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The official website for BBC History Magazine, BBC History Revealed and BBC World Histories Magazine

Weird and wonderful

In 1733, as part of a plot to blow up a Protestant church, a group of Catholics claimed they were being terrorised by a poltergeist… or so the story went. (Illustration by Ben Jones for BBC History Magazine)

5 Georgian ghost hoaxes

An illustration of a group of supposed witches

A very brief history of witches by Suzannah Lipscomb

This Halloween postcard, which features a witch, a black cat, and lots of little spirits, was printed mid-1900s in New York City. (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)

10 things you didn’t know about the history (and mystery) of Halloween

Cariad Lloyd, Suzannah Lipscomb and Greg Jenner

General ancient history

“A history podcast for people who don’t like history”: Greg Jenner on his new podcast You’re Dead To Me

President Nixon making final TV address

The 5 most notorious presidents in US history

(Photo by Getty Images)

The package holiday revolution

The Lockheed U-2 shares little in common with a flying saucer. (Image by Alamy)

Q&A How did Area 51 become associated with aliens?

The capture of the pirate Blackbeard, 1718. Painting by JLG Ferris. One of history’s most notorious pirates, Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach almost certainly had a West Country twang because he was born in Bristol in around 1680. (Photo by Bettmann via Getty Images)

Q&A Did most English pirates really talk with a West Country accent?

Roman toilet

Tales of the toilet: a historical A–Z

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

The quest for the Loch Ness Monster

Viking sailors make the long voyage across the Atlantic between Europe and America, in order to bring back timber, circa 1350. The Vikings are thought to have discovered America in around 1000 AD, but never attempted full colonization of the new land, due to the hostile natives. Painting by NC Wyeth. (Image by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

8 Viking myths busted

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?