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A scene from a relief at Persepolis, ancient Persia’s magnificent ceremonial capital
General ancient history

The Persians: empire of the greats

Medieval

Your guide to King John, the monarch who issued Magna Carta

First World War

Benediction: a case of Sassoon the man v Sassoon the legend

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Pod Charlotte Cooper Davis WL
Medieval

Christine de Pizan: from medieval writer to feminist icon . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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General Modern

What to read next The latest history books reviewed

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Russia and Ukraine: events in context

President Bill Clinton laughs at Boris Yeltsin's joke during a joint news conference in Hyde Park, New York, October 1995
20th Century

“We missed a precious window”: why did America and Russia squander an opportunity for peace in the 1990s?

Russian civil war, 1919
General History

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

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, US President Bill Clinton, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and French President Jacques Chirac at the NATO Summit in May 1997
20th Century

Nato, Russia, and the history of the post-WW2 tensions

Polish coat of arms on red background
General Modern

Poland and Ukraine’s shared history: how dreams of nationhood endure

A family in Soviet Ukraine during the Holodomor
20th Century

Stalin’s famine: a brief history of the Holodomor in Soviet Ukraine

Mary Sarotte reveals how US and Russian leaders squandered the opportunity to forge a lasting partnership at the dawn of the 1990s. (Image by Getty Images)
General Modern

9 history podcast episodes that chart Russia and Ukraine’s changing interactions with the world

Two boys uncover a cache of food during Ukraine’s Holodomor famine, c1934
21st Century

“Russia has always refused to let Ukraine go”: Keith Lowe on the long roots of today’s crisis

Illustration by Davide Bonazzi.
Cold War

Did the Cold War ever really end?

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A portrait of Anne Lister
Victorian

The real Gentleman Jack: the secret life of Anne Lister, Britain’s ‘first modern lesbian’

Claire Foy as the Duchess of Argyll in A Very British Scandal (left); Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (right)
20th Century

The Argyll divorce: the society scandal that rocked 1960s Britain

Businessman Oskar Schindler speaks about saving lives during the Holocaust of Germany's Third Reich at an interview. (Photo by Getty Images)
Second World War

Biography Oskar Schindler: your guide to his life and legacy

Grigory Yefimovich Novykh, also known as Rasputin
20th Century

Rasputin: the ‘mad monk’ who became a friend to the Romanovs

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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On This Day

24 May

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On This Day

23 May

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On This Day

22 May

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On This Day

21 May 21 May: On this day in history

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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…
Lady Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, better known to history as the Ladies of Llangollen
Georgian

Q&A Who were the Ladies of Llangollen?

Dancers perform in a Cinco de Mayo celebration
Victorian

Q&A What does Cinco de Mayo commemorate?

A wall mosaic of Picasso’s Guernica painting.
20th Century

Q&A Why did Pablo Picasso paint Guernica?

Photo of Holy Trinity Church
Elizabethan

Q&A Where is William Shakespeare buried – and is there a curse on his grave?

The coats of arms of the kingdoms of Scotland and France
Medieval

Q&A How old is the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland?

An illustration of a Soviet warship inside a Pepsi bottle
20th Century

Q&A Is it true that Pepsi briefly owned Soviet warships?

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HistoryExtra Podcast

The latest episodes from the History Extra podcast
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Pod Annabel Abbs WL
Victorian

Eliza Acton: Britain’s first modern cookery writer . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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20th Century

The BBC at 100: change & innovation in 60s Britain . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pod Jonathan Fennell WL
Second World War

WW2’s desert war: everything you wanted to know . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pod End of Roman WL
Roman

Episode 3 A militarised state? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pod Kojo Koram WL
General ancient history

A legacy of inequality: the economic impact of empire . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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20th Century

Stasi poets: creative writing & the Cold War Philip

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

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

A uniformed US soldier plants American flags at gravesites on Memorial Day
General Modern

Memorial Day When was the first, and who founded the US national holiday?

Persian courtiers in the throne room at Persepolis, as depicted in a relief detail.
General ancient history

Persepolis: the creation of the Persian empire’s foremost citadel

Side profile illustration of Mansa Musa accompanied by the text 'The History Rich List'
General History

The history rich list: the 10 wealthiest people ever

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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)
20th Century

In pictures: when England won the football World Cup

'The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci.
Renaissance

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

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Victorian

In pictures: 150 years of the British Red Cross

Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in season 4 of 'The Crown'. (Photo by Netflix)
20th Century

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

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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)
Viking

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

Medieval history quiz

A medieval illustration showing a doctor bleeding a patient
Medieval

Quiz Can you spot the real historical remedies?

The effects of the disease known as the Black Death
Medieval

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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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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The charge of the light, battle illustration

Military history

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