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Historical events

Explore articles on major historical events, from the French Revolution to the Spanish Armada

A black‑and‑white portrait photograph of a person wearing large round glasses, a collared shirt, and a leather jacket rests on top of an aged folder with a string‑tie closure, placed on a wooden surface.

I wrote a letter to the world's most famous terrorist – and nothing could have prepared me for his reply. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A woman in early 20th‑century clothing sits at a desk using a candlestick telephone, holding the receiver to her ear and speaking into the mouthpiece

Ringing the changes: how the telephone transformed Victorian Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An older man wearing round glasses, a bow tie, and an academic-style robe stands behind a cluster of microphones, delivering a public speech

Churchill vs Stalin: did this one speech cause the Cold War?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A cartoon-style rubber date stamp with a red top and a yellow crown sits on a stack of three yellow books labeled 1, 2, and 3. The stamp’s rotating number bands are visible, and the books are arranged like steps against a plain background.

What was the most important year in history? We asked 9 experts – and this is what they said. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A section of the Bayeux Tapestry showing several mounted Norman figures riding left across the scene. The men wear simple tunics and carry spears; their horses are stylised with patterned manes. On the right, a nobleman holds a falcon on his gloved hand, indicating a falconry scene. Decorative animals and small trees fill the border, and a line of Latin text runs above the figures.

Is the Bayeux Tapestry in "mortal danger"? I think that's the wrong question to ask

"It was the greatest act of violence for 66 million years": why the modern world was born of bloodshed. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Why Rome fell. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph of three men wearing striped helmets sitting in a bob sled. Behind them, a large crowd of men, wearing white jumpers and caps and helmets

London 1908 was the weirdest Winter Olympics in history – and here's why. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An outline of a woman sitting at a typewriter is placed over three newspaper clippings

From maniacal horses to bat-men on the moon: 14 strange newspaper headlines from history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portion of the Bayeux Tapestry showing long ships with people fighting on them

Conquest? What conquest? The other dramatic events that really mattered in 1066. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A group of men in suits sit around a large globe standing in the middle of the room

History’s 8 biggest land deals: how the US more than doubled in size – and why it agreed to leave Greenland alone. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage of images showing a woman in a red and brown dress, with her arms around a small child to her left. Behind them is a large building, some ships and a crowd of people

Meet the incredible woman who saved Portugal's Jews. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration showing a Viking wearing a silver helmet that comes down over his eyes, holding a circular shield and an axe. Behind him is a large yellow building with arches, tall purple trees and a few other Vikings running along a path

It was an "extravaganza of brutality": how the Vikings menaced the Mediterranean. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of a stage with red curtains, with a crowd holding up signs in the middle

From Churchill to Vietnam: protests that changed the world. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph of a man and a woman close together. The man has his arms around the woman and they are both in stage dress: her in a long dress and him with a ruff and feathered hat

Keep calm and carry on singing: why Britons fell in love with opera during World War Two. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph of a plane with Japanese characters written on its side

He shot down 3 planes in 4 minutes: meet the WW2 pilot you won't have heard about. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting of a man with a snake like body, all piled on top of each other, with a sad face and long black hair, plus red wings

The US 'voodoo' scare: why 19th-century racists spread fake news about Haiti. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Star witness: how the Royal Observatory transformed our understanding of astronomy and time. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

After Franco: Spain's miraculous transition to democracy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting of a ship with several white sails and flags on it. In front of the ship, there are large crowds of people in small boats

Not 1066 again! Should we ditch our obsession with dates?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Defendants at the Nuremberg Trials listen to proceedings in 1946. In the front row sit Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, and Ernst Kaltenbrunner; behind them are Karl Dönitz, Erich Raeder, Baldur von Schirach, and Fritz Sauckel. Together they represent the senior leadership of the Nazi regime held to account for its crimes.

Second World War

“I hope I would have defended the Nazis at Nuremberg”

A black and white photograph of a large, smoky explosion on the sea

Terror in the deep: how Hitler's U-boats pushed Britain to the brink. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

a pastel coloured illustration shows two hands reaching towards two steaming cups of tea. In the background there is a cherry blossom tree and two landscapes, one of China and the other of England

Michael Wood on China's immense suffering in the Second World War. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Four small terracotta masks in a line. The two in the middle have black hair and beards, one with a white face and the other with an orange face. The ones on either end are plain beige faces.

The making of Rome's monster. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph of three men in military uniform. The man in the middle, is holding his arm out pointing to something in the distance and to his left, is a man using binoculars

The Stalingrad of Africa: the story of the battle for Tunis. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration shows five women in colourful headscarves sewing a large piece of cloth with soldiers and horses on it

Michael Wood on women's contributions to the Bayeux Tapestry. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A montage of images showing a man standing in the ruins of Hiroshima; a man dressed smartly wearing circular glasses; and a Japanese family with two parents sitting down with five children around them

Senkichi Awaya: the lost mayor of Hiroshima. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph shows two men standing with their faces very close together. They both have serious expressions on their faces and are staring down the lens of the camera. Across the bottom are the words KING & CONQUEROR

The wrong moustache in the Battle of Hastings. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A man in a grey T shirt and blue jeans sits with his arms crossed, facing the camera. He has dark curly hair and wears glasses

Jonathan Healey: “A connection was made between the rarefied world of the royal court and the politics of the street”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A picture of Freddie Mercury. He is wearing a white vest top with white jeans and he is holding a guitar behind his head. At the top of the guitar, a bright white light shines

The Age of Spectacle: Live Aid at 40. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.