AUGUST 2014

CONTENTS

Features

Every month

7 HISTORY NOW 7 The latest history news

10 Backgrounder: Celebrity scandals 13 Past notes

Discover how the First World War affected people’s lives around the world on page 41

FIRST WORLD WAR SPECIAL

24 Countdown to catastrophe Nigel Jones describes the nal fateful days leading up to the outbreak of war in August 1914

30 The great misconceptions of the First World War A panel of experts challenge popular myths about the con ict, from the death of Franz Ferdinand to the eventual Allied victory

38 “Our First World War” Ordinary people recall the tumultuous events of the rst weeks of war

41 The world remembers Experts from across the globe explain what the war means to their countries now and how it is being remembered

46 What killed Tutankhamun? Chris Naunton weighs up competing theories about the pharaoh’s demise, including the suggestion of foul play

54 The bloody rise of Augustus Adrian Goldsworthy shows how the rst emperor of ancient Rome slaughtered his way to the top

14 ANNIVERSARIES 18 LETTERS 21 MICHAEL WOOD’S VIEW 66 EVENTS 69 BOOKS Expertsreviewnewreleases,plusa FirstWorldWarroundupandPaddy Ashdowntalksabouthisnew bookontheFrenchresistance

83 TV & RADIO The pick of this month’s history programmes

86 OUT & ABOUT 86 History explorer: Kathryn Ferry on the British holiday boom 90 Ten things to do in August 92 My favourite place: Delphi

95 MISCELLANY 95 Q&A and quiz 97 Sam’s recipe corner 98 Prize crossword

106 MY HISTORY HERO David Olusoga on Hendrik Witbooi

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61 Tudor dirt and dung Pamela Hartshorne o ers her advice to a Tudor householder seeking to keep his or her environment clean

USPS Identification Statement BBC HISTORY (ISSN 1469-8552) (USPS 024-177) August 2014 is published 13 times a year under license from BBC Worldwide by Immediate Media Company Bristol Ltd, 9th Floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN, UK. Distributed in the US by Circulation Specialists, Inc., 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton CT 06484-6238. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBC HISTORY, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495.

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38 “We heard the engine stop and the awful crash, which once heard is never forgotten”

69 Paddy Ashdown on a ‘glorious’ French victory

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