January 2013

Articles from the January 2013 issue of BBC History Magazine

A view of Valletta during the Second World War, showing its harbour filled with naval hardware. (Photo by Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Second World War

Britain’s island weapon: Malta in the Second World War

From The Library

Gold miners in California in 1849. The gold rush sparked one of the greatest mass migrations in American history. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

A big day in history: A speck of glitter triggers the California Gold Rush

From The Library

Crack illustration.

Q&A: Where does the word ‘crack’, describing military units, originate?

From The Library

An illustration showing the last moments of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the explorer, soldier and half-brother of Sir Walter Ralegh. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

The Tudor guide to colonising the world

An illustration from 'A Picture History of Railways' by C Hamilton Ellis, showing a filled wagon and a horse on a railway line. Railways were originally intended to move goods. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A rail revolution: Dan Snow on the meteoric rise of British railways

From The Library

The Bank of England in a late 18th century illustration. A 1783 investigation into malpractice at the Bank is reminiscent of the current financial crisis. (Guildhall Library & Art Gallery/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Georgian banking blunders

From The Library

The Black Prince's tomb in Canterbury Cathedral depicts Edward III's son as a resting warrior, a paragon of knightly virtue. The prince conceived the tomb's design himself but not everyone has bought into his favourable assessment of his life's achievements. (Photo by RDImages/Epics/Getty Images)

The Black Prince: hero or villain?

A loan transaction being recorded in a ledger, shown in a work by Marinus Van Reymerswaele. (Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

Medieval money tricks

From The Library

George Frederick Handel married opera's passion with the respectability of biblical texts, says Tim Blanning. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

10 milestones in the history of western music

From The Library

A portrait of Jane Austen.

Where history happened: Jane Austen

From The Library

Illustration by Jonty Clark.

General ancient history

Ye olde travel guide: Aksum AD 537

From The Library

John Linnell's 1816 portrait of Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick. His high-pressure steam engine "was the invention that unleashed power on this planet," says Michael Mosley. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

My history hero: Richard Trevithick (1771-1833)

From The Library