AUGUST 2015

CONTENTS

Features

Every month

Empress Nur Jahan Mughal, page 28

22 A brilliant rescue? Saul David looks at the events behind Israel’s audacious raid on Entebbe in 1976

28 Voices of women Amanda Foreman selects ve amazing women who made major contributions to world history over the past 5,000 years

36 The feud that killed Becket Richard Barber on the personality clash between Henry II and Thomas Becket that led to bloody murder

43 A history of charisma Thomas Dixon looks at how charisma has changed over the years and at how historical gures exploited theirs

50 The war without an end Peace in Europe was celebrated in May 1945, but, as Keith Lowe reveals, violence continued for years to come

56 Dropping the atomic bomb Seventy years on, historians o er their views on one of the most controversial decisions of the Second World War

62 Making a man of Henry VIII Emma Levitt looks at how Henry VIII, denied the chance to shine in battle, de ned his masculinity by jousting

6 ANNIVERSARIES 11 HISTORY NOW 1 1 The latest history news

1 4 Backgrounder: the Mediterranean 1 6 Past notes

18 LETTERS 21 MICHAEL WOOD’S VIEW 32 OUR FIRST WORLD WAR 65 BOOKS Experts review the latest releases,

and Janina Ramirez discusses her new book on the private lives of saints

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

80 OUT &ABOUT 80 History Explorer: the Pendle witch trials of the 17th century 85 Five things to do in August 86 My favourite place: Cyprus

93 MISCELLANY 93 Q&A and quiz 94 Samantha’s recipe corner 95 Prize crossword

98 MY HISTORY HERO JennyEclairchoosestheartist LeonoraCarrington

34 EVENTS History weekends in Malmesbury and York

Buyyour tickets now

48 SUBSCRIBE Save when you subscribe today

USPS Identification Statement

BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE (ISSN 1469-8552) (USPS

024-177) August 2015 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 MAGAZINE, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495.

43 Just what de nes that magnetic power that we call charisma?

J AY

/ T O M

A L A M Y/ G E T T Y/A K G

50 Why violence carried on a er the end of the Second World War

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BBC History Magazine