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Did the Duke of Wellington really call his troops the “scum of the Earth”?

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A brief history of Ramadan

A brief history of daylight saving time

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Patriarchy’s long roots . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Q&A Is it true that Bluetooth was named after a Viking king?

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A customer shops for a pistol at Freddie Bear Sports sporting goods store in Tinley Park, Illinois

The historians’ view: what are the real issues in the US gun control debate?

Postal workers at a rally outside the houses of parliament, December 2022 and (right) ambulance staff march through London, 1979

Britain’s century of strikes: the history behind today’s industrial action

Hillsborough Disaster floral tributes

A brief history of the Hillsborough disaster and justice campaigner Anne Williams

Russian civil war, 1919

General History

Russia-Ukraine crisis: 9 milestone moments in history that explain today’s invasion

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Women's History Month

Which woman has had the biggest impact on world history?

100 Women Who Changed the World

Amelia Earhart, Princess Diana, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks and Marie Curie. (Photo by Getty Images)

20 inspirational quotes from women through history

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Women's history podcast episodes

Women & the crusades: patronage, propaganda & prayer . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Madame Restell: the abortionist who shocked and fascinated 19th-century New York . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Second World War

Wrens at war Life in the Women's Royal Naval Service in WW2

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A painting of Marie Antoinette in 1775

How Marie Antoinette waged a battle for survival

The ‘Eye of Providence’, a symbol linked to the Illuminati, stares out from the reverse side of all US one-dollar bills

The Illuminati: 13 questions about the clandestine secret society answered

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Video | The death of Queen Victoria . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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General ancient history

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

On this day in history

What happened on this day in the past? We round up the landmark events, births, deaths and more...

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27 March

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24 March

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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…

Engraving depicting the assassination of Julius Caesar

Q&A Why do we need to beware the Ides of March?

Two women share a tender moment, c1902

General History

Q&A Has it ever been a crime to be lesbian in England?

A carving of the Sator Square, 2nd-4th century

General ancient history

Q&A What is the Sator Square, and how old is it?

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Q&A Why did NORAD begin tracking Santa Claus in the Cold War?

The real Wenceslas is that he was not actually a king, but Duke of Bohemia.

Q&A Who was Good King Wenceslas, and was he actually good?

Perhaps the most charming idea about the origins of the festive tradition of kissing under the mistletoe derives from a Viking myth of Frigg, goddess of love and marriage, and her ill-fated son Balder. (Photo by Jurg Waldmeier/StockFood Creative/Getty Images Plus)

Q&A Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?

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George VI’s Nazi dilemma . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Seven Years’ War: everything you wanted to know . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 5 Istanbul . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Six wives: Katherine Parr . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Six wives: Jane Seymour . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Six wives: Anne of Cleves . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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My history hero Tim Dunn chooses John Betjeman

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Malta history From Maltese Falcon to George Cross

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My history hero Monica Ali chooses Richard Burton

Paris Police 1905 S2,2,Adolphe Stenheil (FRANCOIS RAISON),Tetra Media Fiction / Canal+,Remy Grandroques

History TV and radio in the UK: what’s on our screens this week?

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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 history quiz

Weekly history quiz from the team at HistoryExtra

General History

Quiz of the week What is England’s longest-reigning dynasty?

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

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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)

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

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