Why did the the Maginot Line – that marvel of 1930s engineering with its miles of fortifications and bunkers to deter German invasion – fail so spectacularly in 1940? Its vast underground forts were designed to withstand artillery and chemical attack, yet France fell in just six weeks, leaving the Line as a symbol of...

The HA Conference will be held in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2027! This two-day conference on 14-15 May is a leading highlight of the history community's year. It brings together all those working in and who have an active interest in history and heritage. With top-level academics, pedagogical sessions and discussion panels, the...

Following a period of expanded sea exploration in the 15th century by European explorers the American continent started to be established as a trading opportunity but very quickly became something more permanent. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries Western European Powers expanded their reach into the Americas, establishing colonies and...

July is South Asian Heritage Month, an ongoing opportunity for those with a Eurocentric perspective to expand their horizons. South Asia is a large area of the globe with many different histories, cultures, languages and food that have travelled and dispersed far beyond their original subcontinent. To celebrate that geographic and demographic reality...

As we continue into the National Year of Reading, July offers many historical anniversaries to explore through literature – starting with the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776 on 4 July: ‘Independence Day’. Our upcoming American Culture webinar series (30 June–8 Sept) focuses on literature and...

The coast means something different to everyone. It’s a place of pleasure and reckless pursuits, of fishing, fearless endeavours and a crashing, rugged beauty. The coast is, and always has been, Britain's first line of defence and springboard to other cultures. In this talk public historian Sally Coulthard delves into...

Join us this summer to explore how American culture has developed and influenced the wider world, in this new webinar series from the Historical Association. 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence. To reflect on this pivotal moment in global history, this series examines the ways in...

There are over 29 million refugees around the world, and more than 100 million people have been displaced. The majority are children. These are just some of the current facts about refugees. Yet historically, refugee movements are nothing new. In times of war, famine and climate crisis, people have long...

What was life really like for a Spanish royal woman? Catalina Micaela, the younger daughter of Philip II of Spain, wrote extensively to her husband Carlo Emanrele I of Savoy giving fascinating insights into the events at court and the pressures on the families, providing a glimpse into sixteenth-century Spain and...

This month is an opportunity to combine some of the big themes of June with reading. Anne Frank On the 12 June it would have been Anne Frank’s 97th birthday. Anne was murdered by the Nazis for being Jewish as one of the 6+ million victims of the Holocaust. Unlike millions...