Q&A

William of Orange at the battle of the Boyne

Q&A When was England last successfully invaded by a foreign power?

A beach scene at an Easter Bank Holiday at Southend, c1927. In 1871, the Bank Holiday Act established the first paid days off for commonworkers in England, while some senior managers could be granted extra leave. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Q&A When were Brits first given leave from work to go on holiday?

A lithographic Victorian trade card promoting the Forepaugh circus' new white elephant, Buffalo, New York, circa 1880. (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)

Q&A Why do we say ‘white elephant’?

In 1358, women finally gained full knightly acceptance in England when they began to be admitted to chivalric orders. (Photo by Eugene Antonov/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Q&A Could a woman become a knight in medieval times?

A cartoon of Napoleon and King George III.

Q&A How tall was Napoleon Bonaparte?

Emperor Nero and the fire in Rome

Q&A Did Emperor Nero really play the fiddle while Rome burned?

The leaning tower of Pisa

Q&A Why does the Tower of Pisa lean to one side?

A sculpture dedicated to King Leonidas of the Spartans in Thermopylae, Greece. (Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Q&A Were there really only 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae?

A portrait of Sir Walter Ralegh

Q&A Did Sir Walter Ralegh really lay down his cloak for Elizabeth I?

1935: Two men making a fireworks set piece with the slogan 'God Save The King' for despatch abroad, for the Silver Jubilee celebrations of King George V. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Q&A How old is the British national anthem?

Greek pottery featuring swastikas

Second World War

Q&A How did a Sanskrit symbol become the Nazi swastika?

US infantrymen in snowdrifts

Second World War

Q&A Why is Hitler’s Ardennes campaign called the battle of the Bulge?

Medieval trepanning

General prehistory

Q&A What is trepanning?

The Venus de Milo sculpture

Q&A When was the Venus de Milo found?

Sir Walter Raleigh bids goodbye to his wife, Elizabeth Throckmorton

Q&A Why was Sir Walter Ralegh executed?