BBC History Magazine & BBC World Histories Magazine - HistoryExtra

A student party, c1824: Oxford undergraduates drinking together. drinking escapade.

The Georgian guide to university life

Downstairs in Downton: a guide to the life of an Edwardian servant

Was Ramesses II really that great?

Max Hastings by Fran Monks

Second World War

Max Hastings on the Dambusters

Portrait of Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves: Henry VIII’s most successful queen?

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In the news

Today’s events in historical context…

Black and white portrait image of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Who was Cardinal John Henry Newman?

The Lockheed U-2 shares little in common with a flying saucer. (Image by Alamy)

Q&A How did Area 51 become associated with aliens?

Shortlist of the 2019 Cundill History Prize - Outward Row

Revealed: the 8 history books shortlisted for the 2019 Cundill History Prize

An illustration showing interior of the House of Commons

9 things you didn’t know about the history of parliament

History Extra Podcast

The latest episodes from the History Extra podcast

Suzie Lipscomb by Steve Sayers.

Suzannah Lipscomb on women’s lives in Reformation France

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The origins of the Tudors

The Vietnam War podcast

The Vietnam War on film

Tom Holland by Helen Atkinson

Tom Holland on Christianity’s enduring legacy

Simon Sebag Montefiore on letters from history. (Photo by Dreamstime)

Letters that changed the world

Dan Jones by Steve Sayers and Helen Castor

The Crusades, with Dan Jones

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The start of the Second World War

This month marks 80 years since the conflict began. Find out more about the road to WW2…

A mushroom cloud over Nagasaki, Japan

Second World War

WW2 10 of the most important Second World War dates

Neville Chamberlain speaks to a crowd after meeting Hitler, Mussolini, and Deladier to settle the question of the Czecho-Slovak dispute. (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

Second World War

Appeasement and the road to World War Two

Firemen tackling a blitz fire at St Paul's Cathedral, London

Second World War

The Second World War: a timeline

A portrait of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler

Second World War

Why did the Second World War happen?

Trending in the US

Elizabeth I, shown in a portrait commemorating victory over the Armada. (Photo by Photo 12/UIG via Getty Images)

7 things you (probably) didn’t know about Elizabeth I

An open Bible on an altar

General ancient history

A history of the Bible: who wrote it and when?

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Elizabeth I: the monarch behind the mask

The destroyer USS Shaw explodes in a massive fireball at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. The attack led almost immediately to Germany declaring war on America, and so brought Stalin an unexpected ally of colossal potential power, says Laurence Rees. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

Second World War

Why December 1941 was the most important month of the Second World War

Read American history

Brexit

The history behind Britain’s decision to leave the European Union…

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Why has Britain decided to leave the EU?

(Photo by Alamy)

Brexit lessons from history

(Illustration by Davide Bonazzi for BBC History Magazine)

The big question: has the European Union been a success?

“The anglocentric view we have of British history is unsustainable,” says Misha Glenny

Brexit and American independence

The reluctant Europeans

Latest articles

When Panorama cameras recorded a fly-on-the-wall documentary entitled 'The Best Days?' that followed life at Faraday High, a large comprehensive in East Acton, west London. It proved to be hugely controversial. (Photo by William Gottlieb/ CORBIS/ Corbis via Getty Images)

Lessons from the past: journalist Shabnam Grewal revisits her 1970s schooldays

Tyburn, just north of Marble Arch, served as the capital's hanging spot for centuries. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

An A-Z guide to the history of executions

The capture of the pirate Blackbeard, 1718. Painting by JLG Ferris. One of history’s most notorious pirates, Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach almost certainly had a West Country twang because he was born in Bristol in around 1680. (Photo by Bettmann via Getty Images)

Q&A Did most English pirates really talk with a West Country accent?

Roman toilet

Tales of the toilet: an historical A–Z

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History Quizzes

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

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

Medieval quiz

A depiction of a witch on a broomstick. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

History quiz – Halloween

The results of the poll: 100 women who changed the world. (Photos by Getty Images/Alamy)

Quiz: 100 Women Who Changed The World

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Great Fire of London quiz – how much do you know?

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

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