The reasons Britain and the United States went to war in 1812 are diverse. Indeed, different factions within each country had different driving motivations.
Fact-file
10 things you didn’t know about the Norman conquest of Ireland
Most people are familiar with the tumultuous events of England in 1066, but how much do you know about ‘the other Norman conquest’, launched a century after the Battle of Hastings? In spring of 1169, a small band of Normans set sail from South Wales bound for Ireland, landing in May of that same year. This […]
10 ways to mark the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings
Tickets to English Heritage’s re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings this weekend are sold out, but here are 10 alternative ways to mark the 950th anniversary of William the Conqueror’s victory over the Anglo-Saxons.
All you need to know about… Leon Trotsky
Who? The one next to Lenin? Well, he was. Until Joseph Stalin had him erased from the photograph (below). But, despite Stalin’s questionable Photoshopping, Leon Trotsky did exist. He was a leading Russian military commander, revolutionary, and socialist thinker, who helped bring about Bolshevik success in Russia’s October Revolution in 1917. On Lenin’s death, Trotsky […]
Leni Riefenstahl: Hitler’s mistress?
One of the key questions often asked about Leni Riefenstahl is was she Hitler’s lover? Rumours of an affair were common at the time, and were given as the reason for her dramatic promotion by Hitler over so many skilled male directors in Germany.
The Spanish Civil War: a proxy war and a dress-rehearsal
This massive foreign involvement lends credibility to the claim of Manuel Chaves Nogales, a leading Spanish journalit in Madrid during the siege, that ‘Spanish Civil War’ was a misnomer.
TOP FIVE: Military Sidecars
MHM looks at the innovative designs in military sidecars since 1914, including the Scott Mobile Machine Gun, and the Watsonian Sidecar Ambulance.
TOP FIVE: Vikings
MHM looks at some of the most formidable and fascinating Vikings. 5. Erik the Red Hot-headed Erik the Red made murder his business. After being exiled from Iceland in 982 for ‘some killings’, he and his wife moved to Haukadal, where he built a farm. Trouble seemed to follow Erik around, however, and after he killed two men who were […]
TOP FIVE: Gladiators
MHM introduces the most fearsome warriors of the Roman arena. 5. Marcus Attilius Free-Born fighter Type of fighter: murmillo Attilius was a free-born Roman, who most likely volunteered himself for gladiatorial combat as a way of freeing himself from debt. As a rookie, he defeated the gladiator veteran and champion of Emperor Nero, Hilarus, a respected fighter who had 13 wreaths to his […]
TOP FIVE: Aerial Battles
MHM looks at five of the costliest aerial battles in history. 5. AIR BATTLE OF SAINT-MIHIEL WHERE/WHEN: France, 12-16 September 1918 OUTCOME: Allied victory over Germany The Saint-Mihiel salient was a large bulge of the German frontline into France, which was formed in 1914 when German forces positioned themselves in preparation for an attack on Verdun. Although Verdun itself did not fall, the Germans continued to […]
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