modern-history

In December 1982, South African Rodney Wilkinson walked four bombs into Koeberg power station – the crown jewel of the apartheid state – pulled the pins and then left on his bicycle. How did he do it? At 21, Rodney Wilkinson was the best fencer in South Africa: national champion in foil and sabre, second in epee. He had toured Europe and Argentina. He had not stood on the Olympic podium, because …

Die Zeit’s online database of individuals’ Nazi membership is prompting a reckoning as people uncover ties to regime Olaf Köndgen is 64 years old, a German citizen and a senior European human rights expert who has lived and worked in France for several years. Last month, Köndgen learned that he is also the son of a Nazi. Despite a strong interest in history and its lessons, Köndgen is typical of …

A landmark new account of the 1979 revolution sets current events in context As Wordsworth found in Paris after 1789, revolutions are deeply enthralling. There is nothing so bold, so self-sacrificing, so brave, so cruel as a revolutionary crowd. What’s more, revolutions have shaped the modern world. The European Union has been transformed by the overthrow of Marxism-Leninism in eastern Europe, wh…

Both nations are tarred by irreconcilable crises that could unravel democracy itself – sanity and stability have never felt further from reach A feature of living at the end of an era is that some events in the present already feel like future artefacts – things you expect to see in a school history book, or a documentary many years from now. Here is King Charles’s 2026 state visit to the United …

_History and Philosophy of Logic_. forthcomingSuppose we’re at a horserace, and you turn to me and say, ‘Eclipse is at the finish line!’ But by the time you’ve finished saying this—by the time your utterance is complete—Eclipse is already well past the finish line, and what you’ve said is no longer true. But you did say something true. More generally, we can—and often do—say true things about eve…

Charles III’s subtle, much needed history lesson delivered the US some tough love. But will Trump get the message? Of the many jokes cracked by King Charles during his visit to Washington, the one recalling the definitive 18th-century Anglo-French contest for dominion over the New World was the most pointed. Speaking at a state banquet in the White House, Charles turned to Donald Trump and said: …

When I visited the Harold C. Deutsch World War II History Round Table in the Twin Cites back in March, one of the members introduced me to a women’s military auxiliary unit. I had never heard of the Women’s Air Raid Defense of the Hawaiian Islands (WARD). It was rabbit hole time! WARD was formed…

Traditional springtime communal celebrations that provided relief and release have historically migrated to political action. This year is no different.

A retired chartered surveyor has returned three medieval floor tiles to Wenlock Priory nearly six decades after stealing them as a child during a family outing. Simon White was just nine years old when he took the ornate clay artefacts from the Shropshire site in July 1967, with his father acting as lookout and encouraging the theft. The 68-year-old rediscovered the tiles months ago whilst search…

Luckily for the Allies, this formidable jet plane wasn't fully completed before the war ended.

The month of May marks several key events in the timeline of WWII, including the official end of the war in Europe on V-E Day (or Victory in Europe Day) on May 8, 1945, as German troops surrendered to Allied forces. On May 10th, the U.S. began the process of bringing three million American troops […] The post Stirring WWII History Book Recommendations for May 2026 appeared first on The History Re…

In World War II, Amsterdam’s large Jewish population and notable Jewish institutions were particularly hard hit by the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands.  The Jewish people were stripped of their rights and of their possessions, over 100,000 Jewish people were killed, and over 100,000 other Jewish people were deported from the country. One of the many locations in Amsterdam affected by the Holocau…

Experts put estimate for economic harm done by 200 years of chattel slavery at $2tn, but stress this is ‘not an invoice’ Britain stole 25 million years of life and labour through slavery in Barbados, according to new research by a team of international experts. Their report concludes that Barbados’s population of African descent have suffered damages estimated at up to US$2tn (£1.5tn) from 200 ye…

Tufts Now recently spoke with David Ekbladh, professor of history at Tufts University, to get a broader perspective on how the Revolution was seen at the time, and how it has lived on in historical memory.

Jochen Hellbeck wants the West to acknowledge the Soviet role in stopping Hitler

Hastière is a town located an hour and a half’s drive south of Brussels. It is best known for its Saint-Pierre Abbey, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. This famous building stands directly on the banks of the Meuse, demonstrating that the river has been a major transport route for centuries. Consequently, the fledgling nation of Belgium, which gained its independence in 1830, quickly emba…

First, I don't know why Allied land-based air cover from Greenland are missing from both maps? As soon as USA warplanes combat patrolled from Greenland, why didn't merchant ships sail such route as my ...

Much-lauded Guardian journalist Marina Hyde's book What Just Happened?! is a collection of her Guardian columns from 2016 to 2023. It covers some important historical events: the British vote to leave the European Union and coronavirus. It also covers Trump in American politics. I find the opening columns overly preoccupied with the style of politicians as public performers: put crudely, can so-a…

Hidden inside a cafe, in what was originally a theater, is a detailed collection of socialist era Bulgarian cars. Everything from the Lada to the Trebant can be found in the museum along with other socialist friendly car brands and models. Alongside the main attraction of the cars the museum also contains a complete history of life in Socialist Bulgaria in the form of toys, hoovers, cigarettes, a…

Ręczna, precyzyjna koloryzacja pod okiem historyków oraz varsavianistów pozwoliła wiernie odtworzyć powstańczą Warszawę. Barwy przywrócone postaciom i miejscom ożywiły atmosferę i emocje tamtych dni. Zdjęciom towarzyszą eksponaty ze zbiorów Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego.