20th Century - Getty Images

20th Century

A group of boys from the BBC adaptation of Lord of the Flies stand in tall grass on a tropical island, some holding sharpened wooden spears. Their clothes and faces are smeared with dirt, and they look ahead with wary, hardened expressions, palm trees and a rocky outcrop rising behind them.

What inspired the darkness of Lord of the Flies? The disturbing history behind the novel

A photograph showing a white llama grazing on the grass alongside a tall stone marble statue of a bust of man. In the background is a lake, several trees and a brown llama laying on the ground

I’ve just been to Europe’s weirdest theme park – and came face to face with Josef Stalin. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

"She was like an angel – albeit one with claws": Zandra Rhodes chooses Adel Rootstein (1930–62) as her history hero. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Thomas Edison: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A photo collage featuring three images. On the top left is a black and white photograph of a group of men and women pulling an aeroplane. On the bottom left is a black and white photograph of five men, three in military uniform, standing outside a hut that is advertising fish and chips. On the right is an image of a large group of soldiers walking through a city, holding large flags.

Fascism? No thanks! Why Britain rejected extremism in the 1930s. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph of three men wearing striped helmets sitting in a bob sled. Behind them, a large crowd of men, wearing white jumpers and caps and helmets

London 1908 was the weirdest Winter Olympics in history – and here's why. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A coloured engraving showing a large group queuing up to go into a dance ball. Each couple is holding hands, and the men are wearing high necked suits and the women are in long colourful gowns

Lonely hearts and holiday flings: a brief history of dating. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Two men sat outside a cafe with drinks on a table

First World War

How the work of American folk song collectors inspired The History of Sound

Francisco Franco: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Robert McNamara: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The hidden history of US immigration detention. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Emperor Hirohito: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Marty Reisman and Timothee Chalamet as Marty Mauser in the 2025 film Marty Supreme.

No, Marty Supreme isn’t a true story. But the history of the real Marty Reisman is just as exciting

The summer that changed everything for the Kennedys. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Idi Amin's willing helpers. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A British government poster highlighting the dangers of Aids, 1987

Aids: the epidemic that changed Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

WW2's Tunisian campaign: the Stalingrad of Africa. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Forgotten female secret agents of WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What does Hitler’s DNA really tell us?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

After Franco: Spain's miraculous transition to democracy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A new history of multicultural Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The librarian who stole KGB secrets. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

On 27 May 1954, Sir Winston Churchill addresses a meeting of the Women’s Conservative Association. Nearly a decade after leading Britain through the Second World War, the prime minister remained a commanding figure in British politics and public life.

Second World War

It was Operation Unthinkable: Churchill's "impossible" plan to start World War 3

The improbable alliance that defeated Hitler. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph showing a young boy playing with two girls in the sand

"Imagine starting a life with so little": the stories of South Asians in Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Five partitions that shaped South Asia. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The REAL history behind 'All Creatures Great and Small'. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

In December 1929, investigator and ghost hunter Harry Price demonstrates an electric control device he designed to monitor a medium’s movements during séances. (Photo by Alamy)

When a Victorian ghost hunter investigated Britain’s most haunted house, this is what he found

Malcolm X: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Frogmore Cottage and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Your history guide to Frogmore Cottage: who has lived there before?