General Modern

Illustration by Eleanor Shakespeare

“Make love not midnight snacks”: a social history of slimming clubs

On the evening of 13 March thousands of people in Phoenix, Arizona, and surrounding areas see a triangular formation of lights drifting above the city. Fife Symington, the governor of Arizona at the time, was one of the witnesses and he described the UFO as “otherworldly”. This image shows something similar to what was reported at the time. (Photo by Alamy)

A brief history of UFOs: top 10 sightings & timeline

A UFO photographed in New Mexico by a government employee. The image was released by the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization after careful study. It is unknown what the image shows.(Photo by Getty Images)

How UFOs conquered the world – without firing a shot

Front door of No 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British prime minister

From Walpole to Johnson: lessons from the 300-year history of the British prime minister

Victorian London prison, Newgate. Prisoners in the exercise yard. Engraving by Gustave Doré, 1872 (Photo by Getty Images)

British prisons: everything you wanted to know

Prisoners exercise and play sport in the courtyard of the Fleet Prison, circa 1872

Timeline: a history of prisons in Britain

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Arrives Japan

Q&A Have the Olympic Games ever been cancelled?

Alan M Turing and colleagues working on the Ferranti Mark I Computer, 1951.

Second World War

Your guide to Alan Turing: the man, the enigma

Cat got your tongue? It certainly seems to be the case with this surprised tabby

Why do we say ‘cat got your tongue’?

A young girl reading a book. We recently asked our Twitter followers which historical fiction book inspired them as a child. (Photo by Terry Vine via Getty Images)

Historical fiction recommendations for children: the best history books for kids

Apartheid road sign

Your guide to apartheid in South Africa

Aidan Turner as Leonardo da Vinci

The best historical TV shows and movies to stream in 2021

The Statue of Liberty in New York. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

American history trivia quiz

Napoleon is apprehended by French soldiers on his return from Elba. Rather than take him to Paris in chains, the soldiers joined him

Napoleon’s comeback: from exile on Elba to the Hundred Days

Portrait of King George V of England. (Photo by Getty Images)

Your guide to King George V: facts about his life, reign and death