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An illustration shows a sailor throwing an enslaved person into the sea, with other enslaved people below drowning

The Zong Massacre: what the dark episode meant for the British slave trade and abolition

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

The power behind the throne: women in the Wars of the Roses

From the courtesans of Edo Japan to the mollyhouses of Regency London, Kate Lister discusses the long and varied history of sex work. (Image by Getty Images)

Sex work: a brief history

A 14th-century illustration of a farmer leading a pack animal through the ice and snow

The surprisingly modern Middle Ages

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Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, observed by Queen Catherine (of Aragon), who is stood in the doorway. Anne has been playing the lute for the king, watched by a gathering of courtiers. Cardinal Wolsey, right of centre, looks on. Painting by Marcus Stone, 1870. Private collection. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

‘Groom of the stool’: who were the men who changed Henry VIII’s underpants?

The First Thanksgiving in 1621, after a painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme; screen print, 1932. (Photo by GraphicaArtis/Getty Images)

7 facts you might not know about the history of Thanksgiving

Anne Boleyn, who was executed by beheading on 19 May 1536 after being found guilty of high treason, was said to have had

The final days of Anne Boleyn: why did she die?

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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Behind the news

Today’s events in historical context…

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Michael Wood on Afghanistan “A new world is emerging, reviving older connections”

Shoppers in Liverpool during the 1960s

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

Engraved portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).

A brief guide to Mary, Queen of Scots

Illustration of the Red Dragon of China

Has China always been the world’s greatest superpower?

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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27 November

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26 November

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25 November

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24 November

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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…

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?

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Q&A What was clog fighting?

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General Early Modern

Q&A Why do we say 'bury the hatchet'?

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HistoryExtra Podcast

The latest episodes from the History Extra podcast

Islam Issa reveals how terrorists have twisted Shakespeare’s life and work to suit their own ends over the centuries. (Image by Getty Images)

How Shakespeare inspired terrorists

Dan Jones shares a ghost story from the Middle Ages and explains what it might tell us about medieval attitudes to the afterlife

Medieval ghost stories

A set of Tudor faces laid out on playing cards

Why the Tudors fell for courtly love

Dan Jones explores the similarities and differences between the medieval experience and our lives today. (Image by Getty Images)

The surprisingly modern Middle Ages

Public historians Helen Carr and Suzannah Lipscomb explore how we should make sense of studying the past in 2021

History in 2021, with Helen Carr and Suzannah Lipscomb

Japanese Americans in World War Two | Daniel James Brown podcast

Second World War

Forgotten heroes: Japanese Americans in World War Two

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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

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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