BBC History Magazine

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

A noble tradition? • Headlines about the ways in which the UK aids refugees prompted Twitter users to consider the nation’s historical attitudes towards the issue. ANNA WHITELOCK took stock of the debate

Darwin notebooks returned to library

HISTORY IN THE NEWS • A selection of the stories hitting the history headlines

MICHAEL WOOD ON… • THE RISE AND FALL OF THE FIRST CITIES IN THE WORLD

ANNIVERSARIES • HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in June in history

WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER… • The public announcement of the Difference Engine, which marked the start of automatic computing

HIDDEN HISTORIES • KAVITA PURI explores lesser-known stories from our past

LETTER OF THE MONTH

LETTERS

BBC History Magazine

THE SIEGE • When some 6,000 parliamentarians tried to prise a few hundred royalists out of Basing House in 1643, they began a brutal siege that would drag on for years – and see thousands slaughtered. Jessie Childs tells the story of a desperate struggle that became a defining episode of the Civil War

TIMELINE King and parliament at war

In the eye of the storm • FIVE LEADING PLAYERS IN THE BATTLE FOR BASING HOUSE

The survivor, the “incurable” and the scapegoat • History is too often presented as tales of “great men” – yet the experiences of ordinary women speak eloquently about the reality of lives past. Lucy Worsley introduces three outwardly unremarkable people caught up in pivotal events

Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

WAR WITHOUT END • The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 is widely viewed through the prism of the great Cold War confrontation between east and west. Yet, writes ElisabetH Leake, the occupation also ignited a tinderbox of local grievances that continue to torment the country to this day

A cultural institution • Mixing music with drama and the ancient with the cutting-edge, the BBC’s Third Programme set out to scale the shining peaks of “high culture”. But, says DAVID HENDY, its lofty aims alienated as much as they allured

How Under Milk Wood realised the Third Programme’s potential

“No one ever has met with such an ovation” • George III pardoned PoWs, Victoria dressed down, and George V brought London to a standstill. As Elizabeth II marks 70 years on the throne, TracY Borman tells the story of three previous monarchs’ jubilee celebrations

“When the Black Death arrived in Europe, it was like striking a match in tinder” • The medievalist and historian of medicine Monica H Green tells Ellie Cawthorne how scientific advances have changed our thinking on what caused the Black Death – and why it was so devastating

A journey into the Elizabethan mind • The Elizabethans were desperate to untangle the mystery of their “inward selves”. Helen Hackett reveals how they used ancient teachings, Christian doctrine and new scientific discoveries to make sense of the mind

Raised by wolves • Feral children have fascinated and frightened people for centuries, raising questions about what it means to be human....