July 2012

Articles from the July 2012 issue of BBC History Magazine

Stalag Luft III

Second World War

5 myths of the Second World War’s Great Escape

Portrait of an African man, c1530. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The missing Tudors: black people in 16th-century England

From The Library

Scenes of frivolity in the 16th century. (Culture Club/Getty Images)

Bad sports? Puritan attempts to ban games in 17th-century England

From The Library

Woodcutting depicting the beheading of Charles I. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Britain’s civil wars: the 15 key moments

An illustration depicting medieval pilgrims. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Medieval tourism: pilgrimages and tourist destinations

From The Library

The Fire of Rome, by Hubert Robert (1733-1808). "It was the worst possible place for a fire to break out, and fear turned into outright panic," says Dominic Sandbrook. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

A big day in history: the Great Fire of Rome

From The Library

A 19th-century woodblock print of Edo, now known as Tokyo. (GraphixaArtis/Getty Images)

Ye Olde Travel Guide: Edo 1850

From The Library

Richard Buckminster standing next to his draft of a house of the 21st century. (Ullstein picture via Getty Images)

My History Hero: Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983)

From The Library

English sailors engage the French invasion fleet at the battle of Sandwich in 1217. "It was English experience in naval matters that won the day at Sandwich," says Sean McGlynn. (Print Collector/Getty Images)

The battle of Sandwich: England’s medieval Trafalgar

From The Library

William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne and British prime minister from 1782–83, was instrumental in the Genevan exiles’ move to southern Ireland. (Getty Images)

The watchmakers of Waterford

From The Library

The replica of 'The Matthew' arriving at Douarnenez, France in 1998. It was on the original 15th-century vessel that John Cabot travelled to North America. (Getty Images)

Where history happened: Tudor smuggling

From The Library