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 NOVEMBER 2024

THREE THINGS I’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

ANNIVERSARIES • DANNY BIRD highlights events that took place in November in history

The opportunistic evolution of Britain’s far right • Following recent outbreaks of racist violence in towns and cities across the UK, GRAHAM MACKLIN charts the postwar history of British far-right movements

“Racism in Britain has a long history - but so does anti-racism” • Many people of African and Caribbean heritage in Britain have suffered racist attacks over the centuries. But, as HAKIM ADI explains, they have also been active and effective in organising their own defence

MICHAEL WOOD ON… • THE RISE OF A NEW WORLD ORDER

HIDDEN HISTORIES • KAVITA PURI on the troubling history of racist attacks in Britain

The final insult?

BBC History Magazine

THE TYRANT THE USURPER RICHARD VS HENRY • The history of the English monarchy took a startling turn when Richard II was overthrown by his cousin, who seized the throne as Henry IV. But as Helen Castor explains, the ousted king was an untrustworthy narcissist, an ineffectual warrior - and the architect of his own downfall

PARALLEL LIVES • Richard and Henry both had royal blood, as grandsons of Edward III - but very different upbringings, attitudes and destinies

“The SAS suddenly became the most famous special forces group in the world” • Ben Macintyre’s new book explores the 1980 Iranian embassy siege and the moment when British special forces stormed the building. He tells us about six days of drama and tension in London

THE MUMMY’S CURSE …AND OTHER TRUE (AND FALSE) TALES • Booby-trapped tombs, eviscerated corpses and terrifying curses - countless ’facts’ swirl around the burial practices of ancient Egyptians. But which are based in fact, and which are a tissue of lies? Campbell Price unwraps the truth about mummies

The other prince in the Tower • The 1499 execution of Edwards of Warwick snuffed out the final embers of the Wars of the Roses. Sarah Norton introduces the last male heir to the House of York - and explains why he “had to perish” to secure Henry VII

Drug-deals, sly-grog and a queen of thieves • A new BBC series tells the stories of female criminals from the 18th to 20th centuries. Their chicanery often earned them great riches, yet, as series consultant Rosalind Crone reveals through six case studies, their schemes didn’t always go to plan…

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

The Nazis were human - just like us • Denouncing Adolf Hitler as a monstrous aberration is the last thing we should be doing at a moment when democracy is under attack

“Like ancient Greece, India is one of the seedbeds of civilisation” • WILLIAM DALRYMPLE tells Danny Bird why we need a greater understanding of how Indian ideas and culture have shaped global history - a story too often obscured by colonial narratives

The power of knowledge • DAVID POTTER is impressed by a perceptive look at the ways in which information underpins societies, exploring what history can tell us about the role of AI in the future

Data caches • Deputy editor Matt Elton picks three episodes of...