Europe

An illustration from The Travels of Marco Polo, showing a teenage Marco on the deck of a ship sailing away from Venice

Why are Marco Polo’s travels so famous?

A reconstruction of a Viking church

Vikings in America: the Europeans who arrived 500 years before Columbus

Sophie Hay answers listener questions on the Roman city that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in AD 79. (Image by Getty Images)

Pompeii: everything you wanted to know

German doctor Otto Warburg at work in his laboratory

Second World War

Otto Warburg: the Jewish doctor and the Nazi war on cancer

The Bal des Ardents (the 'Ball of the Burning Men'), from 'The Chronicler of European Chivalry' by GG Coulton (London, 1930). The 1393 tragedy claimed the lives of four people. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Q&A What was the ‘Ball of the Burning Men’?

A mosaic that shows two Roman women exercising, one holds a flower and another holds a leaf

7 things you (probably) didn’t know about Roman women

Women carrying flags and scythes or beating drums - one has a child on her shoulders - march on the Palace of Versailles to protest to the king

General Early Modern

Women in the French Revolution: fighting for equality

Illustration of the man in the iron mask standing by the window of his cell and guarded by two musketeers

Unmasking the ‘man in the iron mask’: do we know the identity of the famous prisoner?

Niklas Frank describes his father’s role in the Nazi regime and explains why he wants to ensure his crimes are not forgotten.

Second World War

My father the Nazi

Mário Soares of the Socialist Party basks in public adulation after becoming prime minister in the election of 1976. (Photo by Getty Images)

Your guide to the Carnation Revolution

Greek soldier Pheidippides arrives in Athens with news of the Greek victory over the Persians at Marathon, only to die on the spot

Pheidippides: is the ancient Greek marathon runner remembered for the wrong run?

John of Gaunt shown in a c16th-century portrait

John of Gaunt: The man who would be king

A black-and-white image shows King George V inspecting soldiers

First World War

How did the British royals survive WW1?

Historian Dennis Duncan guides us through singular stories from the history of the book index

A surprising history of the index

Ancient Greece banners2

Quiz How Much Do You Know About Ancient Greece?