Weird and wonderful

Circa 1170, The reconcilliation between Thomas a Becket and Henry II (1133 - 1189) King of England from 1154. Henry II attempted to bring the church courts under control in the same way as he managed to control the barons, but failed after the murder of Thomas a' Bec (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A brief history of gestures – from the handshake to the high-five

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Singer, siren, activist, spy: the extraordinary life of Josephine Baker

Sarcophagus with relief depicting the Calydonian boar hunt, Campanian amphitheatre, Italy, 1st-2nd century AD. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

General prehistory

From dragons to unicorns: finding fantastic beasts in ancient history

Veteran cars – a 1898 Benz and an early Panhard – outside Glover Brothers Cycle Makers, c1900. (Photo by National Motor Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

How the Victorians ruined the world

From The Library

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9 general election curiosities through history

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Q&A: Who invented the ‘QWERTY’ typewriter layout?

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BREAKING: Charles I was never beheaded, reveals newly-discovered manuscript

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The weird and wonderful world of Victorian entertainment

An illustration of the novel ‘The War of the Worlds’ by HG Wells, made by Henri Lanos, 1905. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

In thrall to the red planet

From The Library

Full-length portrait of (left) American showman Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810–91) and entertainer Commodore Nutt (1814–81), c1862. (Photo by HultonGetty/GettyImages)

Circus sensation: PT Barnum’s greatest wheezes

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7 myths about Robin Hood

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

19 things you didn’t know about St David and his day

Charles Darwin sports his trademark bushy beard in 1877. (Photo by Corbis Historical/Getty Images)

From Charles Darwin’s beard to George Eliot’s right hand: 4 famous Victorian bodily quirks

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James Sadler: From pastry cook to first English aeronaut