Olympic Self-Sacrifice
Paul Cartledge explores the differences between today’s interpretation of the Olympic Games and their significance in the ancient world
Feature
Who Started the Korean War?
To Cold War hawks the ambitions of Stalin lay behind Kim Il Sung. Only with the opening of archives some 50 years later did Soviet responsibility for the Korean War become known.
Selling Argentina’s Dictatorship: Propaganda and the Peróns
With Evita as its star, Juan Perón’s propaganda campaign won Argentina's affection for the populist dictatorship, at least for a while.
Hungary's Battle For Memory
John Mason describes the convoluted way in which Hungary has publicly celebrated its history through all the vicissitudes of its recent past.
Roger Casement’s Heart of Darkness
The grim reality underlying Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness echoed the growing moral outrage over the murderous rubber trade. For Roger Casement, it became a moral crusade.
Oswald Shoots JFK
William Rubinstein reviews the research of 'amateur historians' on the Kennedy assassination and suggests a new motive for Lee Harvey Oswald's actions.
Scissors or Sword? The Symbolism of a Medieval Haircut
Simon Coates explores the symbolic meanings attached to hair in the early medieval West, and how it served to denote differences in age, sex, ethnicity and status.
The End of Smallpox
The smallpox vaccine was attacked by a widespread 19th-century anti-vax movement. Facing such hostility, how did smallpox become the first disease eradicated by immunisation?
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Ronald Reagan and Star Wars
Peter Kramer tells how the popularity of the sci-fi epic proved timely for Ronald Reagan and the Strategic Defense Initiative.
The Cold War and the Olympics
From the recognition of East Germany to the banishment of Taiwan and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, diplomatic disputes dogged the Olympics throughout the Cold War.