General History

An illustration depicting a woman lying in bed who has recently given birth to twins. Other women busy themselves with tasks around her, such as stoking a fire and holding one of the babies.

General History

Q&AWhere does the word ‘gossip’ come from – and what has it got to do with childbirth?

General History

Eugenics: a toxic history.

Periods, fertility & childbirth: a pre-modern history.

How museums are shaping the future.

Illustration of folkloric beings

A history of Britain's folklore.

Russian civil war, 1919

General History

Russia-Ukraine crisis: 9 milestone moments in history that explain today’s invasion

Actress Vesta Tilley poses with a bicycle while dressed in male uniform

General History

Drag kings: a brief history of male impersonators

Spies in show business.

Curling stones during a match at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah

General History

A brief history of curling – from medieval Scotland to the Winter Olympics

British identity in 50 documents.

An old man penetrating the earth's firmament to see the workings of the universe beyond

A brief history of astronomy.

Valentine's celebrations in historyFrom fertility festivals to the first cards

A cartoon of Queen Elizabeth I

General History

QuizMonarchy: from William the Conqueror to the Windsors

A replica of St Edward’s Crown, used in the coronation of British rulers since 1661

General History

Who is Britain’s greatest monarch?

Berlin’s tumultuous history.

The Gothic: from Dracula to The Shining.

Women of the Rothschild dynasty.

When were punctuation marks first used? Illustration by Glen McBeth for BBC History Magazine.

General History

Q&AWhen were punctuation marks first used?

The Age of Sail: everything you wanted to know.

Hells, heavens and afterworlds: a traveller’s guide.

The New Year’s resolutions Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and Franklin D Roosevelt should have made….

General History

7 real moments in history you might think are made up

Three medieval carol singers, image dated 1911

Christmas carols: the history behind 9 festive favourites

A Victorian Christmas card

HistoryExtra's Christmas history quiz

Anna Whitelock's Talking PointsFriends or enemies?.

Still Life of Game Birds, oil on canvas. Birds such as goose, swan and peacock were often on the late medieval festive menu

The roasts of Christmas past: 5 festive dinners from British history.

A woman on a bike cycles in front of a castle

General History

A real castle for Christmas: 5 places to explore and stay this festive season

Supernatural stories: 9 unusual British folktales.

Illustration of the Red Dragon of China

Has China always been the world’s greatest superpower?

Everything you wanted to know about Canadian history

Canadian history: everything you wanted to know.