HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: Home of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast
date: 2026-05-01T10:37:03.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: George Orwell's final chapter
items: Was Elizabeth II's reign a golden age?
items: Pageantry and politics: a history of British royal visits to the US
items: 40 years on from the world’s worst nuclear disaster, what's Chernobyl really like today?
items: How did the world change during Queen Elizabeth II's reign?
items: Elizabeth II: life of the week
items: In times of crisis, the Soviet Union turned to something unexpected to calm the masses
items: Elizabeth II: the queen who redefined an era
items: What was Queen Elizabeth II like as a mother?
items: The young Elizabeth II: life before she was Queen

George Orwell's final chapter
type: item
date: 2026-05-01T08:12:11.000Z
creator: James Osborne
subject: 20th Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: Robert Colls traces George Orwell's final years, as the novelist found critical acclaim as the Second World War ended
encoded: Did you know that George Orwell only found national acclaim as an author in the final years of his life, as his health was worsening? Or that, with the prospect of death looming increasingly large, he sought refuge on a remote Scottish island? Historian Robert Colls tells James Osborne about these last stages of Orwell's life, and the toll that writing his two most celebrated works – Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four – took on the author.

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Was Elizabeth II's reign a golden age?
type: item
date: 2026-04-29T10:11:27.000Z
creator: Danny Bird
subject: 20th Century
subject: 21st Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: By the end of Elizabeth II's reign in 2022 – the longest in Britain’s history – the nation and its place in the world was markedly different. Sir David Cannadine guides Danny Bird through the contours of the Second Elizabethan Age.
encoded: When the late Queen acceded to the throne in 1952, Britain, though left bankrupt and reeling from the Second World War, was still a major global power. By the end of Elizabeth II's reign in 2022 – the longest in Britain’s history – the nation and its place in the world was markedly different. Sir David Cannadine guides Danny Bird through the contours of the Second Elizabethan Age – from 'de-Victorianisation' to deindustrialisation – and the ways in which the monarchy responded to such dizzying change.

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Pageantry and politics: a history of British royal visits to the US
type: item
date: 2026-04-27T01:10:19.000Z
creator: Sam Edwards
subject: 20th Century
subject: 21st Century
subject: Cold War
subject: General History
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Second World War
subject: British prime ministers
subject: British queens
subject: Historical people
subject: The royal family
subject: US presidents
description: As transatlantic tensions swirled about King Charles III’s visit to Washington DC in 2026, Sam Edwards reveals how past royal tours have steadied the ‘special relationship’ in times of crisis
encoded: The April 2026 royal visit to the United States came at a particularly challenging moment for the US-UK ‘special relationship’. In the preceding months, President Donald Trump had repeatedly singled out prime minister Keir Starmer for blunt criticism, even going so far as to declare that Starmer as “no Churchill”. Meanwhile, the royal family similarly found itself caught up in transatlantic controversy: the Epstein scandal. If all that wasn’t challenging enough, King Charles’s visit to America also came at a time when the US-UK relationship was drawing even more scrutiny than usual. 2026 is year is the 80th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s famous ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, which popularised the phrase ‘special relationship’, and it’s also the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The latter was of course the event that severed the connection between the American colonies and the British Crown and thereby put the transatlantic relationship onto a very different trajectory. In short, the visit came at a time of significant turbulence in the US-UK relationship. King Charles, however, might have been able to take some reassurance from the fact that several of his predecessors had similarly travelled to the United States during moments of challenge, change and upheaval... <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2026/04/2GettyImages-1320405043big-566d798-e1777245347971.jpg" width="1500" height="1000" alt="A large group of men and women in formal 19th-century dress gather outside a red-brick tomb set within a leafy landscape, their attention focused on a central meeting of figures. Women wear layered gowns with bonnets, while men in dark suits and top hats stand in lines, with trees and a distant sky framing the scene." title="A painting by Thomas Pritchard Rossiter captures the Prince of Wales’s historic visit to George Washington’s tomb in 1860. The young prince, who later ruled as Edward VII, can be seen standing with President James B…

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40 years on from the world’s worst nuclear disaster, what's Chernobyl really like today?
type: item
date: 2026-04-26T06:00:15.000Z
creator: Jonathan Wright
subject: 20th Century
subject: Cold War
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Trends-Anniversary
description: On 26 April 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. Parts of the site, polluted with radioactive elements that take centuries to decay, will remain lethal for millennia. Journalist Adam Higginbotham, who has visited on multiple occasions, tells Jonathan Wright about what Chernobyl is like today, and its fascinating contradictions
encoded: It was as a reporter for The Observer that Adam Higginbotham first visited the exclusion zone that surrounds the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Working on a piece to mark the 20th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear accident, he wanted to see at first hand where the disaster had occurred. Higginbotham also wanted to interview eyewitnesses, which is how he came to visit the Moscow apartment of Alexander and Natalia Yuvchenko. A 24-year-old mechanical engineer, Alexander was working on the night of the explosion. “He described seeing this pillar of ethereal blue-white light extending up from the ruins of reactor number four and disappearing into infinity in the sky,” says Higginbotham. It was, Yuvchenko remembered, a beautiful sight, a sharp contrast to the ugliness the disaster left in its wake. That devastation is what confronted Higginbotham when he first visited Chernobyl in “the dead of winter”, in 2006. What is Chernobyl like now? During the shortest days of the year, modern-day Chernobyl is “incredibly grim”, says Higginbotham. “Everything is in monochrome tones of grey and black. The clouds seem to descend crushingly towards the horizon. There’s very bleak light. And the landscape around the plant – certainly when I went there 20 years ago – was like a stereotypical vision of a post-apocalyptic landscape.” It’s an image Higginbotham drew on for Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster, a book that takes his first-hand experience of the site and plunges into the story of the disaster. On this first visit, Higginbotham saw the concrete sarcophagus that covered reactor number four, constructed in the wake of the disaster to contain the radiation. He likens the structure to “a medieval conception of a prison designed to imprison the devil himself”, all “sharp angles and rusting steel”. Nearby, massive pylons that long ago shed their power lines stretched out into the distance. “The landscape itself is very fr…

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How did the world change during Queen Elizabeth II's reign?
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T10:20:12.000Z
creator: Anna Whitelock
subject: 20th Century
subject: 21st Century
subject: Period
description: Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth II remained a constant presence in an era of vast social, technological and geopolitical transformation. Anna Whitelock charts an era in which Britain, but not its queen, changed beyond recognition
encoded: Never before has Britain changed so dramatically during the reign of one monarch. The second Elizabethan age was defined by unprecedented transformations in every facet of life, the effects of which rivalled those of the industrial revolution more than two centuries earlier. Queen Elizabeth II witnessed significant changes in society, technology, transport and geopolitics, which created what most people would recognise today as the modern British state. The very fact that the monarchy has survived and, indeed, thrived against this backdrop owes much to the late Queen and her constant, unchanging presence over 70 years. Before the Queen’s coronation on 2 June 1953, few people owned a television. The decision to broadcast the ceremony live prompted many to buy their first set, and well over 20 million people in the UK watched Queen Elizabeth II being crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. The BBC, then the only national broadcaster, transmitted on just one (black-and-white) television channel and three radio stations. It approached the coronation filming with reverence and deference. The director general’s views were clear: “There ought to be an absolutely rigid policy that so far as the BBC is concerned [the royal family] can be guaranteed complete privacy.” Royal Women with Kate Williams Join Professor Kate Williams for a six-part HistoryExtra series uncovering the little-known stories behind some of history’s most famous queens. From Cleopatra to Elizabeth II, we’ll explore how royal women navigated power, politics, and expectation and how their legacies were shaped long after their deaths. Watch now Over the following 69 years, the media changed beyond recognition. Countless terrestrial television channels are now available, plus many more via streaming subscriptions. At the same time, the media industry has become global, with rolling 24-hour news channels, newspapers viewed online, and social media posts visible almost anywhere on the globe. Much of this was ma…

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Elizabeth II: life of the week
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T09:52:33.000Z
creator: Charlotte Vosper
subject: 20th Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Life of the week (podcast series)
description: Kate Williams looks back on Elizabeth II's personal and public life to reveal the woman behind the crown
encoded: This April marks the centenary of the birth of Elizabeth II. In this special episode of our Life of the Week series, historian Kate Williams guides Charlotte Vosper through the late Queen’s life, picking a key moment from each decade that illuminates the monarch's personality, public role, and private life. How did she feel when she unexpectedly became heir apparent to the throne? What did she really think about the media furore that surrounded her and her family? And how should we look back on her reign, almost four years on? Join Professor Kate Williams for a six-part HistoryExtra series uncovering the little-known stories behind some of history’s most famous queens.

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In times of crisis, the Soviet Union turned to something unexpected to calm the masses
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T08:04:45.000Z
creator: Jonny Wilkes
subject: 20th Century
subject: Period
description: At times of political instability and crisis, Soviet authorities turned to Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet to inspire calm and patriotic fervour. Today, it is a means of standing up against the regime
encoded: Surely the most famous ballet in the world is Swan Lake, by Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. And if there’s an argument for another ballet being more popular, then chances are it will be one of his other contributions, such as The Sleeping Beauty (1889) or The Nutcracker (1892). Swan Lake tells the doomed love story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, a beautiful princess cursed to transform into a swan during the day after the evil Baron Von Rothbart put a spell on her. The only way she can be freed is for a person to declare their undying love for her and remain faithful. Before Siegfried can break the spell, however, he is tricked by Rothbart into choosing his daughter, Odile, disguised as Odette, as his bride. The real Odette, knowing that Siegfried’s vow of love has been broken, throws herself into the lake to drown. Siegfried follows her into death. That is the most common denouement: over the years and countless versions, there have been a myriad alternative endings, including happy ones where the lovers break the spell and survive. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2026/03/GettyImages-502501157-86908f2-e1774448435219.jpg" width="1500" height="1002" alt="A black-and-white photograph shows a ballerina in a tutu dancing en pointe while a male partner supports her arm, with a line of similarly dressed dancers posed in the background" title="Maya Plisetskaya, prima ballerina of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet, in the lead role of Swan Lake (Photo via Getty)" /> Despite its renown today, Swan Lake had an inauspicious start. Upon its premiere in 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, it was critically panned for being overly complicated both in its score and choreography. The dancers themselves supposedly said they could not dance to the music. It would be a revival, with major changes and additions, in 1895, a couple of years after Tchaikovsky’s death, that established Swan Lake’s reputation. To this day, it is the 1895 ver…

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Elizabeth II: the queen who redefined an era
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T07:01:41.000Z
creator: Professor Kate Williams
subject: 20th Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
description: What made Elizabeth II such an enduring figure? In episode one of her HistoryExtra Academy series on royal women, historian Kate Williams explores the life of a queen who took on the crown in a new age of technology and progress
encoded: How did Queen Elizabeth II balance tradition with change throughout her long reign? And what is her lasting impact on the monarchy today? In the first episode of her HistoryExtra Academy series, Kate Williams traces the extraordinary life of Elizabeth II, a monarch whose reign spanned generations. From moments of national celebration to periods of crisis and criticism, discover how she navigated the challenges of modern monarchy while remaining a symbol of continuity and stability. View Green Video on the source website Enjoyed episode one? Find more in episode two. Discover more episodes of the academy series on royal women, and explore our previous series on royal residences Professor Kate Williams is a historian, presenter the author of several books including Regina :A New History of Women and Power (June 2026)

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What was Queen Elizabeth II like as a mother?
type: item
date: 2026-04-20T00:30:58.000Z
creator: Elinor Evans
subject: 20th Century
subject: General Modern
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Royal children
subject: The Crown
subject: Trends-Entertainment
subject: TV interest
description: Throughout her long reign, the late Elizabeth II juggled being a mother and grandmother with royal duty. But with careful judgment, hard work and a mischievous sense of humour, she forged a dynasty and inspired a nation
encoded: They might not be the first monikers to spring to mind when thinking of Queen Elizabeth II, a monarch who was renowned for her sense of duty and her dignified demeanour, but “Gary” and “Cabbage” are two of the nicknames bestowed upon her by her family. “Gary” was how Prince William knew his grandmother as a youngster, apparently confusing the word with “Granny”, while the Queen’s great-grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte know the Queen affectionately as “Gan-Gan”. As for “Cabbage”, this was the fond nickname used by her husband Prince Philip – which might come from the French term of endearment, “mon petit chou”, translated to “my little cabbage”. Was Elizabeth II a mother when she came to the throne? As matriarch of “The Firm” (the insider name for the royal family) and the oldest monarch in British history, it’s perhaps easy to forget that Elizabeth assumed the throne in 1952 at the age of just 25, the mother of two young children. Thrust into royal duties, she faced the immediate challenge of balancing the work of monarchy with the demands of motherhood, a battle which was present throughout her reign. Read more | A brief guide to the British royal family, by The Crown historian Robert Lacey Just 18 months after her accession in 1952, Elizabeth II was called upon to tour 13 countries, including Australia, over six months, without Charles, age five, and Anne, age three. The young children were famously greeted with handshakes upon the return of their parents, and though she dispensed with some of the more formal royal traditions – the children were not required to bow or curtsey to their mother – their childhoods were marked by absence. The prince and princess were largely raised in their younger years by governesses and other household staff, in the same way that Elizabeth and Margaret had been by “Crawfie”, in keeping with the manner of many upper-class families of the time. The children were required to understand that travel and time were part o…

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The young Elizabeth II: life before she was Queen
type: item
date: 2026-04-20T00:10:58.000Z
creator: Professor Kate Williams
subject: 20th Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: British queens
subject: The Crown
subject: TV interest
description: At the time of her birth, Elizabeth II was a princess who was never expected to succeed the throne. So how did she become queen? From her unconventional childhood to the crisis that made her a monarch, Kate Williams charts Elizabeth II's life within the royal family before she was crowned...
encoded: In April 1926, Britain was on the brink of the General Strike called by the TUC. There had been an economic perfect storm: the postwar crash in coal prices, combined with the government putting Britain on the gold standard, had put mining under pressure. After a government commission recommended reducing miners’ wages, the stage was set for an all-out strike of miners and other workers covered by the TUC, including railway and transport workers. But despite being in a crisis, the home secretary Sir William Joynson-Hicks could not be excused from witnessing the legitimacy of a royal baby. The Duke and Duchess of York – George V’s second son, Bertie and his wife, the former Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon – were expecting their first child. Although the baby was not a direct heir to the throne, Sir William still had to travel to 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, a home owned by Bowes-Lyons, where the child was due to be born. Read more | Queen Elizabeth II: 50+ facts about her life and reign The little girl was born by caesarean section at 2.40am on 21 April. “We have long wanted a child to make our happiness complete,” wrote the duke. The child was “a little darling with a lovely complexion”, decreed Queen Mary. “I do hope that you and papa are as delighted as we are to have a granddaughter, or would you sooner have had another grandson?” wrote the duke to his father, George V. The baby was officially third in line to the throne, but since she was the child of George V’s second son – and female – she was destined to be pushed down the succession by sons born to her uncle, the Prince of Wales, and her father. She was called Elizabeth Alexandra Mary after her mother, great-grandmother and grandmother – after consorts, not queens regnant. The princess was destined for a good marriage and little more. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2020/04/GettyImages-1404441219-533f6bb-e1776639421178.jpg" width="1500" height="1000" alt="A baby Queen Elizabeth II is…

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