Duels of History

Could the Spanish have conquered Mexico without the help of Malinche, a Native American slave who became Hernan Cortés' translator? 

How did Marie Curie's love affair with the married physicist Paul Langevin become a national story that divided France?

In her battle against Ronald Reagan, activist Angela Davis became the icon of an entire generation.

Jiang Qing represented the old ways of the Chinese Communist Party, so she had to go.

Why is Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, still viewed as a Machiavellian manipulator? 

Friedrich Ebert and Rosa Luxemburg comrades on the left - and yet became bitter enemies.

Sculptors Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel had a passionate affair, but things turned sour.

Did French Queen Marie-Antoinette really betray her adopted country? And was Robespierre a dictator or a democrat?

How did a simple tennis match between a woman, tennis star Billie Jean King, and a man, ex-player Bobby Riggs, become a television phenomenon and change the face of women's sport?

Ordinary civilians are now preparing for war by volunteering for the Latvian National Guard in large numbers.

Jean-Michel Jarre sets up his equipment on Seville's Plaza de España for an immersive concert-show.

An old man swims in the sea. As he moves through the water, memories resurface... 

The US has pulled almost all its funding just as Ukraine is entering its fifth year of war. Can the EU plug the gap?

Skiing began as a means of survival in prehistory, only becoming synonymous with glamour and leisure in modern times.

From queer cake sitting to sex positive tasting evenings, Tracks finds out about food and sexuality.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is ramping up its budget. Does this mean Europe is to take the lead in the space race?

150 years after his birth, social media has brought Austro-Hungarian poet Rainer Maria Rilke to a new generation of readers.

Vanessa Wagner performs Philip Glass’s Piano Etudes with dancers from the Accrorap company.

We have released so many toxic chemicals that we have caused existential damage to our ecosystem.