Drawing of Christopher Columbus

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Colourful illustration of 12 historical figures's heads (Winston Churchill, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Thomas Cromwell, Richard III, Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Anne Boleyn, William Marshal, Jane Austen, Hatshepsut, Gandhi and Catherine the Great) shown in a grid pattern.

Top historical figures: 100+ of the most famous people through history – in chronological order

A axe stuck in a piece of wood

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Women carrying flags and scythes or beating drums - one has a child on her shoulders - march on the Palace of Versailles to protest to the king

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Illustration of the man in the iron mask standing by the window of his cell and guarded by two musketeers

Unmasking the 'man in the iron mask': do we know the identity of the famous prisoner?

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The Bloody Code: your guide to the severe legal system

Two Hitler Youth who have surrendered to Allied Forces, Germany, 1945. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

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Innocence under fire: how children were used in warfare of the past

Robespierre’s brutal downfall.

Fern Riddell

Contraception, consent & erotic connection: sex through history.

The colonial secrets of Britain’s stately homes.

A painting of 1616 depicts the Moriscos boarding ships to sail from the port of Valencia

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Painting of Masons building a pillar in a church

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Olaudah Equiano (Photo by Getty)

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History Traveller, part 2: St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow.

Frances Griffiths poses with the fairies

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Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector

Royalists, beards and cowardice: are these the strangest taxes in history?.

Pope John XVII

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Midwives and babies in the sun

Midwifery and childbirth: a historical A–Z guide.

Queen of hearts: When Catherine's husband Tsar Peter III alienated his people, they instead turned to his wife, and she was proclaimed the rightful ruler.

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Catherine the Great: your guide to the famed Empress of Russia

This 1867 magazine illustration shows a group of children preparing for Halloween. (Photo by American Stock/Getty Images)

The origins of Halloween: tricks, treats and cobbled streets.

Tom Holland by Helen Atkinson

Tom Holland on Christianity’s enduring legacy.

The card game cribbage

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For our forebears, the secret to a good night's sleep lay in the contents of your gut. (Photo by Leemage/UIG via Getty Images)

6 sleeping tips and tricks from history.

10 famous people in history and their bizarre pets

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Keith Thomas on how ideas of civilisation shaped society 500 years ago.

The history of manners.

A view of Old Trail Town, a collection of historic western buildings and artifacts, located in Cody, Wyoming. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images)

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The Pilgrim Fathers leaving Delft Haven on their voyage to America, July 1620. Image dates from 1878. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

England’s migrant crisis.

Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto and a mountain in the background

ExploreKyoto: Japan’s city of gardens and geishas.

Elfreth's Alley, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the oldest residential street in the United States. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)

History Explorer: Philadelphia, USA.