BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.
WELCOME
THREE THINGS I’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH
THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY • NEWS COMMENT ANNIVERSARIES HIDDEN HISTORIES
Weaponising history • A recent opinion piece by Simon Schama on political and military misuses of history sparked a huge, and varied, Twitter response. ANNA WHITELOCK took stock of the debate
HISTORY IN THE NEWS • A selection of the stories hitting the history headlines
“From the Babylonian captivity, Iraq became a centre of Jewish culture ” • THE LONG HISTORICAL MEMORY OF IRAQI JEWS
ANNIVERSARIES • HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in July in history
WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER… • The first official reports of the Roswell incident, which spawned countless conspiracy theories
“Many south Asian diasporic families don’t know of their First World War links ” • KAVITA PURI explores lesser-known stories from our past
LETTERS
BBC History Magazine
THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN SCANDAL • Fifty years ago, the US government was embroiled in a conspiracy that became a constitutional crisis – eventually toppling a president. Clifford Williamson charts the fallout from the 1972 Watergate affair
SHADOW OF A SCANDAL • How Watergate loomed large in US politics and culture for decades
Snuffers, scrapers and murder-holes • From medieval portcullises to the Regency craze for “Wellington” knockers, the evolution of the front door offers a unique entry point to British history. Rachel Hurdley looks at six ways in which doors reflect our desire to avert danger, and impress our neighbours
NORMAN ADVENTURES IN AFRICA • Less than a century after William the Conqueror’s invasion of England, his compatriots embarked on another ambitious military assault – on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. Levi Roach tells the story of the Norman kingdom of north Africa
NORMAN REALMS • Our map shows lands ruled by Normans and neighbouring powers
New light on the Dark Ages • The past 40 years have witnessed a revolution in our understanding of early English history, which has inspired Michael Wood to update his landmark book In Search of the Dark Ages. Here, Michael chronicles the great leaps forward that have lit up this thrilling era
Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts
RUSSIA’S DOOMED REVOLUTION • With the world’s attention fixed firmly on the invasion of Ukraine, Antony Beevor’s new history of Russia’s 1917 revolutions and subsequent civil war is especially timely. He explains to Rob Attar how the fall of the last tsar launched a chain of events leading to millions of deaths and one of history’s most brutal dictatorships
REVOLUTION AND CIVIL WAR
Into the wild • From its earliest days, the BBC set out to chronicle the natural world – an ambition that, as DAVID HENDY explores, reached new heights from the late 1970s with David Attenborough’s string of wildlife blockbusters
The woodpeckers that sparked a sensation
Accessorising the past • We’ve added accoutrements to our outfits for centuries, from buckles to buttons – but they aren’t just important for fashion’s sake. Cordula van Wyhe and Susan Vincent reveal what six...