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.
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THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS
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THIS MONTH IN HISTORY • NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS COMMENT ANNIVERSARIES
Medieval matter • Which objects best encapsulate life in the Middle Ages? From coins and maps to rather more unusual items, Twitter was on hand to provide suggestions. ANNA WHITELOCK took stock
Roman find “is first of its kind in UK”
HISTORY IN THE NEWS • A selection of the stories hitting the history headlines
Walking a dangerous road • The recent death of Sarah Everard sparked outrage, with protests breaking out across the United Kingdom. NELL DARBY argues that women’s safety in public spaces has never been assured, with the threat of violence stalking the streets from the Victorian era to the present day
MICHAEL WOOD ON… • GLASTONBURY’S ANCIENT CHURCHES
ANNIVERSARIES • DOMINIC SANDBROOK highlights events that took place in June in history
WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER... • Richard Nixon declares a war on drugs that continues to rage today
LETTERS
BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE
The coming of the cross (at the point of a sword) • Although the Anglo-Saxons’ adoption of Christianity has often been labelled as peaceful, in reality many were swayed by the threat of aggression. Marc Morris investigates the violence that greased the wheels of conversion
TIMELINE • The quest to convert the Anglo-Saxons
THE CHURCHES OF CONVERSION • As missionaries spread the word of God throughout the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, they built ever-grander places of worship
The epidemic that changed Britain • Forty years ago, the UK found itself in the grip of a virus that killed thousands of people and sparked fear, confusion and prejudice – HIV. Janet Weston explores the Aids crisis as it unfolded throughout the 1980s, and how it transformed attitudes about everything from sexuality to healthcare
A GLOBAL CONCERN • Key moments in the world’s battle with HIV/Aids in the 1980s
“His flesh had rotted, and his bed was full of worms” • Richard Sugg reports on five of history’s most eccentric hermits, from a holy man who died from the shock of having a bath to a recluse who lived in a pigsty
The Tulsa Race Massacre • A century ago, America’s simmering racial tensions boiled over on the streets of one Oklahoma city, leaving dozens dead and hundreds more injured. Scott Ellsworth explores what remains the worst single incident of racial violence in US history – the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
ROME’S RELUCTANT KILLER • Marcus Aurelius may not have sought war, but when it came he was more than ready. Shushma Malik reveals how a man of peace became one of Rome’s greatest warrior-emperors
TIMELINE • The life of Marcus Aurelius
THE PRINCE PHILIP YEARS • Following the death of Britain’s longest-serving royal consort, Alwyn Turner charts how the country transformed beyond recognition during the Duke of Edinburgh’s lifetime
Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts
DID YOU KNOW…?
The medieval Mills & Boon • Romances were the literary sensation of the Middle Ages. Lydia Zeldenrust reports on our forebears' love affair with tales of gallent knights,...