Family and parenting

An aerial photo of Stonehenge

Your guide to Stonehenge, plus 12 fascinating facts you might not know

(Illustration by Glen McBeth for BBC History Magazine)

Q&A What is the origin and meaning of the pirate expression ‘shiver me timbers’?

Tom Smith's Surprise Cosaques, Christmas Crackers 1878. (Image by Getty)

The history of Christmas crackers

The USS West Virginia burns at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941

Second World War

What if… Japan hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor

The destroyer USS Shaw explodes in a massive fireball at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. The attack led almost immediately to Germany declaring war on America, and so brought Stalin an unexpected ally of colossal potential power, says Laurence Rees. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

Second World War

Opinion Why December 1941 was the most important month of WW2

A portrait of Charles II sitting on a throne

Your guide to King Charles II, the ‘merry monarch’

A trieme is rowed towards a naval battle in a scene depicting the battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC

The ancient Greeks at war: hoplites, the phalanx and the greatest battles

A stone statue of Achilles

Q&A Why do we say ‘Achilles Heel’?

The Statue of Liberty against a blue sky

Q&A Was the Statue of Liberty designed specifically for the United States?

A portrait of Katherine Parr in a jewelled head dress and finery

Q&A What happened to Katherine Parr’s daughter, Mary Seymour, after her mother’s death?

Crown Prince Olav on his ice yacht (Getty Images)

From Hollywood to war heroes: 10 Olympians who were more famous outside sport

Photo of a crocodile

Q&A Why do we say 'crocodile tears'?

The vanquishers of the Bastille before the Hôtel de Ville, 14 July 1789. Found in the Collection of Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

What triggered the French Revolution?

A contemporary illustration of the Storming of the Bastille, 14 July 1789 – an event that helped create the idea of 'revolution' as we know it today. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Fighting for freedom: the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution

The Three Lions crest. A trio of lions has appeared on the arms of every English (and British) monarch since the late 12th century, and has been flown as a battle standard on English soil and abroad. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Offside/Getty Images)

Q&A Why are there three lions on the shirts of the English football team?