BBC History UK Magazine - June 2025

In this issue

Rome’s worst nightmare Guy de la Bédoyère explains why the Spartacus slave rebellion of 73 BC rocked the ancient empire to its core. Making Malcolm X A group of strong women shaped one of the leading figures in the civil rights movement, says Ashley D Farmer. Victorian Britain’s fearless female felons Rosalind Crone probes five largely forgotten female-led crimes from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Charles Darwin receives a shock in the mail

The naturalist is prompted to go public with his theory

2 mins

Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England

Henry VIIIs new consort brings the promise of a longed-for son

1 min

"Which historical figures will capture the imagination of a class on a rainy Thursday afternoon?"

History teacher and writer SHALINA PATEL discusses how to make the subject appealing and relevant to a diverse range of students today - and envisages what lessons might look like in 25 years' time

7 mins

Few works of 20th-century art have such a distinguished list of past owners

A POSTWAR BABY BOOMER AND A LATE SIXTIES student, in my adult life I naturally grew up optimistic. I believed in progress.

3 mins

Samba schools used the carnival to foreground overlooked histories

I WAS RECENTLY IN RIO DE JANEIRO, IN A warehouse on the outskirts of the city, admiring some of the brightly coloured floats that had featured in this year's world-famous carnival. Each spring, just before the start of Lent, hundreds of thousands of people attend the parades in the city's Sambadrome stadium and enjoy watching the floats.

2 mins

Rome's worst nightmare

When the Spartacus revolt erupted in 73 BC, it exposed a terrifying truth: that the cocksure Roman Republic was nowhere near as invincible as it liked to believe.

10+ mins

"These women transformed his understanding of the world"

Malcolm X became one of the most influential leaders in the US civil rights movement - thanks largely, explains Ashley D Farmer, to the women who shaped his life and ideas

10+ mins

Spiked drinks, counterfeit coins and the lodgers from hell

Drugging, fraud, even murder – women couldn't really commit such heinous crimes, could they? Rosalind Crone explores five audacious female-led felonies from the 18th and 19th centuries

8 mins

Painting on the precipice

Hans Holbein’s masterwork The Ambassadors is an exquisite portrait of two 16th-century diplomats. But it is also crammed with symbols and hidden messages. Tracy Borman deciphers the clues that betray the turbulence of a fateful year

7 mins

25 thing's we've learned over the past 25 years

To celebrate a quarter-century of BBC History Magazine, we asked 25 expert contributors to nominate the most important historical discoveries and revelations since the publication launched in 2000

3 mins

Flower power

Few 17th-century women could travel the world. But the world could visit them in their gardens. Susannah Lyon-Whaley reveals how exotic plants – from Chinese rhubarb to South American passionfruit – opened new horizons in fashion, food and science

7 mins

"Africans have been starved of historical figures from their own lands that they can look up to"

PAULA AKPAN speaks to Danny Bird about powerful African woman leaders and the complexities of interrogating historical narratives, colonial biases and these women's own flaws

10 mins

Who says what and why they say it

DAVID RUNCIMAN is impressed by an exploration of how arguments over free speech are often rooted in a desire to close down dialogue

4 mins

A doctrine of self-control

FERN RIDDELL gives a cautious welcome to an exploration of American attitudes down the years towards both sex work and female sex workers

2 mins

Diplomatic mission

RICHARD TOYE salutes an exploration of the relationship between the ‘Big Three’ Allied leaders

2 mins

The feel of truth

JOSEPH E USCINSKI enjoys an account of a fake report that supposedly exposed a huge conspiracy to wage war in support of the American economy

2 mins

Victorian jelly

ELEANOR BARNETT explores the surprisingly long history of quivering, colourful dessert popular with children

3 mins

Harry Price

Harry Price was a British ghost-hunter, psychic researcher and author who achieved fame through his investigations into paranormal phenomena and for exposing fraudulent mediums.

2 mins

Read all stories from BBC History UK

BBC History UK Magazine Description:

BBC History Magazine is Britain’s bestselling history magazine devoted to history enthusiasts of all levels of knowledge and interest. Published 13 times a year, BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world’s leading historians and journalists. Whether it is the history of our politics and institutions, or the fascinating stories of our private lives through the ages, BBC History Magazine sheds new light on the past and helps make more sense of today’s world.Covering the latest new developments in history and archaeology from Britain and around the world, the latest, most thought provoking historical research and strong links with TV and radio programming maximizing use of BBC’s existing expertise in the genre.