On 28 November 1919, Nancy Astor was elected to Parliament, becoming the first female MP to take her seat. A century on, a train named in her honour took VIP…Read More >
history
A complex and controversial new saint
Papal historian Professor Rebecca Rist reflects on the canonisation of John Henry Newman – writer, polemicist, musician and reader – and a man who was both traditional and progressive. On…Read More >
Seven things you probably didn’t know about life in medieval castles
Dr Karen Dempsey’s research tells the stories of medieval people’s lives through the objects they used and cared about, in the spaces where they lived and worked. Here she tells…Read More >
Fragments in the archive: stories of slavery, sexual violence and testimony
Enslaved women make only fleeting appearances in the historical records from colonial and antebellum America – as property rather than people. But after the Civil War, there was an outpouring…Read More >
Royal death and burial: Reading Abbey in context
How did medieval people deal with a king’s body when he died far from his intended final resting place (boiling or embalming?) What part did women play in commemoration? And…Read More >
THE LONG READ: From social media’s role in the Arab Spring to New Generation Thinker – Q&A with Dr Dina Rezk
Dr Dina Rezk’s research looks at contemporary history of the Middle East, including the Arab Spring, and has fed into policy briefings to the UK and US governments. She was…Read More >
Taking Reading research to Westminster
Rachel Newton was one of two Reading undergraduates to take their research to Westminster last week for the annual Posters in Parliament event. Here she tells us about spending her…Read More >
Space Blitz: discovering the hidden impacts of WWII bombing raids
The controversial British bombing raids on Dresden – known as ‘Operation Thunderclap’ – took place 73 years ago this month. During the raids, British bombers dropped thousands of tons of…Read More >