This year will see the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. The anniversary is on 12 May (not very convenient for Women’s History Month in March but I’ll come to that in a moment) and there will be events and talks in her honour. When I was at...

We are delighted to announce that Professor Rana Mitter OBE FBA of Oxford University (St Cross College) will receive the 2020 Medlicott Medal for outstanding services and current contributions to History. Professor Mitter is a historian in late modern history, in particular on China, and is currently Director of the...

In the spring edition of HA News Paula Kitching looks at VE day 75 years on, there is an inspiring 'What got me into history' and our Glasgow Branch share their experience of capturing memories from the First World War. We're also introducing a new Book Club feature to explore books that...

First World War film 1917 was the big winner at the Bafta Film Awards this year, with seven prizes in total including best film and best British film.  'Yet another war film', some people may be thinking, but is it? When most of us think of war films it is of some...

As you will be aware, after careful consideration, and in light of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the Historical Association Annual Conference. Rescheduling the conference will enable us to provide an experience that our members expect and deserve in a safe environment. We...

History Journal, the official journal of the Historical Association, now features a new online extension at historyjournal.org.uk. Hosting a range of accessible research-driven features written by academic researchers from all stages of career and study, archivists, and practitioners, our new website is an extension of the HA’s work in public history, and aims to make...

Read The Historian 143: Literature Back in May, at the Historical Association Conference in Chester, Fern Riddell’s keynote lecture on ‘Uncomfortable Histories’ set out to overturn the commonly-held view that the Victorian age was naïve and prudish. In the twenty-first century, the instantly recognisable image of Queen Victoria is that...

2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps and death camps (those that had not already been destroyed by fleeing Nazis). The horror and devastation that greeted the liberators of the different camps could hardly be described nor quite believed even when witnessing it. While the killing...

Last month the Georgian Papers Programme released a new virtual exhibition available online. Exploring the myth and reality of the alleged ‘madness of King George III’, the exhibition is an interesting step in examining the past and exploring its relevance for contemporary discourses. Entitled ‘George III: the Eighteenth Century’s Most...

The Berlin Wall was one of the most important symbols of the political and ideological divisions in Europe during the Cold War. The physical presence of a wall that quite literally cut a city, a country and Europe into two sides was a constant reminder of how separate East and...