Every August we go through the same dreary ritual: a bunch of hand-wringing journalists and academics witter about whether the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were “justified”. To the people who lived and fought Imperial Japan, though, the issue was beyond question. For many of that generation, the bitterness
Keith Mexsom keithmexsom.pubsitepro.com Keith Mexsom has magazine and newspaper experience in both New Zealand and Australia as a publisher, editor, sub-editor, journalist, feature writer, and copywriter. He has a Graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from Massey University. As history records, it took more than a century for the
The idea of a “Deep State”, a cabal of state employees or other persons to manipulate or control the government outside of the accepted channels of leadership, is nothing new – nor is it conspiracy theory. In modern times, deep states have operated from the Soviet Union to Italy. But it
Dunedin Mum New Zealand schools will be introducing “Aotearoa New Zealand Histories” in 2022 to all schools and kura across the country. Be sure to get the name right. It’s Aotearoa New Zealand Histories, not New Zealand history. The “Aotearoa” part is important, as is “histories”, not “history”. As
In Art Spiegelman’s magnificent graphic novel, Maus, young Artie is crying bitterly over a spat with his friends. His father responds, “Friends? If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week – then you could see what it is, ‘friends’!” To those who’ve never
As part of our drive to keep our comment section the best in New Zealand we showcase each week an example of a top-notch comment that adds value to The BFD. Today’s comment was written by Ben Waimata. Thank you Ben Waimata for taking the time to craft such
Jonathan Spangler Manchester Metropolitan University My research is based on the aristocracy of France and its neighbours in the 16th-18th centuries, and the notion of frontier identities. In particular, I am working on a new history of the Duchy of Lorraine, a formerly independent state between France and Germany. My
A lot of languages sound better than English. English in all of its multiple colloquial forms seems less romantic/musical and not as pleasant to the average ear as Latin-based languages. It appears it has taken on board a little too much from the Angles and Saxons from the 6th
Sean Lang Anglia Ruskin University The death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh marks the end of a chapter not just for the British royal family – but for European monarchy itself. Philip belonged to that cosmopolitan world of interrelated royals that had ruled Europe before the first world war
The Historian Introduction: If New Zealanders are to embrace, honour, respect, and trust the Maori culture the foundation of that culture must be based on the truth, not fairy tales. Anything less would be offensive and insulting and would dishonour the past memories and actions of respected Maori chiefs and
We are running another yet fantastic book giveaway for our subscribers. The prizes are copies of Keith Mexsom’s latest book Gas Pedal to Back-Pedal – The Second Century of Auckland Transport which is Part Two of a planned trilogy that builds on the founding and development of Auckland’s transport
One of the great mysteries of Game of Thrones is not how a pair of infamous hacks somehow landed one of the plum production jobs in television history, but why its heroine, Daenerys Targaryen, wasn’t a deformed, drooling idiot rather than a luminous beauty. After all, the Targaryen dynasty
Some of the most stunning archaeological finds are the results of serendipity. Bedouin shepherd boys stumbling on the cave of the Dead Sea Scrolls. A Napoleonic soldier tripping over the partly-buried Rosetta Stone. A warren of bunnies digging up prehistoric British tools. In a first-of-its-kind discovery this month, a herd
Suicide has been regarded differently by societies around the world and throughout history. To the ancient Romans, it was an honourable reaction to disgrace: “falling on your own sword” refers to the action that might be taken by a disgraced leader. In Japanese society, the feudal notion of ritual suicide,
As part of our drive to keep our comment section the best in New Zealand we showcase each week an example of a top-notch comment that adds value to The BFD. Today’s comment was written by Korau. Thank you Korau for taking the time to craft such an interesting
Call me a reactionary, but the contemporary leftist obsession with “racial justice” seems an awful lot like a Revolution of the Envious Losers. Dispute it as they will, the modern world was largely built by the brains and sweat of white, Christian, male Westerners. The left, of course, will cherry-pick
