History

Why I won’t be celebrating Australia Day on 26 January

Most nations – the United States, Greece, Finland, India, Indonesia and many others – celebrate their national day on the …

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The sordid underbelly of Christmas past

When English Puritans outlawed Christmas in 1647, it was not without good reason. When American Puritans, in turn, outlawed Christmas …

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Tolstoy’s last years

Tolstoy’s death in 1910 occurred just seven years before the Russian Revolution. His last two essays What’s To Be Done? …

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How do you spot a witch? A notorious 15th-century book gave instructions

Books have always had the power to cast a spell over their readers – figuratively. But one book that was …

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My time: The experiences of an ordinary soldier in Papua New Guinea

The overwhelming majority of Australians who have served in war zones have been volunteers. However, during the Vietnam war, 63,735 …

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Not just the Sphinx: Ancient Egyptians and their treasured felines

Ancient Egyptian culture and practices have intrigued historians and archaeologists for years. Thought to be the pre-eminent civilisation in the …

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Memories of the factory: The extraordinary war stories of some ‘new Australians’

It was Litchfield Engineering Company, Croyden Park Extension, then an outer suburb of Adelaide, in 1960. My father, who was …

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