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Illustatration of the siege of Syracuse, showing Archimedes' cranes used to destroy Roman ships

The siege of Syracuse: how Archimedes took on the Romans

Video podcast Medieval manners: social etiquette in the Middle Ages . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Reading, writing and retribution: inside Victorian prison schools . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Books and war: from James Bond to leaflet bombing . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of George Robert Twelves Hewes

George Robert Twelves Hewes: the shoemaker who became a patriot

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Bitesize history: watch in under 5 minutes

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5 things you should know about Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Why is Napoleon such a figure of ridicule in cinema?

Why is Napoleon such a figure of ridicule in cinema?

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What was Albert Einstein's role in the creation of the atom bomb?

What was Albert Einstein’s involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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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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8 December

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The Tower of London: Anne Boleyn’s place of triumph and terror . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A composite image showing an astronaut on the moon against a purple sky.

Conspiracy Did NASA fake the Moon landing?

Simo Häyhä, said to be the deadliest sniper in history

Second World War

The world’s deadliest sniper: Simo Häyhä

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…

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Q&A How did J Robert Oppenheimer react to the first nuclear weapons test? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Q&A Did medieval people have rotten teeth?

Scenic view of Cornwall

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Q&A Why is Cornwall called Cornwall?

Inflation hit Britain hard in the 1970s. Here activist Erin Pizz addresses a protest by housewives holdiing placards decrying rising food prices in July 1971

Q&A UK inflation: how does today’s economic crisis compare to the 1970s?

Tudor codpieces

Q&A What was the fascination behind Tudor codpieces?

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Medieval manners: social etiquette in the Middle Ages . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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History Behind the Headlines: Poverty, populism and The Crown . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Marshal Pétain: Vichy France in the dock . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Shakespeare: Past Master 8. The Tempest . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Tragic couple Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed, whose untimely deaths dominate 'The Crown’s' final run

The Crown S6: the challenges of telling the story of living royals . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Archimedes heat ray sets fire to Roman ship

Archimedes’ greatest inventions and discoveries

Illustrated portrait of Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes

Why Archimedes was the greatest scientist of the Classical age

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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?

Flagellants or Brothers of the Cross in Netherlands scourging themselves as they walk through streets

Quiz How much do you know about medieval history?

Weekly history quiz from the team at HistoryExtra

General History

Quiz of the week Which British royal erected the first Christmas tree?

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The effects of the disease known as the Black Death

History quiz: how much do you know about the Black Death? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

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Painting of Henry VIII

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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)

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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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