History Today

• 1. Introduction

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  History Today arrived in London in January 1951, backed by the man who had overseen Britain's wartime communications. Brendan Bracken had served as the country's Minister of Information during the Second World War. He also chaired the Financial Times and counted Sir Winston Churchill among his closest associates. When Bracken turned his attention to founding a history magazine after the war, he chose two co-editors with contrasting strengths. Peter Quennell was described as a "dashing English man of letters." Alan Hodge came to the role from journalism at the Financial Times. The magazine they launched aimed to bring authoritative history to as wide a public as possible, covering all periods and geographical regions. Both founding co-editors would hold their posts for close to three decades.

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• 2. Editors Through the Decades

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  Quennell and Hodge both stepped down in 1979, Hodge in June and Quennell in October. Michael Crowder took on the editorship in November 1979, leaving in July 1981. Michael Trend followed in August 1981 for a tenure of less than a year. Juliet Gardiner then served from May 1982 through August 1985. Gordon Marsden held the role from September 1985 through October 1997, a twelve-year run that made him the longest-serving editor after the founding pair. Peter Furtado served from January 1998 to August 2008. Paul Lay edited the magazine from January 2009 to January 2022. Rhys Griffiths and Kate Wiles took over in July 2022 and have held the position jointly since. The magazine has been independently owned since 1981.

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• 3. Awards and Recognition

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  Since 1997, the Longman-History Today Charitable Trust has held an annual awards ceremony. Its purpose is to honor those who have fostered a wider understanding of, and enthusiasm for, history. The main prize is the Book of the Year award, given for an author's first or second history book. In 2003, the Trust added a prize for undergraduate dissertations, presented in association with the Royal Historical Society. The Trustees' Award recognizes a person or organization that has made a major contribution to history. Professor David Olusoga is among past recipients of the Trustees' Award.

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• 4. Students and Screens

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  In 1995, History Today launched a sister publication called History Review. It was designed for sixth form students studying history and appeared three times a year. History Review continued until April 2012, when its final issue was published. That same year, History Today launched a dedicated digital edition, available through its own app. A reworked version of the digital edition arrived in 2015 with further improvements. The magazine's website now holds every article History Today has published.

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