History
What should we put in our time capsule of the plague year?
What to include in a memory box of the plague year?
Do spelling and grammar still matter?
Some universities have announced that spelling and grammar (i.e. morphology and syntax) are not all that important, but quality of…
Models of obedience: how to make people obey the law
Protests are being staged against the proposed bill to change the laws on protest. But there is a bigger issue…
University challenge: conservatives are now the radicals on campus
Conservatives are now the radicals on campus
The ancient Greek approach to mediation
Divorcing couples are being given vouchers worth £500 to settle their problems by mediation rather than going to court. It…
Malice and back-stabbing behind Vogue’s glossy exterior
‘What job do you want here?’ asked the editor of Vogue, interviewing a young hopeful. From behind her black sunglasses…
Is it farewell to the handshake?
Ella Al-Shamahi is a Brummie, born to a Yemeni Arab family. From a strict Muslim upbringing she transitioned (evidently con…
The distortion of British history
The British Museum has announced the appointment of a curator to study the history of its own collections. On the…
Our love affair with the Anglo-Saxons
Dan Hitchens on our love affair with the Anglo-Saxons
Facts are now history
Your quiz for the week is to make the connection between the following people: fun-loving Greek hack Homer, veteran US…
What does ownership of land really mean?
At the end of the last century, Simon Winchester bought 123 acres of wooded mountainside in the hamlet of Wassaic,…
What Pliny the Elder and David Attenborough have in common
When it comes to natural history, Sir David Attenborough rules the airwaves. Pliny the Elder (d. ad 79) who, as…
Is the past being rewritten in LGBT+ history month?
Did you know that February is LGBT+ history month? If you have a ‘progressive’ employer you probably do. Banks, universities, local councils,…
After three centuries, we need a museum of British premiership
Why we need a museum of British premiership
The ancients were defined by actions, not attributes
Diversity is ‘about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion,…
My historical re-enactment group’s battle with Silicon Valley
The Wimborne Militia of Dorset prides itself on being the only formally commissioned ‘private army’ in England. We’re well known…
The ancient belief in the power of words to protect us
In his 37-book Natural History, Pliny the Elder (d. ad 79) wondered why we wished people ‘Happy new year’ (primum…
The Greeks wouldn’t have accepted Cambridge’s ‘respect’ policy either
Professor Toope, the vice-chancellor of Cambridge university, had proposed a motion ordering all members of the university to ‘respect’ each…
The Enlightenment was a many-splendoured thing
History used to be so much easier. There were the Wars of the Roses, then the Reformation, the Civil War,…
The world’s greatest podcast: Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History reviewed
It’s well known that you should never meet your heroes because they will only disappoint you. Less commonly said, but…
Will we end up with a Paphlagonian Brexit deal?
Freed from the bonds of the European Union, Britain is now in a position to sign whatever trade deal it…
Why I stopped reading novels
New York I received a letter from a long-time Spectatorreader, James Hackett, enquiring about books I am reading. It is…
Modern historians take a Roman approach to history – whether they admit it or not
To what use does one put history? Romans thought it provided ‘lessons’. Modern historians rather sniff at the idea, but…
The shocking story of Charles and Mary Lamb: Slightly Foxed podcast reviewed
The Slightly Foxed podcast, like the quarterly and old bookshop of the same name, is almost muskily lovely. It’s the…
A toast to Tim Beardson
I am in an Eliot mood, not a Keatsian one. ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ is a surprisingly… mellow…
