{"title": "History of Empires in Maps with Philip Parker", "start": "2026-11-04T19:00:00Z", "end": "2026-11-04T20:30:00Z", "place": "Stanfords", "address": "Mercer Walk 7, WC2H 9FA London", "price": "£8.00", "price_from": "8.00", "price_to": "8.00", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history"], "description": "An evening author talk about the rise and fall of empires, told through maps. Historian and Sunday Times bestselling author Philip Parker presents his latest book, History of Empires in Maps, which charts more than 60 empires, from the Achaemenid and Roman to the Mongol, Ottoman, Aztec and Mughal. The talk explores the roots of each empire's success, the causes of its demise and the legacies left behind, illustrated by stunning mapping. The ticket includes a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink on arrival, and the book will be for sale at a discount on the night.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/history-of-empires-in-maps-with-philip-parker-92815/", "official_url": "https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/history-of-empires-in-maps-with-philip-parker-tickets-2002081205781", "image": "https://noky.io/images/59bf3bbc63c81033b4a622af76cbdd7add08876a2bc6d4020f057f2d9f1fa0ba-2000.webp", "dates": [{"start": "2026-11-04T19:00:00Z", "end": "2026-11-04T20:30:00Z", "place": "Stanfords", "address": "Mercer Walk 7, WC2H 9FA London", "tickets": ""}], "similar": [{"title": "Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires", "start": "2026-11-07T10:00:00Z", "end": "2027-05-09T18:00:00+01:00", "place": "V&A, South Kensington", "address": "", "price": "", "price_from": "25.00", "price_to": "27.00", "category": "exhibitions-museums", "tags": ["history"], "description": "A major exhibition at the V&A taking visitors to one of the world's great cities, once called Constantinople and now Istanbul, which was the imperial and religious capital of two successive empires: the Byzantine (AD 330–1453) and the Ottoman (1453–1922). Organised by the V&A, it spans AD 330 to 1922 and explores 1,600 years of the city's landmarks, from the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia to Topkapı Palace and the Galata Tower, as the first exhibition in the UK to tell this story in full.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/constantinople-to-istanbul-one-city-two-empires-49660/", "official_url": "https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/constantinople-to-istanbul-one-city-two-empires", "image": "https://noky.io/images/51c2f754c00742877dcd29f919e833eb8fa11d9777bf595be1ce103b3ae3d308-2000.webp"}, {"title": "Muslim Europe & Britain: Tharik Hussain in conversation with Shafik Meghji", "start": "2026-11-12T19:00:00Z", "end": "2026-11-12T20:30:00Z", "place": "Stanfords", "address": "Mercer Walk 7, WC2H 9FA London", "price": "£8.00; £16.99 ticket with Muslim Europe paperback", "price_from": "8.00", "price_to": "16.99", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history/islam", "literature/travel"], "description": "An evening author talk at Stanfords in Covent Garden, celebrating the paperback release of Muslim Europe and the release of the first Bradt Guide to Muslim Britain and Ireland. Award-winning author and journalist Tharik Hussain, specialist in global Muslim heritage, speaks with travel writer Shafik Meghji, co-author of more than 45 guidebooks. Muslim Europe retraces 1,400 years of Muslim history across the continent, from Sicily and Malta to Spain and Portugal, while Muslim Britain and Ireland traces Islam in the British Isles from the 8th century to today, region by region. The event includes a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink and is held in the fully accessible basement.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/muslim-europe-britain-tharik-hussain-in-conversation-with-sh-92814/", "official_url": "https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/muslim-europe-britain-tharik-hussain-in-conversation-with-shafik-meghji-tickets-2001371906247", "image": "https://noky.io/images/9fb592a126b6f2d2f47e6ec3285d8f026b8b92f40c256c905e2403faa8365293-2000.webp"}, {"title": "Novara Media’s Downstream IRL – The Fall of the West", "start": "2026-11-16T18:30:00Z", "end": "2026-11-16T22:30:00Z", "place": "EartH", "address": "Stoke Newington Road 11-17, N16 8BH London", "price": "", "price_from": null, "price_to": null, "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["society/politics"], "description": "Novara Media's Downstream IRL – The Fall of the West is a live talk at EartH Theatre in London. It is presented by Novara Media, with Ash Sarkar sitting down with Owen Jones to discuss his new book, The Fall of the West: How They Really Lost It. Jones argues that the West's decline is the work of a power-hungry ruling class rather than migrants, Muslims or a 'woke mob', tracing a path from Afghanistan and Iraq through the 2008 crash to Gaza today. The evening will also touch on whether Burnham's Labour marks a real break from Starmerism, and all funds support Novara Media's journalism.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/novara-medias-downstream-irl-the-fall-of-the-west-35779/", "official_url": "https://earthackney.co.uk/events/novara-medias-downstream-irl-the-fall-of-the-west-16th-nov-earth-london-tickets-g5v25a/", "image": "https://noky.io/images/5bbeca806b1895ece3f79cc3d098e0c8cbada08d7e70777a903bf9ce37883178-2000.webp"}, {"title": "Book launch: 'Decolonizing Afghanistan: Countering Imperial Knowledge and Power'", "start": "2026-11-10T17:30:00Z", "end": null, "place": "SOAS University of London", "address": "10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, WC1H 0XG London", "price": "Free to attend, but registration is required", "price_from": "0.00", "price_to": "0.00", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history/colonialism", "society/media"], "description": "A book launch for 'Decolonizing Afghanistan: Countering Imperial Knowledge and Power', hosted by the SOAS Middle East Institute and the SOAS South Asia Institute at SOAS University of London. The book, published by Duke University Press, is edited by Wazhmah Osman and Robert D. Crews and offers cross-disciplinary, ground-up perspectives on colonial projects in Afghanistan, focusing on the US intervention that began in 2001. Contributors Dawood Azami, Marya Hannun and Wazhmah Osman will discuss media narratives, information warfare and knowledge production, and how visual tropes and ideologies shape portrayals of Afghanistan. Attendance is free but registration is required, with seating allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/book-launch-decolonizing-afghanistan-countering-imperial-kno-43667/", "official_url": "https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/event/book-launch-decolonizing-afghanistan-countering-imperial-knowledge-and-power", "image": "https://noky.io/images/5a3032d06453f61472b5faf6331ace0c9f76c3a2e2be8952a7d176992e71c768-2000.webp"}, {"title": "‘How We Lost America: A New Perspective on American Independence’ Book Launch", "start": "2026-11-10T19:00:00Z", "end": null, "place": "Boston Manor", "address": "Boston Manor Road, TW8 9JX Brentford", "price": "Free", "price_from": "0.00", "price_to": "0.00", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history/modern-history", "literature"], "description": "A free book launch celebrating the publication of 'How We Lost America: A New Perspective on American Independence'. The book, published by Aurora Metro Books and presented by Aurora Metro Arts & Media with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, explores the events leading up to the American War of Independence and its aftermath. With contributions from historians, journalists and artists, it delves into hidden histories of underrepresented individuals, from British politicians and dissenters to enslaved people and women revolutionaries.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/how-we-lost-america-a-new-perspective-on-american-independen-35033/", "official_url": "https://bostonmanorhouse.org/event/how-we-lost-america-a-new-perspective-on-american-independence-book-launch/", "image": "https://noky.io/images/981d8345a5c37fbdfd1ef949db7a9be52abce0a3e306441c35388368cb54f675-2000.webp"}, {"title": "Revolutions: Marking the 250th Anniversary of 1776", "start": "2026-11-03T18:00:00Z", "end": "2026-11-03T20:00:00Z", "place": "Society of Antiquaries", "address": "", "price": "", "price_from": null, "price_to": null, "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history/early-modern", "literature/reading"], "description": "An evening of performed readings tracing the struggle over sovereignty, liberty and power from 1628 to 1787, marking the 250th anniversary of 1776. It features readings and speeches from Sir Edward Coke and Charles I to Edmund Burke and Fellow Benjamin Franklin, exploring how nations confront authority, rebellion and the limits of power. Acclaimed actor Robert Glenister performs, with introductions by Maurice Howard OBE FSA. The ticket includes a complimentary drink.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/revolutions-marking-the-250th-anniversary-of-1776-38655/", "official_url": "https://www.sal.org.uk/events/revolutions/", "image": "https://noky.io/images/72c29205a7ec821227e821bd7e2dbd363966aecd8c2d08a57166bea61768a2ca-1200.webp"}, {"title": "Explore 50: five decades of discovery", "start": "2026-11-06T18:30:00Z", "end": null, "place": "Royal Geographical Society", "address": "Kensington Gore 1, SW7 2AR London", "price": "Member £10.00, Non-member £12.00 in person; Member £5.00, Non-member £6.00 online", "price_from": "6.00", "price_to": "12.00", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history/exploration"], "description": "Explore 50: five decades of discovery is a lecture of short talks marking five decades of Society-supported exploration. The Royal Geographical Society hosts it, with Paul Rose as MC and five speakers, each representing a different decade since 1976: Nigel Winser, Robert Swan, Rachel Carr, Mark Day and Alastair Humphreys. They share stories from the field showing the challenges, research outputs and evolving purpose of expeditionary fieldwork. Two RGS-Risman Environmental Changemakers, Elizabeth Follows and Angeni Perez-Jamieson, will also join, and the talks chart how exploration has changed while highlighting the enduring values that unite it.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/explore-50-five-decades-of-discovery-106482/", "official_url": "https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/explore-50-five-decades-of-discovery/", "image": "https://noky.io/images/96163497a69b4cddcff97ab228eb99b4d2525547413c9c8dfdb5bf7d8b16563f-2000.webp"}, {"title": "John Simpson – The Leaders and Lunatics Tour", "start": "2026-11-04T19:30:00Z", "end": null, "place": "Cadogan Hall", "address": "Sloane Terrace 5, SW1X 9DQ London", "price": "£16.50 - £68.50 plus fees", "price_from": "16.50", "price_to": "68.50", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["society/media/journalism", "history/politics"], "description": "An evening with the journalist and broadcaster John Simpson CBE, part of his show 'The Leaders and Lunatics Tour'. Drawing on nearly 60 years of access to world leaders, he examines what makes tyrants and how sane societies slip into despotism, from Putin, Assad, Saddam, Gaddafi and Trump to Gorbachev, Mandela, Havel and Zelensky. The second half is an audience question-and-answer session about the events he has covered, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to Tiananmen Square and the Gulf Wars. The event runs 1hr 50 min including a 20-minute interval, presented and promoted by Fane.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/john-simpson-the-leaders-and-lunatics-tour-35204/", "official_url": "https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/john-simpson/", "image": "https://noky.io/images/3462d6b4ffd690999dd662788d30f5db41dcc95eff27f33893c01df792322ad8-1200.webp"}, {"title": "Conference - Maritime Histories from the Margins: People, Places, and Practices, 1500–Present", "start": "2026-11-11T09:00:00Z", "end": "2026-11-12T17:00:00Z", "place": "National Maritime Museum", "address": "Romney Road, SE10 9NF London", "price": "Adult: £60 | Member: £55 | Early Career Researcher/Student: £30", "price_from": "60.00", "price_to": "60.00", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history/maritime"], "description": "A two-day interdisciplinary conference on marginalised maritime histories from around 1500 to the present. It is co-convened by Royal Museums Greenwich and the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures at the University of Portsmouth. The conference highlights new research on communities and individuals historically underrepresented in maritime narratives, from workers and families to navigators and knowledge-keepers. The fee covers lunches, refreshments and an evening book launch for Black and Asian Seafarers: A Visual History.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/conference-maritime-histories-from-the-margins-people-places-39610/", "official_url": "https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum/conference-maritime-histories-margins-people-places-practices", "image": "https://noky.io/images/611a6bbca41bb79388ca8ea847147219d1cb99d7df33e9425818f356dd21db77-1200.webp"}, {"title": "The London Model Talk", "start": "2026-11-06T12:30:00Z", "end": "2026-11-06T13:00:00Z", "place": "The London Centre", "address": "", "price": "Free", "price_from": "0.00", "price_to": "0.00", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history/local-history", "society/urbanism"], "description": "The London Model Talk is a free 30-minute lunchtime talk at The London Centre, using NLA's scale models of London to explore how the city has grown and what could shape it next. It is hosted by NLA (New London Architecture) at its free public gallery, whose models are used by built environment professionals and anyone curious about London's development. The talk covers London's history from the Romans to now, how the city came to be shaped as it is, and how it is being shaped today and for the future. The 16.5-metre 1:2000 London model covers over 247 square kilometres, 22 boroughs and more than 266,000 buildings, alongside a 1:500 City Model showing the future of the Square Mile's skyline.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/the-london-model-talk-48052/", "official_url": "", "image": "https://noky.io/images/bc758ddfd8ffa987d13fa4f61399ac176c844acbc6695e6ca6f1c782a970dfeb-2000.webp"}, {"title": "German, Jewish, British? Histories of Exile and Emigration", "start": "2026-11-04T18:30:00Z", "end": null, "place": "Birkbeck College", "address": "WC1E 7HX London", "price": "Free", "price_from": "0.00", "price_to": "0.00", "category": "talks-readings", "tags": ["history/exile"], "description": "A public lecture at Birkbeck's Clore Management Centre, followed by a reception. Historian Jan Rüger, professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London, explores exile and emigration between Germany and Britain through biographical studies, focusing on refugees from Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 40s within a timeframe from the early eighteenth century to recent debates about immigration and Brexit. The lecture marks the publication of his book Great Powers: A History of Britain and Germany. Admission is free.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/german-jewish-british-histories-of-exile-and-emigration-80520/", "official_url": "https://www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event/65435/german-jewish-british-histories-of-exile-and-emigration", "image": ""}, {"title": "Of Times There Were Before", "start": "2026-11-03T17:15:00Z", "end": null, "place": "SOAS University of London", "address": "10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, WC1H 0XG London", "price": "", "price_from": null, "price_to": null, "category": "film", "tags": ["film/documentary", "history/historiography"], "description": "A documentary film screening, followed by a discussion with the director. 'Of Times There Were Before' is a portrait of Romila Thapar, one of the world's most influential historians and public intellectuals, filmed at her home in New Delhi. Directed and produced by Eshan Sharma and edited by Anant Raina, it began with the question of who the person behind the historian's name is. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.", "url": "https://noky.io/en/london/events/of-times-there-were-before-43655/", "official_url": "https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/event/times-there-were", "image": "https://noky.io/images/ab70484a4756c054d26543610c7f85665046d8a07044512675b0a187c2f3a49a-2000.webp"}]}