In 1955 Ruth Ellis, a nightclub hostess, was the last woman hanged in England. 50,000 people signed a petition calling for clemency for the charismatic young woman. Ten years later, hanging was abolished.

Fires Modern consists of 18 histories from the progressive movement including reference to black history, the history of the women's rights movement, fascism in Britain, racism, murder and contemporary references to social inclusion movements like LGBT+ and modern race equality.