The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History
Every half century or so comes a book in a particular field or area of history that is monumental, that immediately becomes the authority on that subject.
‘Beautiful Still’: Poetry of the First World War
Coulson’s collected poems, edited by his father, were published posthumously in 1917 and sold 10,000 copies in the first year. He wrote the poem that follows on August 8, 1916, while in the trenches at the Somme.
Crimes and Consequences in Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, commanders who broke the unwritten rules of military conduct might be greeted with either praise or punishment.
‘Traitors Must Die’: Harry Rée and the SOE
Harry Rée guided French resistance groups in a series of dramatic sabotage operations. Then he was ordered to kill a Gestapo informer.
Hitler’s ‘Cavalry of the Future’
Adolf Hitler had an ulterior motive for ramping up the Third Reich’s investment in the German automotive industry and its racing teams.
“Fixin’-to-Die-Rag”: The Irreverent Anthem of Vietnam
“Fixin’-to-Die-Rag” derailed his promising musical career. But it led Joe McDonald to become a fierce champion for Vietnam veterans.
Why the Civil Rights Movement Was an Insurgency
Military historian Mark Grimsley makes the startling assertion that the American civil rights movement was an insurgency.
Hitler Celebrated His 50th—Then Went to War
On Hitler’s 50th, adoring Germans hailed their leader for making their country a great power again and for stopping short of the all-out war they so feared—or so they thought.
Burgoyne’s Big Fail
In 1777 a British general known as “Gentleman Johnny” sold the king on an audacious plan to end the American Revolution.
The Significance of Thermopylae: Why We Ought to Thank the Spartans for the Constitution, Chick-fil-a, and Capitalism
The Spartan victory at the Battle of Thermopylae opened the door for American staples, like Constitution, Chick-fil-a, and capitalism
Nine Artists Who Lost Their Lives on the Battlefield
These nine artists lost their lives on or near the battlefield as they tried to record the realities of war for faraway audiences.
Fact from Fiction: Joseph McCarthy the Tail Gunner
Joseph McCarthy vaulted to fame as a fearmongering senator. But the war record that got him elected was more fiction than fact.
