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Ancient greek alphabet contains 24 letters, starting with alpha and ending with omega

The ancient Greek alphabet: when was it invented, how many letters are there and how do you pronounce them?

Sathnam Sanghera Britain's Imperial Legacy: “It was painful to realise how my education had colonised me”

Princess Charlotte of Wales: the original people’s princess

James Fox speaks about the myriad meanings of colour through human history. (Image by Getty Images)

Colour: a human history

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33 best books for history lovers: BBC History Magazine’s Books of the Year 2021

Latest articles

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Which woman has had the biggest impact on world history?

100 Women Who Changed the World

Swastika on a lotus background

Second World War

Why did Hitler choose the swastika, and how did a Sanskrit symbol become a Nazi emblem?

Colourful illustration of 12 historical figures's heads (Winston Churchill, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Thomas Cromwell, Richard III, Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Anne Boleyn, William Marshal, Jane Austen, Hatshepsut, Gandhi and Catherine the Great) shown in a grid pattern.

Historical figures: 100+ of the most famous people through history – in chronological order

Elizabeth I

History quiz: how much do you know about Tudor Queen Elizabeth I?

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Behind the news

Today’s events in historical context…

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Untold story of a slave rebellion wins the 2021 Cundill History Prize

Turkeys, bred in Norfolk, cover the facade of a London butcher's shop, 1929. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Shop ’till you drop: a brief history of Christmas shopping

Howard Carter and another man beside the tomb of Tutankhamun

Anniversaries, exhibitions, history TV & film: what to expect from 2022

Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales

Gwrych Castle: the history of the new home of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here

On this day in history

What happened on this day in the past? Historian Dominic Sandbrook rounds up the landmark events, births, deaths and more...

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5 December

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4 December

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3 December

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2 December

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Historical Q&As

How did Spanish Flu get its name? When did our ancestors start using toilet paper? Why did the famous Crystal Palace burn down? And where was the WW1 Armistice signed? Here are the top questions about history, answered by historians and experts…

Shoppers in Liverpool during the 1960s

Q&A Why is the shopping day after Thanksgiving called ‘Black Friday’?

Weetoomoo Carey, 8, left, and her sister Jackolynn Carey, 5, Wampanoag Nipmucs from Mashpee, looked across to the Mayflower replica anchored near Plymouth Rock, where Native Americans gathered for a day of mourning in counterpoint to the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving. (Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Q&A What and when is the National Day of Mourning in the United States?

Gaol fever illustration.

Q&A What is gaol fever and how was it caused and spread?

A modern fireworks display

General ancient history

Q&A How were fireworks made in ancient China?

Kirk Douglas And Burt Lancaster walk with gun drawn in a scene from the film 'Gunfight At The O.K. Corral', 1957. (Photo by Paramount Pictres/Getty Images)

Q&A Was the gunfight at the OK Corral a major gun battle?

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How did pasta come to Europe and when did it first become established in Italy?

Read more answers from the experts

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HistoryExtra Podcast

The latest episodes from the History Extra podcast

David M Kennedy answers listener questions about the economic crash that devastated 1930s America. (Image by Getty Images)

The Great Depression: everything you wanted to know

Robert Sackville-West describes attempts to identify the bodies of the dead after the devastating battles of the First World War. (Image by Getty Images)

First World War

Searching for WW1’s fallen soldiers

Pod Annie Gray WL

Christmas feasts with Annie Gray Episode 4: WW2 rationing & postwar absurdity

Pod Annie Gray WL

Christmas feasts with Annie Gray Episode 3: Victorian merrymaking

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Christmas feasts with Annie Gray Episode 2: Georgian elegance

Pod Annie Gray WL

Christmas feasts with Annie Gray Episode 1: Medieval & Tudor revelry

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Picture galleries

Explore our historical galleries covering a wide range of historical periods and topics…

England's World Cup-winning captain, Bobby Moore (1941–93) kisses the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy after England's 4-2 win over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley Stadium, London. Also pictured are Moore's team-mates George Cohen, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

In pictures: when England won the football World Cup

'The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings: a guide to 8 famous works

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In pictures: 150 years of the British Red Cross

Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in season 4 of 'The Crown'. (Photo by Netflix)

The Crown S4 news: Netflix releases first images of Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher

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History Quizzes

How much do you know about history? Test out your knowledge with our quizzes...

How much do you know about the Vikings? Test your knowledge with our quiz. This mid-19th century painting shows Viking ships on the River Thames. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

History quiz: How much do you know about the Vikings?

People praying for relief from the bubonic plague, circa 1350. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Medieval quiz

Richard III

57 history questions for your home pub quiz

The effects of the disease known as the Black Death

History quiz: how much do you know about the Black Death?

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Popular historic periods

Portrait of King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour and Prince Edward. (Photo by Getty Images)

Tudor

Illustrated Medieval scene from the Romance of Lancelot

Medieval

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Victorian

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20th Century

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Popular people from history

Painting of Henry VIII

Henry VIII

Portrait of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria

Winston Churchill gives his famous v-sign as he opens the new headquarters of 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron of the RAAF (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) at Croydon, 1948. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Winston Churchill

Golden funerary mask of Tutankhamun, inlaid with lapis lazuli, obsidian and turquoise. (Photo By DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI/De Agostini/Getty Images)

Tutankhamun

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Popular historic topics

Dockers unloading wine barrels

Social history

Photo of Mabel Capper and Patricia Woodlock advertising a meeting, Manchester, Lancashire, July 1908

Women's history

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Sex and love

The charge of the light, battle illustration

Military history

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