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.

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THIS MONTH IN HISTORY • NEWS COMMENT ANNIVERSARIES HIDDEN HISTORIES

Desperate measures? • In June, the UK government launched a review of the use of imperial measurements – and Twitter users were quick to weigh in on the historical dimension. ANNA WHITELOCK took stock

MICHAEL WOOD ON... • THE GREATEST IRISH PERSON IN HISTORY

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

WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER... • The First Partition of Poland: when three European powers carved up a commonwealth

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

LETTERS

BBC History Magazine

BRITAIN’S CENTURY OF BOOM AND BUST • From the 1920s to the Winter of Discontent, inflation has haunted several British governments over the past 100 years. So, asks Phil Tinline, how does the current cost of living crisis compare with previous periods of soaring prices?

THE ROAD TO HADRIAN’S WALL • From Caesar’s first invasion in 55 BC to the construction of the famous barrier some 175 years later, Rome engaged in multiple battles to subdue the peoples of Britain. Archaeologist Richard Hingley talks to Rob Attar about how the Romans sought to take control of this distant province

FRONTIER TOURISTS • Since its earliest days, the great barrier at the Roman empire’s north-western edge has been a source of wonder. Rob Collins traces the history of tourism and souvenirs at Hadrian’s Wall

The long afterlife of Hadrian’s Wall

Women on the Wall • The soldiers who garrisoned Hadrian’s Wall were all men, but what of the many women of diverse backgrounds who lived on and around the frontier? Bronwen Riley selects six objects that offer precious insights into women’s lives at the edge of the empire

Dorothy Levitt Edwardian speed queen • By breaking records, winning titles and defeating her male adversaries, one fearless racing driver became a founding mother of women’s motor sports. RACHEL HARRIS-GARDINER explores how Dorothy Levitt built her legend, both with her achievements behind the wheel and as a media sensation

How to repel a MONGOL INVASION • They swept across Asia with terrifying efficiency. Yet, as 13th-century Europe quaked at the prospect of a Mongol invasion, there was an empire that, as Nicholas Morton writes, learned to beat the invaders at their own game

The Mongols meet their match • Our map of the Mongol empire shows seven major battles on its western borders

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

The long shadow of the Falklands War • It has become a cultural touchstone, the trigger for economic rebirth, and a symbol of a searing humiliation. Forty years after the climax of the Falklands War, Matthew C Benwell, Catriona Pennell and Alasdair Pinkerton consider how the conflict has shaped the psyche of Britons, Argentines and the islanders themselves

STUDENT COMPETITION • The Falklands Forty Schools Competition wants to hear from young people about what the islands mean to them today

How soap saved the BBC • In the 1980s, the BBC devised a new weapon in its ratings battle against...