Early writers on probability had explained how the ‘house advantage’ didn’t need to be large for a gambling enterprise to profit enormously. But gamblers and gambling operators were slow to catch on.
When parliament blocked a radical MP from taking his seat in parliament, Burke warned that ignoring the people’s democratic will could have disastrous consequences.
In the 18th century, managing public perceptions of the king’s fitness were as much about the health of the monarchy as they were about the health of monarch.
Amy Froide, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
In the Charitable Corporation Scandal, a group of politically connected directors leveraged the company’s altruistic image to attract investors – before raiding the funds to prop up other ventures.
A scholar of 18th-century America and the founders analyzes the Supreme Court opinion overturning the constitutional right to abortion, which he says relies on an incomplete version of US history.
From editors looking to ‘expose the false art of life’ to others taking up the cause of the marginalised, writers went anonymous to share their uncomfortable truths.
The 2,000-line poem by Scottish physician John Armstrong was written during a time of pandemic, war and increasing public disinformation. What can readers learn from it today?
A queen with a reputation for scandal, Marie Antoinette enjoyed her private spaces with a small circle of friends. A mirrored room kept the judgments of the outside world at bay.