Illustration of strange creatures

Weird and wonderful history

Showering, teeth brushing and donning underwear: the strange history of our daily routine.

A portrait of Elizabeth I.

The enchanting history of charisma.

In pictures: Victorian life

10 dangers of Georgian London.

The daily hustle and bustle in the busy fishing port of Newlyn in Penzance, Cornwall, c1870. (Photo by Gibson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Top 10 historical Cornish words

In pictures: Blackpool beach through time

Children running down a street

Q&AWhy do we say ‘run amok’?

7 things that happened in August through history

Ancient thinkers and the history of madness.

A virtuous Viking: the medieval legend of Havelok the Dane.

Witch trials and feuding queens.

5 historical space travel facts

5 facts about the history of the Women’s Institute

7 weird and wonderful medieval facts.

Dover Castle, Kent. (Photo by Olaf Protze/LightRocket via Getty Images)

England's 8 most amazing castles

What was the werewolf myth in Ancient Rome?

Photo of ancient public toilets

General ancient history

Q&AHow old is the toilet seat?

'Tomatina' festival in August 1999. (Photo by Müller-Stauffenberg/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

9 weird and wonderful festivals through history.

The perils of piety in Tudor England.

The golden age of murder: Agatha Christie and the Detection Club.

BBC History Magazine

Dressed-up fleas, devil butterflies and the Thames whales: the strange ways nature has influenced human history

Dying well; tears and sorrow on the death of a youth. Treasury of Wisdom, 15th century. (© The Art Archive/Alamy)

Heavenly dew: crying in the Middle Ages.

Love, health and the weather: 9 things medieval Londoners worried about.

Fit for a queen: 3 medieval recipes enjoyed at English and Scottish royal courts.

Blasphemous Bibles and cannibals at sea: 4 bad days in history

8 weird and wonderful Victorian discoveries.

Snail poultices and blood potions: 9 weird medieval medicines

Picture of the Frost Fair on the Thames

Q&ADid the Thames used to freeze over?

Banquet at a wealthy home in ancient Rome. (Photo by North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy)

Dormice, ostrich meat and fresh fish: the surprising foods eaten in ancient Rome.

In pictures: strange creatures through history