History Revealed

History Revealed brings the past to life for everyone. It’s an action-packed, image-rich magazine with zero stuffiness. Each issue has a central section that takes a closer look at one of history’s big stories, such as the Wild West or Ancient Rome, telling everything you need to know. We also explore the lives of the truly famous, follow the great adventures of the past, taste the blood and thunder of battles, and look at how closely Hollywood blockbusters have told history. Plus, we answer questions about some of the more surprising and strange aspects of the past. If you want to get into history, subscribe today.

WELCOME MAY 2020

THIS MONTH’S BIG NUMBERS

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SNAPSHOTS

THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH.... • RECENT HISTORY HEADLINES THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE

Textile Conservator at Historic Royal Palaces

YEAR IN FOCUS.... • SNAPSHOTS OF THE WORLD FROM ONE YEAR IN THE PAST

Aviator Amy Johnson returns a hero • Daily Mirror, 5 August 1930

Frost interviews ex-US President Nixon

DID YOU KONW?

The Meiji Restoration

ALL THAT GLITTERS • They came in their thousands in search of one thing – gold. But the idea of striking it rich and the reality of life as a prospector were often two different things, writes Pat Kinsella , as he mines the dark side of the gold-rush era

DID YOU KNOW?

BOOMTOWN BLUES

WHY WERE PEOPLE SO KEEN TO JOIN THE GOLD RUSH? • In an era of rapid social and political change, not to mention industrialisation, leaving everything behind to chase a dream proved sorely tempting,..

MAJOR GOLD RUSHES OF THE 19TH CENTURY

GOLD RUSHES ALSO HAPPENED IN...

IN NUMBERS

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HOW THE GOLD RUSH MADE MARK TWAIN • He proved a poor miner, but the hunt for glory still proved the crucible for ‘the father of American literature’

On your marks, get set... walk! • Felicity Day tries out a favourite sport of the 18th and 19th centuries: competitive walking

Taking big steps • Pedestrianism and huge numbers go hand in hand…

Three walking wonders • In a plethora of pedestrians, these stars of the sport put their best foot forward

THE WOMAN WHO CHALLENGED THE NATURAL WORLD • Maria Sibylla Merian revealed the secrets of the insect world through a blend of exquisite art and scientific observation – the result, writes Ellie Cawthorne , of an unwavering passion for the wonders of nature

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING • Merian’s drawings helped dispel the idea that animals ‘popped into being’

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTERS • Johanna and Dorothea both embraced the natural world

TOP 10 BUILDINGS THAT ROSE FROM THE ASHES • As work continues to determine what can be saved of Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral after it went up in flames in 2019, Emma Slattery Williams explores its story – along with some other famous buildings that have returned from the brink of ruin

THE WEEK THE WAR ENDED IN EUROPE • As we mark 75 years since the end of World War II, Gavin Mortimer recalls the momentous week that led to wild celebrations on Victory in Europe Day

THE ECSTASY OF THE ALLIES • On 8 May, the scenes of celebration witnessed in London were repeated around the world, even as the war continued against Japan

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THE IMPOSSIBLE MYSTERY OF THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT • Full of fantastical drawings and written in an unknown language, the one-of-a-kind manuscript has so far bamboozled all who have tried to crack its secrets. Spencer Mizen tries to explain the unexplainable

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THREE MORE INDECIPHERABLE TEXTS • The Voynich Manuscript is not the only historical text to have perplexed would-be codebreakers

WHAT IF... ALEXANDER THE GREAT HAD KEPT CONQUERING? • Jonny Wilkes talks to...