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History

History
The latest news, analysis and opinion on History. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
China society

Opinion | Why a TV hit in China about waging peace resonates so deeply

Swords into Ploughshares can tell us a lot about Beijing’s approach to the crisis in Iran, cross-strait relations and this year’s ‘two sessions’.

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Fame and celebrity

Who was Ethel Kennedy – and was she really mean to Carolyn Bessette?

Tourism

Gripping samurai exhibition explores Japan’s warrior class, cuts through myths

United States

Triceratops skeleton ‘Trey’ to hit the auction block as dinosaur market soars

The 66-million-year-old fossil, for sale on musician Pharrell Williams’ auction platform Joopiter, is expected to fetch up to US$5.5 million.

A triceratops skeleton, named Trey, is displayed at Co-Museum at Le Freeport Singapore on February 5. Photo: Courtesy of Joopiter via AP
Science

Sex between Neanderthal men and Homo sapiens women drove our make-up: study

New research is providing insight into the prehistoric pairings that led to the presence of Neanderthal DNA in most present-day people.

Chinese culture

Language Matters | Gen Z loves ‘Chinamaxxing’, but where does ‘maxxing’ come from?

Chinamaxxing, lookmaxxing, moneymaxxing and gymmaxxing might be new terms, but the practice of ‘maxxing’ has been around for a while.

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Chinese culture

How AI is helping bring Hong Kong history to life on Instagram and beyond

Cultural preservationists use generative AI to breathe life into photos from the past, but does this practice promote or distort history?

A photo of Hong Kong during the mid-20th century, colourised by OldHKinColour. The team behind the popular Instagram account uses artificial intelligence to bring such photos to life, but some say this “distorts” history. Photo: OldHKinColour
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | After Andrew’s arrest, how high-born criminals were treated in ancient China

The long-spoken Chinese maxim that nobles were punished like commoners when breaking the law is not upheld by history.

Pokemon

How Pokemon took over the world as the beloved franchise turns 30

On Pokemon Day 2026, we look at the history of the global multimedia phenomenon and how it captured the hearts of children and adults alike.

South Korea

Why Yoon’s life sentence and ‘sympathetic’ ruling divide South Korea

As the ex-president appeals his life sentence for a martial law plot, judicial reform is back on the agenda for a deeply divided nation.

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A supporter of former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol reacts following a guilty verdict during the sentencing trial in his insurrection case on February 19. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong culture

What’s behind Hong Kong’s retro display craze sweeping shops and stations?

The transformation of a Wellcome supermarket branch into a viral photo hotspot highlights a growing nostalgia trend engulfing the city.

Tourists gather around an old-school display at a Wellcome supermarket in Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei neighbourhood. Similar retro-themed displays are popping up all over the city. Photo: Dickson Lee
Style Edit

Style Edit: L’ÉCOLE Asia Pacific’s new engagement ring course

Today, the engagement ring takes pride of place in Hong Kong alongside Chinese ceremonial gifts – L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts’ new course will offer a closer look.

Nepal

Unearthed temple in Nepal sheds new light on Buddha’s early life

Archaeologists hope the newly discovered ruins at Siddhartha Gautam’s childhood palace will help secure Unesco World Heritage status.

Austria

Policing the past: Hitler’s childhood home becomes a police station

Holocaust campaigners say putting police in the dictator’s former home is a ‘problematic’ way of dealing with the town’s dark history.

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Scaffolding covers the back side of the birth house of former German dictator Adolf Hitler in Braunau am Inn, Austria. Photo: AFP
Fame and celebrity

What you need to know about Daryl Hannah and JFK Jr’s romance

The Blade Runner actress, now married to Neil Young, had a romance with the late JFK Jr before he eventually wed Carolyn Bessette.

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Daryl Hannah and her then boyfriend, the late John F. Kennedy Jr. Photos: @dhlovelife/Instagram, @JFKjr_memories/X
From our archives

In pictures: Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year obsession with good fortune

To celebrate the Year of the Horse, we take a look back at how Hong Kong invited good luck through traditional customs from the 1970s to the 2000s.

Fashion

JFK Jr: his story and style remembered in FX bio Love Story

Series explores the lawyer’s life and marriage, and his impeccable, understated elegance that quietly defied 90s fashion norms.

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Science

How did a prized red gemstone reach the ancient, mysterious Shu kingdom?

The presence of the warm, reddish-orange mineral in the Bronze Age archaeological site of Sanxingdui has long puzzled archaeologists.

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A visitor views the “Ancient Shu Civilisation of the Sanxingdui and Jinsha Sites” exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing on January 18. A Chinese team says it has solved some mysteries related to crimson beads found in Sanxingdui. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Video | Pop culture fuels revival of Japan’s traditional swords

Swordsmiths warn that without new ideas, modern swordsmithing may disappear.

Style Edit

Style Edit: 5 things you didn’t know about Louis Vuitton’s Monogram

Over 100 years on, the LV Monogram has become one of the world’s most durable and recognisable motifs – but how was it created?

Indonesia

Indonesia’s 68,000-year-old handprint: the birth of human art?

Found hiding beneath a chicken sketch, the faded outline proves ancient humans were capable of reflecting on their existence, scientists say.

Handprints with sharpened fingertips on a cave wall in the Maros region of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photo: Ahdi Agus Oktaviana/Maxime Aubert/AP
Science

How old is Chinese civilisation? A scholar says it really dates back 8,000 years

Leading scholar’s argument stretches the timeline back beyond the widely accepted figure of 5,000 years.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Malaysia

Malaysia did not cede any land to Indonesia, PM Anwar insists

Claims of a 5,200-hectare territorial handover to Indonesia are ‘a lie’, Malaysia’s prime minister tells lawmakers.

Macau

A timeless love affair with Macau, a city of hidden charms

A decades-long fascination with Macau has endured for historian Jason Wordie, who finds little of what matters to him has changed, post-Covid.

Japan

Japan set to revive WWII military titles in controversial shift

While some argue the change aligns Japan with global norms, others say better pay – not historical titles – is what soldiers really need.

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A Japanese soldier watches the suburbs of Shanghai ablaze in this undated colourised photograph. Photo: Getty Images
Greenland

Language Matters | How Greenland’s language is just as invaluable as its minerals and oil

Greenlandic has been an emblem of identity as the territory advanced to political autonomy and has given us words like igloo and anorak.

Locals stand on a snowy shoreline at dusk in Nuuk, Greenland. Greenland’s linguistic heritage reflects Inuit history and the territory’s evolving autonomy through the years. Photo: AFP
Macau

Scandals, shidaiqu and fedora-clad concierges – a Macau institution returns

The grand dame, once a haunt of James Bond author Ian Fleming, has been resurrected by a local who vowed to own it as a boy.

China economy

Opinion | US-China rivalry: great powers that don’t make things won’t be great for long

As globalisation falters, it is countries that focus on building productive capacity, not financial excess, that will come out on top.

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