TOK: History
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Discovered! Secret formula behind every genius
Are there rules to becoming a genius? A Harvard academic believes that he has established the key ingredients – but warns that those with great minds are not always great human beings.
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Nazi aide, 95, charged over teenage crimes
Should Irmgard F stand trial? At a Nazi death camp in 1944 a secretary helped send 10,000 Jews to their death. Because she was under 21 at the time she will now be tried in a juvenile court.
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‘You almost had me murdered three weeks ago’
Is this a turning point in the struggle against white, male supremacy? By baring her emotions openly on Instagram, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also issued a challenge to Republicans.
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‘This is pre-fascism’ says top US professor
Is it local news that can save democracy? It might sound far-fetched. But respected academic Timothy Snyder is devastating in his diagnosis of America’s ills – and lucid in his prescription.
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Biggest mafia trial for 30 years begins
Are we guilty of glamourising the mafia? The murderous crime families on trial in Italy are accused of unutterable evil – but big-budget films about organised crime remain hugely popular.
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Prince Charles unveils plan to save the planet
Could the Terra Carta be as important as the Magna Carta? Prince Charles’s proposals for saving the environment may prove a turning point in the battle against climate change.
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Britain’s future on knife edge in deal talks
Is the nation state doomed? As the UK hovers on the brink of a no-deal Brexit, some fear it is staking its hopes on an outdated ideal – but others say an independent nation can still thrive.
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Snow mania descends as cold weather bites
Is it a form of madness to love snow? Britain is set to be colder than Moscow this week as the country dives into the chilliest December ever. Snow! Why is it a source of such joy for many?
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‘Historically she is more important than Joe’
Will Kamala Harris become president? She is set to be the first female vice-president and first black person in the post. And at 56, she is number two to a man who is 78 in just eleven days.
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Biden promises era of light after darkness
Is this a new chapter in our history? Donald Trump has often been likened to the ruthless populist leader Julius Caesar. Now many see Joe Biden as a new Cicero – defender of civic ideals.
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No fatal wounds in Trump/Biden final duel
Could it be a Biden landslide? No clear winner emerged as the candidates locked horns for a final time last night. Now, some believe anti-Trump sentiment could push Biden to a historic win.
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Tensions rise in great global vaccine race
Is liberal democracy going to be the biggest Covid victim? Russia and China have shunned safety to surge ahead in the search for a vaccine, reigniting old battles between East and West.
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The historic sites built with slave money
Does it matter if historical monuments have links with slavery? Some claim that we are dwelling too much on the past, but others think that we should be ashamed of our colonial history.
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The super-cow v the old-fashioned plough
Was farming better 1,000 years ago? Scientists believe they have discovered how to breed “super-cows”. But others argue that agriculture was far more sustainable in medieval times.
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The doctor who put medicine before magic
Was Hippocrates the first modern doctor? A controversial new book argues that the ancient Greek physician established the principles of medicine as we know it as long ago as 470 BC.