Weird and wonderful

A Victorian lady washing in the nude

In pictures: erotic postcards of the early 20th century

Simon was found with his whiskers burned off and hurt by four pieces of shrapnel. The medical officer thought he wouldn’t survive the night (Photo by Keystone Pictures USA / Alamy Stock Photo)

10 top cats in history

Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico's left-wing president who in 1940 legalised drugs. (Photo by Henry Guttmann/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The year Mexico legalised drugs

Medieval trepanning

General prehistory

Q&A What is trepanning?

BDW39T The Australian XI of 1882, the cricket team toured England and won the only test at the Oval, the start of the Ashes legend. Image shot 1882. Exact date unknown.

In pictures: The Ashes through history

For our forebears, the secret to a good night's sleep lay in the contents of your gut. (Photo by Leemage/UIG via Getty Images)

6 sleeping tips and tricks from history

Illustration by Owen Davey

A brief history of human filth

The ‘Surgeon’s Photo’, taken in 1934, which claimed to depict the Loch Ness Monster. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

5 facts about the Loch Ness Monster

A photo which was believed to be of the Loch Ness Monster

The quest for the Loch Ness Monster

A 15th-century map of the world illustrating a Latin edition of Ptolemy's the 'Geography'. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

General prehistory

12 alternative giant leaps for mankind – from carnivorism to Magna Carta

A cartoon showing a man in a suit of armour on the moon

Q&A Did NASA really pick the brains of the Tower of London armoury when designing the first space suits?

Illustration by Glen McBeth.

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

This is an American flag with waves folding over the blue field of stars and red and white stripes. (Photo by Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images)

Revealed: the history of America’s national anthem

Gussie Moran shocked onlookers with her lace knickers on show at the 1949 Wimbledon Championships (George W. Hales/Fox Photos/Getty Images)

10 memorable moments in Wimbledon’s history