Asia

A Red Cross worker in the United States, 1918

Spanish flu: the virus that changed the world

(Illustration by Laurie Avon for BBC History Magazine)

37 books for history lovers: BBC History Magazine’s Books of the Year 2019

Illustration of Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). (Photo by Alamy)

Coronavirus: what might we learn from pandemics in the past?

Illustration of Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). (Photo by Alamy)

Coronavirus: a historical perspective

Immigrant children are examined by a city health officer upon arrival at the battery from Ellis Island during a Typhus scare, c1911. (Image by Bettmann/Getty Images)

A short history of quarantine

c1955: A child pulls toilet paper from a roll. But what did humans do before toilet paper was invented? (Photo by Mac Gramlich/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

General ancient history

When was toilet paper invented and what did people use before?

Attack on the Court-House, St. Thomas-in-the-East, Jamaica, during the Morant Bay rebellion, October 1865. (Photo by Getty Images)

Resistance in the British empire

Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler watch a Nazi parade staged for the Italian dictators's visit to Germany. (Photo by Getty Images)

How do dictators seize power? The malevolent careers of eight 20th-century leaders explained

Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler watch a Nazi parade staged for the Italian dictators's visit to Germany. (Photo by Getty Images)

Dictators explained

100 women who changed the world

Women’s history month: 11 podcasts to listen to

A 19th-century depiction of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Who was Maharaja Ranjit Singh?

New issue World 21 1024x768

Issue 21 of BBC World Histories is out now

Colour painting showing Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi on a horse.

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi: the heroic queen dubbed India’s ‘Joan of Arc’

A copper engraving of Margaret Pole's execution

General Early Modern

Are these the worst botched executions in history?

US marines advance up Iwo Jima's beaches

Second World War

The battle for Iwo Jima: why did it happen and why was it so hard fought?