History Revealed - July 2022
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From transporting criminals to the other side of the world in the 19th century, to the mass hangings of the medieval period, attitudes to crime and punishment in Britain have fluctuated dramatically over the past seven centuries. In this month’s Essential Guide, we’ve enlisted the help of expert Dr Nell Darby to get to grips with how law and order was maintained in the past and explore historic opinions on criminality and justice. Turn to page 28 to get started. One criminal from history who very nearly escaped detection was Klaus Fuchs, the brilliant nuclear physicist who helped Britain and the US develop powerful new weapons during World War II while simultaneously passing on atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. We delve into his fascinating life from page 64. Elsewhere, we look at the extraordinary story of polar explorer Douglas Mawson, whose epic, 100-mile solo journey across the Antarctic in 1912–13 is a gripping tale that easily rivals the exploits of his better-known contemporaries Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen (page 57), and question what the world might look like had the Black Death never happened (page 70). Also this month, we investigate why the women and girls of the Bryant & May match-making factory downed tools and went on strike in 1888 (page 16) and analyse a work of art from 1920 that channels the pain and loss of World War I (page 62). Plus, we take a closer look at the history of the Special Air Service (SAS). Turn to page 21 to find out more.
