The Desperado
A man with chronic health problems was drowning and disconnected from other people, with no help in sight. His exit strategy was to rob a bank.
A Brief History of Guantanamo Bay, America’s “Idyllic Prison Camp”
The story of Guantanamo Bay before its most recent, and most controversial, use as a prison camp.
Setting the Table
An interactive visualisation telling the story of how the periodic table came to be.
The Hunt for Planet Nine
A pair of jovial scientists seeking to prove the existence of a ninth planet make for a great double act as they scale a mountain in Hawaii to access one of the world’s most powerful telescopes and search the night sky. The author does well to draw out the nobility in their potentially unachievable quest, which could seem quixotic were it not built on such extraordinarily advanced mathematical and astronomical theory.
The epic tale of China’s out of this world plan for space domination
Contrary to expectations set by the somewhat sensationalist title, this piece offers an insightful unpicking of the geo-political landscape of space exploration, in light of China’s work to catch up with Russian and American capabilities at breakneck speed.
The business of kidnapping: inside the secret world of hostage negotiation
Behind the scenes on the different approaches to hostage negotiations undertaken by governments and private firms around the world.
Robert A. Caro on the Secrets of Lyndon Johnson’s Archives
One of the great biographers writes about his discovery process, writing, and his experience researching the subject of his magnum opus, President Lyndon B. Johnson. Unsurprisingly, it’s a mesmerisingly well-told story.
The Unbelievable Story Of The Plot Against George Soros
The story of two American political consultants who helped create attack-based campaign strategies whilst working for Netanyahu, Nixon and others. The piece focuses on how this led them to conceive an anti-George Soros campaign whilst working for Viktor Orbán in Hungary. This definitive ad hominem campaign has since been taken up in numerous other countries and adopted an increasingly virulent anti-Semitic tone.
The Vice President’s Men
A look at the small off-the-record team under George H.W. Bush’s command when he was Vice President, formed in response to concerns around an ineffectual national security approach under Ronald Reagan.
The most powerful person in Silicon Valley
A profile of Masayoshi Son, Chairman of SoftBank, and his Vision Fund, a major Silicon Valley power broker with big stakes in numerous household name startups.