HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE: The latest issue features Hirohito’s return to Europe, the lost history of the Aztec Empire, the decline of the medieval Carolingians, the FBI and the Nazi Spies, and the 18th-century search for the soul.

The Lost History of the Aztec Empire

Before the Spanish conquest, the history of the Aztec Empire was recorded orally and with hieroglyphs. In danger of being lost or forgotten, Indigenous historians began to write it down.

When Hirohito Returned to Europe

Emperor Hirohito’s tour of Europe in 1971 made it painfully clear that the wounds of the Second World War had not healed.

The Decline of the Carolingians

The Carolingian Empire was consolidated by one of Europe’s most celebrated kings, but Charlemagne’s death meant that decline was inevitable.

The FBI and the Nazi Spies

In 1938 a sensational spy trial exposed a Nazi plot to seduce and blackmail US officers. Despite America’s technological might, counterintelligence had been slow on the uptake.

Why Does Academic History Matter?

The study of history at UK universities appears to be under existential threat. Should anyone care?