13 August 1521 Aided by European diseases and indigenous allies, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés captures the city of Tenochtitlan after a 93-day siege. This signals the downfall of the Aztec empire and the conquest of Mexico. 13 August 1704: English troops are triumphant at Blenheim Victory in Bavaria upsets Europe’s balanceContinue Reading
75 years ago, Britain’s control over 400 million people on the Indian subcontinent ceased. It was the beginning of the end of the British empire. On 14 August 1947, people in Pakistan proudly marked the creation of the new dominion with a ceremony in Karachi, attended by the governor-general MuhammedContinue Reading
The Sahara is known as one of the world’s hottest and driest environments, but during his explorations of the desert over the past 60 years, Martin Williams has discovered evidence of a green and pleasant history. He explains to Spencer Mizen how the area was once home to lakes, rivers,Continue Reading
While doctors in ancient Rome prescribed macabre elixirs and used dreams for diagnoses, they also made significant medical advances. Medicine in ancient Rome combined scientific knowledge with supernatural and religious beliefs. Roman doctors adopted many of the practices and philosophies of the Greek physician Hippocrates and his followers—particularly after theContinue Reading
Discover the latest new history books taking up space on our bookshelves – from memoirs and biographies to the exploits of kings, the exposure of scandals and examinations of social and cultural change. Not quite what you are looking for? Discover the best history books Unwind with the best historicalContinue Reading
The future William III was born in Binnenhof, The Hague, in the Dutch Republic, on 4 November 1650. His mother, Mary of Orange, was the eldest daughter of King Charles I of Britain and his father was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder (or chief executive) of Holland andContinue Reading
There’s no more instantly recognisable symbol of ancient Egypt than a mummy. And, of course, the mummy of Tutankhamun is the most famous of all. But what can we learn from looking at the mummified body of an ancient boy king? In episode 6 of our series on Tutankhamun, EllieContinue Reading
Jaime Escalante’s success preparing mostly low-income, minority students for the AP calculus exam was the subject of the movie “Stand and Deliver.” Recently, I turned 60 years old (also expressed as 720 months, or 21,915 days, or 525,960 hours, or 31,557,600 minutes), and over that time I’ve seen many greatContinue Reading
As the wife of Charles I, Henrietta Maria, was in the firing line of the parliamentary propaganda machine. The Stuart queen was known as the “popish brat of France”, a “whore” and “the wife who wore the britches”. But does she deserve this rotten reputation? Emily Briffett spoke to LeandaContinue Reading
The once-great empire was slowly brought to its knees by a centuries-long drought, economic crises and opportunistic foreign invaders. Ancient Egyptian civilization reached the peak of its power, wealth and influence in the New Kingdom period (1550 to 1070 B.C.), during the reigns of iconic pharaohs like Tutankhamun, Thutmose IIIContinue Reading
