Culture

Madame Tussaud's exhibition at Baker Street, London. But who was her first waxwork? (Photo by Bettmann, via Getty Images)

Q&A Who was Madame Tussaud’s first waxwork?

St David painting in stained glass window, Ceredigion, UK. Exact date unknown. (Photo by David Angel/Alamy Stock Photo)

16 things you (probably) didn’t know about St David’s Day traditions

Terracotta plaque which is believed to show the poet Sappho rejecting an amorous advance by her contemporary who is also from the island of Lesbos. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

From Sappho to It’s a Sin: 9 LGBT+ histories, chosen by experts

A portrait of the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (c1340-1400), who modern literary scholars credit for turning Valentine into the patron of love. Chaucer was a major influencer in his day – after him, everyone began calling their beloved “Valentine” and writing love poems on 14 February, says Lisa Bitel. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Who was Saint Valentine? A history of the figure’s origins

Mark Glancy reveals how Cary Grant made the journey from working-class Bristol lad to the most celebrated actor in Hollywood. (Image by Getty Images)

Cary Grant: from humble beginnings to Hollywood icon

Actor Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster in James Whale’s classic 1931 film. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: the birth of a gothic monster

Lithograph portrait of Scottish poet Robert Burns. (Photo by Stock Montage/Getty Images)

7 facts about Robert Burns, Scotland’s national bard

The inner courtyard of the old pottery factory at Gladstone Pottery Museum, with its five towering bottle ovens. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

History explorer The Gladstone Pottery Museum

An Australian Sea Shanty band, c1988

A brief history of sea shanties

David Hepworth tells the story of the British rock bands. (Image by Getty Images)

When British pop invaded America

The city Bhaktapur looming over the Kathmandu valley

The hippy trail: a pan-Asian journey through history

Jerry Brotton on the Renaissance. (Image by Getty Images)

The Renaissance: everything you wanted to know

Extract from Domesday Book.

Your guide to the Domesday Book: the most important document in English history?

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie in profile: facts about her life

Biographer Ron Chernow discusses the extraordinary life of the American Founding Father who inspired a hit musical. (Image by Getty Images)

Editor’s pick: Ron Chernow on Alexander Hamilton