JULY 2015
CONTENTS
Features
Every month
6 ANNIVERSARIES 11 HISTORY NOW 1 1 The latest history news
1 4 Backgrounder: What triggered Scotland’s political earthquake? 1 6 Past notes
An unreconstructed brute or the father of the Renaissance? Find out on page 38
22 The Battle of Britain The RAF held all the aces when it faced the Lu wa e in 1940, says James Holland
28 The Black Death Four experts address the big questions surrounding a medieval apocalypse that killed millions of Europeans
33 Portraits of the plague Charlotte Hodgman introduces photos of a pandemic that swept ve continents as recently as the 19th and 20th centuries
38 Genghis Khan Frank McLynn considers whether the infamous Mongol leader deserves his monstrous reputation
46 Great entertainers Dominic Sandbrook selects 10 British cultural exports that have taken the world by storm over the past century
51 The perils of piety in Tudor England Being devout in the 16th century could be a seriously hazardous business, as Steven Gunn and Tomasz Gromelski explain
58 Tragedy on the Matterhorn Peter H Hansen tells the story of a fateful attempt on an Alpine peak in 1865
18 LETTERS 21 MICHAEL WOOD’S VIEW 56 OUR FIRST WORLD WAR 65 BOOKS Experts review new releases, plus
Yasmin Khan discusses her book on India in the Second World War
77 TV & RADIO The pick of this month’s history programmes
80 OUT & ABOUT 80 History explorer:
the rise of Britain’s canals 85 Five things to do in July 86 My favourite place: Inishbo n
93 MISCELLANY 93 Q&A and quiz 94 Samantha’s recipe corner 95 Prize crossword
98 MY HISTORY HERO Richard E Grant chooses
Emmeline Pankhurst
44 SUBSCRIBE Save 27% when you subscribe* to the digital edition
The Battle of Britain
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The form idable
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The Battle of Britain has long been hailed as the triumph of the plucky underdog over the Nazi goliath. Yet, says James Holland, when rival ghters clashed over England in 1940, it was the RAF that held all the aces
BBC History Magazine
BBC History Magazine
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A force to be reckoned with Hawker Hurricanes patrol the skies in 1940. Fighter Command’s victory in the Battle of Britain reflected the immense power of the nation – one that could call on resources of which the Germans could only dream
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USPS Identification Statement BBC HISTORY (ISSN 1469-8552) (USPS 024-177) July 2015 is published 13 times a year under license from BBC Worldwide by Immediate Media Company Bristol Ltd, 9th Floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN, UK. Distributed in the US by Circulation Specialists, Inc., 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton CT 06484-6238. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBC HISTORY, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495. G E T T Y/ T O P F O T O
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58 The Victorian disaster that made a pariah of the mountaineering community
33 Images of the plague that killed 12 million
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BBC History Magazine
