Tag: History
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The Ford Nucleon: Petrol Omission to Nuclear Fission
In 1958, Ford unveiled the Nucleon: a car which eschewed the traditional combustion engine in favour of a small nuclear reactor. Sam Marks explores this product of the 1950s Atomic Age which, perhaps unsurprisingly, did not develop beyond the concept stage.
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Funding the Arts in Ancient Athens
The Dionysia, a festival in ancient Athens on honour of the god Dionysus, featured plays sponsored by choregoi: wealthy citizens who financed the performance in exchange for social prestige. Fiona MacRae explores how the benefaction model of ancient Athens might be the key to saving the performing arts today.
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Book Review – Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence
R. F. Kuang’s 2022 novel, “Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence”, holds a critical lens to the British Empire, examining the atrocities perpetuated by academic institutions. Naomi Wallace discusses Kuang’s work which combines fantasy with a powerful critique of imperialism, set in nineteenth-century Oxford.
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NEVER AGAIN: Reflecting on Illegal Abortions in the US Fifty Years on From Roe v Wade
In April 1973, the Supreme Court ruling Roe v Wade granted the constitutional right to choose an abortion. In June 2022, this landmark ruling was overturned. By examining the situation in the US prior to 1973, Naomi Wallace discusses how history can reveal its devastating impact.
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Revealing Royal Jewellery: The Chequers Ring
Once belonging to Queen Elizabeth I, the Chequers Ring has prompted intrigue – not least concerning the identity of the woman whose portrait sits alongside the monarch. Naomi Wallace discusses the theories surrounding this captivating piece.
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Migration and the Neocolonial ‘National Front’: British Post-war Immigration Policy and Culture
HMT Empire Windrush brought hundreds of migrants from Commonwealth countries with the promise of employment and prosperity; what greeted them was discrimination and racism. Ash Tomkins discusses the impact of Britain’s hostile post-war immigration policy, the effects of which are felt to this day.
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Journeying to the Centre of the Earth: The Scientific Accuracy of Jules Verne’s Writing
French novelist Jules Verne has been celebrated for over a century as a pioneer of the science fiction genre. Kat Jivkova examines the scientific accuracy of his work to determine whether this appellation obscures his legacy.
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From the Slums of London to the Kings Court: The Story of Nell Gwynn
From an impoverished childhood to one of the earliest female stage actors in England, Nell Gwynn became committed to the annals of history for her relationship with King Charles II. Megan Crutchley explores the life of this central figure in Restoration London.
Retrospect Journal 