History Today September 2023 Crossword
Synthpop, satire and seasonal produce: challenge yourself with the History Today crossword for September 2023.
Volume 73 Issue 9 September 2023
Playwright Ben Jonson Duels to the Death
On 22 September 1598, Elizabethan actor Gabriel Spencer settled his creative differences with playwright Ben Jonson with a duel.
On the Spot: Peter Carey
What historical topic have I changed my mind on? Colonialism. I now know that it had no redeeming features.
The Meaning of Lore
How ‘lore’, a largely neglected medieval word, has found a new lease of life in fandom.
John Goffe Rand Invents Paint Tubes
On 11 September 1841, John Goffe Rand patented the ‘metal rolls for paint’, sparking a revolution in oil painting.
Signs of the Zodiac: The Dendera Dating Controversy
How ancient was ancient Egypt? How old is the world? And what happens when archaeology contradicts the Bible? When the Dendera Zodiac arrived in Paris, these questions exploded into the public sphere.
‘Jane Eyre’ Goes to the Theatre
When it arrived on the Victorian stage, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre had a cast of new characters and a new social order.
‘Bismarck’s War’ by Rachel Chrastil review
Bismarck’s War: The Franco-Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe by Rachel Chrastil argues that German victory was a catastrophe for Germany and the world.
‘Psychonauts’ by Mike Jay review
Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind by Mike Jay is a fascinating study of cyclical attitudes towards self-experimentation.
Behind Closed Doors: Women and the Inquisition
What was there to fear from a medieval inquisition? For the inquisitors, quite a lot.