCOME

AUGUST 2023

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Joya Chatterji “In my new history of south

ANNIVERSARIES

HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in August in history

AI: an ancient nightmare?

Artificial intelligence has been in the headlines in recent months because of the threat it may pose to humanity. Yet, as MICHAEL WOOLDRIDGE reveals, the idea of AI, and the fears surrounding it, are centuries old

“UFO stories come up again and again – and that’s how folklore is created”

A Nasa press conference in May detailing its research into UFO sightings sparked headlines about extraterrestrial visitors – but, as DAVID CLARKE explains, these stories are nothing new

HISTORY NEWS IN BRIEF

Carved wood shown to pre-date Stonehenge A piece

MICHAEL WOOD ON…

THE ORIGINS OF THE WEST

HIDDEN HISTORIES

KAVITA PURI explores lesser-known stories from our past

LETTERS

A 1788 portrait of future US president Thomas

PEACE! (AT THE POINT OF A SWORD)

Pax Romana brought stability and prosperity to Rome’s vast empire. Yet, writes Tom Holland, behind the dazzling new cities and teeming sea lanes lay the threat of lethal, irresistible violence

How Britain fell in love with the NHS

Since its faltering launch in 1948, the National Health Service has become a cherished part of British society. Andrew Seaton explains how it attained that status

Q&A

A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

THE KING OF FOLLY

In 1323, Roger Mortimer pulled off an audacious escape from the Tower of London before ejecting Edward II from the English throne. But, writes Paul Dryburgh, the rebel baron’s designs on power were undone by his own big head

FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM

The civil rights movement saw hundreds of thousands of Americans rallying to the cause of racial equality. Rhiannon Davies has spoken to several historians of the campaign for a new podcast series. Here she revisits five key moments in the struggle

Sidi Mubarak Bombay Unsung African adventurer

Stolen from his village as a boy, enslaved and trafficked to a distant land, the intrepid and big-hearted Sidi Mubarak Bombay returned to travel across his home continent on pioneering expeditions. CANDICE MILLARD introduces a little-known but exceptional explorer

BOOKS

NORTH AMERICA “The book reframes the past with

“The idea that political projects such as nation-making can ever be totally successful is a misconception”

JOYA CHATTERJI talks to Matt Elton about her book charting the tumultuous course of south Asia’s 20th-century, including the violence that followed the creation of three new countries after the withdrawal of the British empire

Best defence

EMPIRE

FROM FACT TO FICTION

Mesmerising murder

America rediscovered

NORTH AMERICA

Choppy waters

MILITARY

THE CLASSIC BOOK

Sophie Ambler on a powerful and influential study of medieval people who died by suicide

Ancient insights

ARCHAEOLOGY

Erotic espionage

WWII

Flawed genius

SCIENCE

ENCOUNTERS DIARY

DIARY By Jonathan Wright, Paul Bloomfield and Samantha

HISTORY ON THE AIRWAVES

“No one’s pretending Jewish humour is going to stop antisemitism, but it disempowers prejudice”

HISTORY COOKBOOK

TASTE Pastel de choclo (maize pie) Pastel de

The other slave owners

Our podcast editor ELLIE CAWTHORNE discusses a recent episode on women’s role in sustaining the slave trade

City on the brink of battle

EXPLORE… 878 AD, WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE

Oslo in five places

Norway’s capital has a rich and varied past. ELEANOR ROSAMUND BARRACLOUGH highlights five sites that shine fresh light on the city’s culturally diverse heritage

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Across 1 George ____, poet famous for grim

Here’s a selection of the exciting content that’s available on our website historyextra.com

Sex, scandal and slander: who was Messalina? Politics

NEXT MONTH

September issue on sale 3 August 2023

Harriet Tubman

Bridgerton author Julia Quinn chooses

Stroke

stroke.org.uk/legacy

IHR

sas.ac.uk/ma-hpc

PODCAST

historyextra.com/caesarpodcast

HISTORY EXTRA

historyextra.com/the-historyextra-app/

BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

VM KNOX

www.vmknoxauthor.com mybook.to/NeitherDespiseNorFear

Historyextra

i.historyextra.com/science

Inspired Villages

www.inspiredvillages.co.uk

HURTIGRUTEN

hurtigruten.co.uk