General History

A photograph of the Tower of London, from the river

Anne Boleyn, Beefeaters, Guy Fawkes and the princes: a brief history of the Tower of London

A medieval king dining

General History

Pig-chickens, beavers’ tails and turtle soup: 8 fascinating foods through history

Left: Prince Charles and Princess Diana on their wedding day, 29 July 1981. Right: Prince William and Catherine Middleton on their wedding day, 29 April 2011. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

The 8 most famous royal weddings in British history

York Minster's rose window features 16th-century Tudor Roses white on red (left) and Lancastrian Roses, red

A brief history of the English rose

Battle of Culloden

General History

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about Scottish history

Circa 1840. Oil on canvas. Private collection. (Photo by VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)

General History

War and military history podcast episodes

Mary Queen of Scots, after Nicholas Hilliard, 16th century, National Portrait Gallery, London, England, UK, Europe,

British kings and queens podcast episodes

Frances Griffiths poses with the fairies

Fairies, rabbit births and an ‘ancient’ tiara: what are the greatest historical hoaxes?

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with their third son, Prince Edward, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A brief history of royal mothers and childbirth

The reconcilliation between Thomas Becket and Henry II. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

General History

From the handshake to the high-five: a brief history of gestures

c1955: A child pulls toilet paper from a roll. But what did humans do before toilet paper was invented? (Photo by Mac Gramlich/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

General ancient history

When was toilet paper invented and what did people use before?

Wartime evacuees wash their hands

“The very sight of her hands did almost turn my stomach”: a brief history of hand-washing

Illustration by Owen Davey

General History

A brief history of human filth: how did people try to keep clean in the past?

A copper engraving of Margaret Pole's execution

General History

Are these the worst botched executions in history?

Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump

From Lincoln to Trump: a brief history of the US Republican Party