On 10 April 1998 – Good Friday – the UK’s Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, signed an agreement that signalled the end of 30 years of violence and bitter sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. But how did the Troubles originally come about? Why did the warring parties agree to ceasefires? And what were the terms of the Good Friday agreement? History Hit’s Rob Weinberg went to Queen’s University Belfast to ask the big questions about this seminal moment to Dr. Peter McLoughlin.

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Arguably the world’s greatest ever dramatist, after five and a half centuries William Shakespeare remains as popular as ever. But how did he became so famous? How did later authors boost his reputation? And why has Shakespeare stayed supreme above all other writers? Rob Weinberg asks the big questions to Jerry Brotton, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London.

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When World War I broke out in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the United States would remain neutral. The U.S.A. only officially entered the conflict three years later. It took the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941 to bring America into the Second World War. But why was America reluctant to enter both wars earlier? How did its involvement change the course of both wars? Rob Weinberg asks the big questions to Dr. Mitch Goodrum at Canterbury Christ Church University.

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In the first century after his crucifixion, the teachings of Jesus quickly spread throughout the Greco-Roman world and his early followers often faced severe persecution. But how did people around the Mediterranean learn of Christ’s message? Why did it appeal to them? And how did Christianity change once it was adopted by the Roman Empire? Rob Weinberg puts the big questions about the growth and spread of Christianity to Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary University of London.

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When share prices on the New York Stock Exchange collapsed, it was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, signaling the beginning of the Great Depression. To find out more about this iconic event in 20th century history, Rob Weinberg spoke to Dr. Noam Maggor, Lecturer in American History at Queen Mary University.

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The recorded story of Scotland begins with the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century, when the province of Britannia reached as far north as the Antonine Wall. But how much further back can the history of Scotland be traced? Who were the Picts and the Gaels? And how did the Viking invasion unite them? Rob Weinberg asks the big how and why questions about the birth of Scotland to Dr. Alex Woolf, senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews.

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By 1964 America was deeply embroiled in a conflict in Vietnam that would, over the next decade, claim millions of lives including almost 60,000 US servicemen. But how did the war come about? Who were its major players? Why did the actions and attitudes of US presidents differ? And how did Americans at home shape the outcome of the war. Rob Weinberg asks the big questions to Kevin Ruane, Professor of Modern History at Canterbury Christ Church University.

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On 14 October 1066, Norman invaders led by Duke William of Normandy won a decisive victory over the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson. But why did William have a claim on the English throne? How did the Battle of Hastings unfold? And how did William the Conqueror change England forever? To answer the big questions about this decisive battle, Rob Weinberg talks to Professor Virginia Davis, of Queen Mary University of London.

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By the first century BC, the nuisance of piracy had become a plague in the Mediterranean. The Romans dispatched Pompey who freed the way for the expansion of commerce and the Empire. But why was the Mediterranean so important to Rome? How did they go about ruling its waves? And how did they rid the sea of pirates? Rob Weinberg asks the big questions about this important stretch of water to Dr. James Corke-Webster at Kings College London.

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In June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, opening up the Eastern Front in World War II – a campaign to which more forces were committed than in any other theatre of war in history. But why did Germany invade the Soviet Union? What did Stalin and Hitler think of each other? And how did the invasion impact on Germany’s eventual defeat? To find out the answers about this escalation in the Second World War, Charlie Mills spoke to Dr. Mario Draper at the University of Kent.

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