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A depiction of the interior of parliament. (© Palace of Westminster Collection, WOA 742 www.parliament.uk/art)

9 things you didn’t know about the history of parliament

A painting depicting George Washington with British soldiers at Yorktown. In the final battle of the war at the siege of Yorktown, writes Jem Duducu, there were nearlyas many French soldiers and sailors as American rebels fighting for colonial independence. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

American history myths: 7 things people get wrong

Alexander Hamilton was a founding father, statesman, veteran, political intellectual, economist and media tycoon, says Jem Duducu. Portrait by Thomas Hamilton Crawford. (Photo by GraphicaArtis/Getty Images)

7 things you (probably) didn’t know about Alexander Hamilton

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The history of the calendar

'The Young Princes in the Tower', 1831. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

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

Illustration by Femke de Jong

Does it always pay to trust the cash in your pockets?

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Christmas songs – the oldest ones are the best

Trouble brewing: This illustration shows “Boston boys throwing tea into the harbour” on 16 December 1773. The protestors revelled in the opportunity to make a bold statement that would be felt across the world. (Getty images)

The global origins of the Boston Tea Party

Dancers demonstrate the Charleston, c1926. The dance is often associated with ‘flappers’ – newly enfranchised women with bobbed hair, short skirts and supposedly looser morals – and characterised by frenetic up and down movements and swivelling, akimbo limbs. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

Strictly history: 5 facts about the history of dancing

The National Portrait Gallery attributed this unfinished portrait to Jane Austen’s sister, Cassandra, and dated it to circa 1810. (Universal History Archive / Getty Images)

What did Jane Austen really look like?

Adam Zamoyski offers his views on the iconic French leader, Napoleon. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images)

Napoleon: the insecure emperor

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General prehistory

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

The coastal city of Port Antonio. (Image by Getty Images)

My favourite place: Jamaica

Lemuel F Abbott's famous 1797 portrait of Horatio Nelson. In 1805, the British naval hero promised to speak publicly against the abolition of slavery, but was denied the opportunity by his death at Trafalgar later that year. (Picture by Alamy)

The Library Lord Nelson and slavery: Nelson’s dark side