History is in large part the story of consequences—both intended and unintended—as is the case for two of this season’s most celebrated holidays, Hanukkah and Christmas.
It is well known that when Alexander the Great conquered … Read the article
On this day in history, 96 years ago, the Romanov Family was awakened from their sleep and executed, under the impression they were being moved for safety reasons. Helen Rappaport depicts the personal lives of the four sisters of the … Read the article
The invasion of Okinawa (April 1, 1945, to June 22nd, 1945,) turned out to be the last big naval battle of World War II. Yes, naval battle. For the U.S. Navy, it was more costly than … Read the article
What more is there possibly to know, you may ask, about the Romanov sisters—beyond the familiar image of four pretty girls in white dresses and big picture hats? It’s a perennial question, and one to which the … Read the article
We sat down with veteran journalist and Middle East expert Ashraf Khalil to discuss the history of the Egyptian Revolution, where it is now, and what the future holds for the most populous Arab nation in the world.
History Reader: … Read the article
Enlightenment as Revolution
For hundreds of years European minds were locked in orthodoxy. Save for scattered rebellions against the Catholic Church and the emperors and kings it anointed, most Europeans had no prospects other than the … Read the article
As America’s long decade of war in Afghanistan draws to a close in 2014 with the end of combat operations against the Taliban, it is perhaps worth reflecting on the conclusions the young Winston Churchill reached about … Read the article
By Gordon Thomas
Check out Gordon Thomas’s bestselling Gideon’s Spies which draws from classified documents, confidential sources, and closed-door interviews with Mossad agents, informants, and spymasters to reveal the organization’s deepest secrets.
Revised and updated for 2012, this new edition … Read the article
By Peter Ackroyd
1 Hallelujah
The land was flowing with milk and honey. On 21 April 1509 the old king, having grown ever more harsh and rapacious, died in his palace at Richmond on the south bank of the Thames. … Read the article
By John Romer
Beside the Pale Lake Living in the Faiyum,5000–4000 BC
It was wetter then than it is now. Though the monsoons were slowly failing, the plains were grass-green and scented with flowering shrubs whilst the valleys held exotic … Read the article