CATEGORIES
Great Battles: THE BATTLE OF HUE
In 1968, as popular support for the US invasion of Vietnam faded, communist forces captured the city of Hue in just two hours. They only held it for a few weeks but it was a turning point in the war, and American history
TIMELINE OF... MAHDIST WAR
Muhammad Ahmad transforms Sudan into a militant Islamic state and directly clashes with Egyptian and European colonial armies
DASSAULT Mirage III
The French multi-role delta jet that's still in service nearly seven decades after its first flight
CONFESSIONS OF A POLISH EXECUTIONER
In the dark days of Nazi occupation one resistance member was tasked with assassinating Germans, and even his own countrymen who had become collaborators
STALINGRAD: THE CITY THAT REFUSED TO DIE
The industrial heart of Soviet Russia was in fact never a German objective for Case Blue. So how did it become a turning point in the war and a devastating loss for the Nazis?
THE RISE OF THE MAHDI
One of the most infamous conflicts of Queen Victoria's reign lasted from 1881 to 1899 - but exactly how did Britain become embroiled in a war in which it had little interest?
International head of silver at Christie's
MY LIFE IN HISTORY MEET THE PEOPLE BRINGING THE PAST TO LIFE
TEA, TOURS AND TOP HATS
When it came to getting away from it all, our forebears weren't all that different from us...
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
A mythological love-at-first-sight meeting becomes a Renaissance masterpiece
THE HONEYMOON OF JAMES VI AND ANNA OF DENMARK
Amy Licence charts the lavish celebrations that followed the wedding between one of Scotland's most famous monarchs and his Scandinavian bride
Professor Michael Goodman on the Legacy of the Cold War
"While the Cold War might be over, it is as relevant today as it always has been"
CHAOS IN CUBA
When one of the US's closest neighbours agreed to host Soviet nuclear missiles, it triggered the most dangerous crisis in world history
MONEY AND POWER
In 1947, the US pledged billions of dollars to help rebuild war-torn Europe - but the Soviets sensed an ulterior motive
CONTAINING THE THREAT
President Truman was willing to go to great lengths to halt the spread of communism – and in Greece and Turkey, he succeeded
FROM FRIENDS TO ENEMIES
After uniting to defeat the Nazis, east and west were soon divided once more
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLD WAR
Professor Michael Goodman answers key questions about the decades-long rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union
Elizabeth Gaskell: a voice of the Victorians
While not the most famous novelist of her generation, 'Mrs Gaskell' helped bring the unpleasant implications of industrialisation to the public consciousness. But what motivated her to speak out?
The Acts of Union 1707
"Since 1603, England and Scotland had a shared monarch, but were separate: two crowns, on one head"
CATCHING THE RED FOX
On the surface, Klaus Fuchs was a diligent young scientist, enthusiastically helping Britain and the US develop powerful new weapons during World War II. But, as Roger Hermiston reveals, his true loyalties lay elsewhere
WHAT IF... THE BLACK DEATH HAD NEVER HAPPENED?
Professor Mark Bailey tells Nige Tassell why the world would have become a very different place had the plague outbreaks of the 14th century not triggered fundamental changes in society
KEEPING THE PEACE
With no formal police force, maintaining law and order in medieval and Tudor England was very much a community affair
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
A striking work of art borne of the horrors of World War I
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Crime historian Dr Nell Darby answers key questions about the evolution of law and order in the British Isles
TO HELL AND BACK AGAIN A POLAR EXPLORER'S TALE OF TRAGEDY AND SURVIVAL
Douglas Mawson is not the most famous hero of Antarctic exploration, but, as Nige Tassell reveals, the Australian overcame the odds in one of the age's most disastrous expeditions...
THE GREAT BRITISH 'BOBBY'
We explore a selection of surprising facts about the history of British policing - from Robert Peel to the present day
GODLY BUTCHERY
In medieval England, the crime of treason was so heinous that it required a punishment that would horrify as much as it would deter. Dr Rebecca Simon discusses a method of execution reserved only for the worst of the worst
BANISHED TO A LAND DOWN UNDER
Rather than fill the prisons or issue the death penalty, judges chose to ship tens of thousands of convicts to Australia
A BLOODY NEW CHAPTER
After decades of discord, the lawmakers of early modern England took drastic new measures to make sure that citizens stayed in line
ATATÜRK’S TRIUMPH
The last major action of the Greco-Turkish War resulted in a Turkish victory – but the suffering was far from over for civilians on both sides
NORMAN CONQUESTS
The fearsome knights of Normandy did not stop at the successful invasion of England: they forged a dynasty that changed the face of Europe