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 AUGUST 2023

THIS ISSUE'S CONTRIBUTORS

ANNIVERSARIES • HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in August in history

AI: an ancient nightmare? • Artificial intelligence has been in the headlines in recent months because of the threat it may pose to humanity. Yet, as MICHAEL WOOLDRIDGE reveals, the idea of AI, and the fears surrounding it, are centuries old

“UFO stories come up again and again - and that’s how folklore is created” • A Nasa press conference in May detailing its research into UFO sightings sparked headlines about extraterrestrial visitors - but, as DAVID CLARKE explains, these stories are nothing new

HISTORY NEWS IN BRIEF

MICHAEL WOOD ON… • THE ORIGINS OF THE WEST

HIDDEN HISTORIES • KAVITA PURI explores lesser-known stories from our past

LETTERS

BBC History Magazine

PEACE! (AT THE POINT OF A SWORD) • Pax Romana brought stability and prosperity to Rome’s vast empire. Yet, writes Tom Holland, behind the dazzling new cities and teeming sea lanes lay the threat of lethal, irresistible violence

How Britain fell in love with the NHS • Since its faltering launch in 1948, the National Health Service has become a cherished part of British society. Andrew Seaton explains how it attained that status

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

DID YOU KNOW…?

THE KING OF FOLLY • In 1323, Roger Mortimer pulled off an audacious escape from the Tower of London before ejecting Edward II from the English throne. But, writes Paul Dryburgh, the rebel baron’s designs on power were undone by his own big head

ESCAPE ARTISTS • Five other inmates who tried (and sometimes failed) to break-out from the Tower

FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM • The civil rights movement saw hundreds of thousands of Americans rallying to the cause of racial equality. Rhiannon Davies has spoken to several historians of the campaign for a new podcast series. Here she revisits five key moments in the struggle

A lynching jumpstarts the civil rights movement • Teenager EMMETT TILL’s brutal murder exposed the savagery of southern racism as never before

Community action puts the brakes on segregation • ROSA PARKS’ refusal to give up her bus seat ballooned into a 381-day-long boycott that inspired the nation

A protest march piles pressure on the president • When a 250,000-strong crowd descended on Washington DC to march for jobs and freedom, they were entranced by MARTIN LUTHER KING JR’s dream for a different future

Landmark legislation promises a brighter future • LYNDON B JOHNSON’s signing of the Civil Rights Act was hailed as a seismic moment in the war on discrimination

An incon’s assassination shocks the nation • MALCOLM X was shot dead by his former allies, but his legacy lived on through the burgeoning Black Power movement

Sidi Mubarak Bombay Unsung African adventurer • Stolen from his village as a boy, enslaved and trafficked to a distant land, the intrepid and big-hearted Sidi Mubarak Bombay returned to travel across his home continent on pioneering expeditions. CANDICE MILLARD introduces a little-known but exceptional explorer

Why we’re still living in the age of the...