Expert Comment
'Queen Victoria truly did enjoy a Victoria sponge' says Food Historian Professor Earle
Professor Rebecca Earle, published Food Historian in the History Department, investigates the sumptuous history of the Victoria sponge hot on the heels of a Victorian themed British Bake-off final.
From bes to Bitcoin: alternative currencies in the ancient Roman world
Be it Bristol or Brixton, in recent years a number of cities in Britain have developed their own alternative, local currencies. Intended to support independent businesses, these currencies work alongside pounds sterling to encourage more money to be spent in the local economy. But, as historian Clare Rowan explains, the concept is anything but modern – in fact, alternative currencies date back as far as ancient Rome…
1940: the year Mexico legalised drugs, Dr Benjamin Smith investigates
Dr Benjamin Smith is reader of Latin American history in the History department, specialising in modern Mexican history. Here he investigates how on 5 January 1940, Mexico’s left-wing president, Lázaro Cárdenas, signed the new Federal Regulation of Drug Addiction into law.