20th Century

Michael Wood explores the shifting meaning of statues in society. (Illustration by Femke de Jong for BBC History Magazine)

Michael Wood "These ‘history wars’ over statues are really about something bigger: about different views of the past, and who controls it"

Podcast Website large Afua Hirsch

From Nelson to Churchill: challenging British heroes with Afua Hirsch

Young Nazi supporters wave flags in the Saar territory in Germany, 1934. (Photo by Getty Images)

Everything you ever wanted to know about Nazi Germany, but were afraid to ask

John Profumo in October 1962

Sex, lies and spies: the real history of the Profumo Affair

Olivia Colman plays Elizabeth II

Netflix’s The Crown: the real history behind the royal drama

EEmily Davison is felled by King Edward VII’s horse, Anmer, moments after trying to grab his reins during the running of the Derby, 4 June 1913. The suffragette suffered a fractured skull and internal injuries. She died four days later. (Getty)

Emily Davison: the suffragette martyr

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. When Edward became king in January 1936, he was the darling of the nation. Yet when he abdicated in December 1936, few believed he was making the wrong decision. (Photo by Getty Images)

Love before duty: the story of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson

Wrecked buildings in Los Angeles' South Central district following 1992 riots

The 1992 LA riots

Two members of the BEF (British Expeditionary Forces)

Second World War

Indian soldiers at Dunkirk

Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, with her husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, after their marriage in 1947. (Corbis via Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip: 8 milestones in their marriage

The US cutter Spencer attacks U-boat U-175

Second World War

The Battle of the Atlantic: why Britain almost lost to Hitler’s U-boats

The British home has changed substantially in the past 300 years (Illustration by Ed Crooks)

The evolution of the British home: from the Georgian era to the present day

Annie Gray photographed at her home in East Anglia (Photo by Ian Farrell)

Cooking for Churchill

A uniformed US soldier plants American flags at gravesites on Memorial Day

A brief history of Memorial Day in the USA

Members of 617 squadron, known as the Dambusters

Second World War

How successful was the Dambusters raid?