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    Weird and wonderful

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

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

    A decoy rubber tank such as those used by the Allies during WW2.
    Second World War

    Masters of disguise: the story of the Allies’ WW2 ‘Ghost Army’

    GettyImages-187574416-2-2edce12
    General Modern

    A history of Valentine’s Day celebrations – from fertility festivals to the first cards

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    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)
    Roman

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

    Forgery was the dirty little secret of the Middle Ages. Levi Roach explains who counterfeited medieval manuscripts and why. (Image by Getty Images)
    Medieval

    Medieval forgeries

    A depiction of Robin Hood, the heroic archer in English folklore who supposedly robbed the rich and gave to the poor. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)
    Medieval

    Robin Hood: 7 myths about about the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forest

    origins of the werewolf legend in stories from ancient Greece and Rome. (Image by Getty Images)
    General ancient history

    Werewolves of the ancient world

    Mary, Queen of Scots
    Medieval

    9 of the worst monarchs in history

    Edward Brooke-Hitching discusses some of history’s strangest literary curiosities. (Image by Getty Images)
    Medieval

    Bizarre books and macabre manuscripts

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    Elizabeth I preferred thoughtful new year gifts suited to her own tastes such as cloth, personal jewellery and trinkets. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)
    Elizabethan

    Sobriety, royal presents and Victorian-era musings on failure: an unexpected history of New Year

    HistoryExtra Christmas quiz 2020
    General Modern

    Our 2020 Christmas quiz

    A Victorian Christmas card
    General Modern

    HistoryExtra’s Christmas history quiz 2020

    Workers repair Fleet sewer in 1854. London’s creaking sewer network sparked anxieties over what lay beneath the sprawling capital. (Photo by Guildhall Library & Art Gallery/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
    Victorian

    Living in fear: the dangers of Victorian London 

    Telling spooky tales at Christmastime is a very old tradition. Francis Young explains the origins of this custom and what it tells us. (Image by Getty Images)
    Medieval

    Christmas ghost stories

    Did Cromwell ban mince pies? And why does Santa wear red? George Goodwin responds to listener questions and internet search queries on festive history. (Image by Getty Images)
    Stuart

    The history of Christmas: everything you wanted to know

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