21st Century

Expert history articles and analysis about the global events of the 21st century…

Was Elizabeth II's reign a golden age?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage-style image shows King Charles III and Donald Trump in formal evening dress on the left, set against a blended backdrop of the US and UK flags and a 19th-century painting. To the right, Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a tiara and turquoise gown, raises a glass in a toast with President Gerald Ford, while smaller historical figures appear in the background.

Pageantry and politics: a history of British royal visits to the US. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A person in a dark shirt stands near the entrance of a rough‑walled cave. Red graffiti is painted on the rock above, and the cave interior fades into darkness

I went digging for buried Nazi gold – and this is what I discovered. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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What happens when popes and politics collide?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage of six images shows Queen Elizabeth II in military uniform, in later life wearing a light outfit and hat, in coronation regalia beside Prince Philip, speaking at a BBC microphone, on her wedding day, and as a young woman hugging a dog.

Long to reign over us: how did Queen Elizabeth II survive seven decades of dizzying change?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A colour photograph shows Queen Elizabeth II wearing a bright blue coat and matching hat while operating a touchscreen display at the Science Museum. A large screen behind her shows the same moment from a different angle, and wooden architectural structures fill the background. The scene captures her engagement with science and technology during a public visit.

How did the world change during Queen Elizabeth II's reign?

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Chess, space and medieval monks: this spring’s overlooked historical headlines. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A low-angle photograph of a large rocket standing upright on a launch platform, framed by tall metal towers on either side. The rocket is white with a prominent orange central tank and is mounted on a mobile launcher above rail tracks. The sky is clear and bright blue, and small vehicles and structures around the base emphasise the scale of the launch site.

8 weird stories from the Space Age: from hungry tortoises to gorilla suits

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Peter Ricketts on diplomacy, Trump and Iran. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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What happens when war puts oil supplies at risk?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A military pilot seated inside an aircraft with a Nato emblem overlaid across the image.

Nato is in crisis. Can history predict what happens next?

Winston Churchill wearing round glasses and a bow tie reads from a document during a speech.

Winston Churchill created the special relationship. Could Donald Trump kill it?

Halle Berry holds up her Oscar statuette while posing in a sheer embroidered evening gown beside a large gold Oscar statue at a press backdrop.

16 remarkable moments in the history of the Oscars

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Is this the US’s least popular war?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A whimsical, detailed drawing of a person with curly hair and glasses standing on a wooden platform, holding a magnifying glass and pointing toward a stream of long paper scrolls. The scrolls flow from a large, fantastical machine on the right, built from gears, pulleys, tubes, and compartments. Several gloved hands emerge from the machine, performing tasks such as ironing, cleaning, inserting coins, and feeding paper into different mechanisms. The scene suggests a playful, surreal process of sorting or transforming information, with papers looping, curling, and cascading between the person and the machine

"Forget AI – never has the role of the historian been more urgent". This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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How can the past help us understand the UK monarchy's current crisis?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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How have political scandals shaped history?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Is President Trump really weaponising history?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Is Trump returning the world to an age of empires?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The history behind 2025. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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2025 in review: the historical trends of the year. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Ukraine peace deal: what are the lessons from history?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

Research into Adolf Hitler's DNA has thrown up some extraordinary insights into the Nazi dictator’s private life. (Images by Getty Images)

Second World War

“We analysed Hitler’s DNA – and what we discovered made us gasp”

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Princes, prisons and the limits of power. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The most remarkable historical heists. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

View of the White House, home to the US President

When was the White House built – and why is it white?

A person's hand is holding a brush, brushing dust off various objects buried in the mud

“A tidal wave of digital material will overwhelm recordkeeping institutions”: the future of history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Why is it so hard for Israelis and Palestinians to make peace?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Should historians be celebrities?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.