HE

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Christopher Harding “The west has always been intrigued

WELCOME

FEBRUARY 2024

ANNIVERSARIES

DANNY BIRD highlights events that took place in February in history

“Whatever you want to say about Kissinger, he had consequence”

THE CONVERSATION

MICHAEL WOOD ON…

THE RISE OF BRITAIN’S UNIVERSITIES

HIDDEN HISTORIES

KAVITA PURI on the First World War resistance movement

LETTERS

A portrait of American naval officer John Paul

BOOKS

SECOND WORLD WAR “Most of the book’s cast

“Europeans have been obsessed with the east’s spiritual depths since Alexander the Great”

CHRISTOPHER HARDING talks to Matt Elton about his book exploring the west’s enduring fascination with the wisdom, wealth – and perceived strangeness – of India, China and Japan

Ukraine’s defiant history

EASTERN EUROPE

A mosaic of conflict

BOOKS REVIEWS

World in motion

Race to the Future by Kassia St Clair

Pranking the navy

The Girl Prince: Virginia Woolf, Race and the

ENCOUNTERS DIARY

DIARY By Jonathan Wright and Rebecca Franks HISTORY

“It’s fun to be behind the wheel of a podcast that occasionally gets quite glamorous”

GREG JENNER (left) on the return of his hit podcast mixing history and comedy, which features a live special with the BBC Concert Orchestra

Second World War Potato Piglets

RECIPE

300TH ISSUE QUIZ ANSWERS

PLUS NOTES FROM THE EXPERTS

York in five places

HISTORIC CITIES

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Across 1 Anne Bonny and Mary Read were

NEXT MONTH

March issue on sale 15 February 2024

MY HISTORY HERO

Playwright and film director George C Wolfe chooses

WONDER LUST

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were daring and dazzling constructions that have burned bright in the human imagination right up to the modern day. Bettany Hughes follows in the footsteps of the ancients to tell their remarkable stories

Death on the canal

Today, Britain’s canals are the ideal places to enjoy a leisurely cruise – but in the 19th century, they had a vastly different reputation. Susan Law reveals how these waterways once served as the settings for brutal acts of alcohol-fuelled violence

An act of love

What does the history of breastfeeding tell us about medieval society? Hannah Skoda discovers stories of miracle cures, bizarre beliefs and caring communities

Regency Britain

FIVE THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT…

300TH ISSUE BUMPER HISTORY QUIZ

It’s our 300th issue! To celebrate, we asked some of our favourite historians to pose a series of tricky quiz questions reflecting the breadth and diversity of history – and we set some of our own, too. From pioneering firsts to some surprising last words, from science and sport to art and animals, there’s plenty to pit your wits against. Turn the page to get started – and head to page 84 for the answers. Good luck...

THE WAR ON SQUIRRELS

The grey squirrel’s domination of Britain’s woodland over the past 150 years has enraged everyone from gamekeepers to prime ministers. Peter Coates discovers how the ‘American tree rat’ became the furry mammal that Britons loved to hate

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