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Brutus begs his companion to kill him in a 1756 painting by Giacomo Zampa. Having been decisively defeated in battle by Mark Antony and Octavian – later to rule Rome as emperor Augustus – Brutus felt he had little choice but to commit suicide. (Photo by Alfredo Dagli Orti-Art Resource, NY)

7 things that happened in October through history

Viking ships arriving in Britain, c1130. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty

8 key Viking dates you need to know

Guillaume de Jumieges, Cesta Normanorum, f° 116, letter with dropped initial, William the Conqueror receives the chronicler's manuscript, 11th century, France, Rouen, Bibliotheque Municipale.

William the Conqueror: hero or villain?

Illustration by Glen McBeth.

Q&A: When did the leopards on the royal arms of England become the lions depicted today?

Newark Castle flanked by the river Trent. To say that King John's death here in 1216 was little-lamented is something of an understatement. "With John's foul deeds all England is stinking, as does hell, to which he is now sinking," wrote the chronicler Matthew Paris. (Getty Images)

Where history happened: King John and the French invasion

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Edward I in parliament with the Archbishop of Canterbury; King Alexander III of Scotland; the Welsh Prince Llywelyn ab Gruffydd and the Archbishop of York. From the Wriothesley MS, 1523, published in ‘The Island Race’, a 20th-century book written by Sir Winston Churchill covering the history of the British Isles from the pre-Roman times to the Victorian era. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Edward I: man of principle or grasping opportunist?

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London traffic. (Photo by Popper Ltd./ullstein bild via Getty Images)

The history of Britain’s roads

Parisians man the barricades in the 2012 film production of the Victor Hugo classic Les Misérables, a work inspired by the June Rebellion of 1832. (Rex)

Second World War

8 historical events that happened in June

English actor Trevor Howard as Captain William Bligh on the set of 'Mutiny On The Bounty', directed by Lewis Milestone, 1962. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Q&A: Was Captain Bligh hated by the crew of the Bounty?

Australian troops head for Gallipoli in 1915

First World War

The myths of the battle of Gallipoli

Australian troops (widely known as ‘Diggers’) at Anzac Cove in April 1915

First World War

Gallipoli: a defining moment in Australian history

President Kennedy holds a press conference shortly before the failed 'Bay of Pigs' invasion of Cuba. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Bay of Pigs invasion: Kennedy’s Cuban catastrophe

Pancake day celebrations

The history of Shrove Tuesday

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Q&A: When were the first film trailers shown?