CATEGORIES

JIMMIE MONTEITH

In the crucible of battle at Omaha Beach on D-Day, this officer of the famed 1st Infantry Division earned his nation’s highest honour at the cost of his life

STORMING GOLD BEACH

War veteran Ron Peet helped assault Gold Beach on D-Day Here he shares his experiences

UNDERGROUND WREN

Deep in the bowels of Fort Southwick, radio operator Marie Scott was one of the first to hear reports as Operation Overlord got underway, passing critical communications between the men on the beaches and high command

SWORD BEACH

The easternmost sector of the 6 June Normandy Landings was a mostly British affair, and Saw some of the biggest territorial gains of the first day of the Allied invasion

WHAT IF...D-DAY HAD FAILED?

The consequences of an unsuccessful invasion would have been felt for decades to come

THE OTHER OPERATION OVERLORD D-DAY'S GHOST ARMY

Historian Taylor Downing discusses the cunning use of intrigue and deception during Operation Fortitude

D-DAY LANDING CRAFT

Over 4,000 Allied landing craft took part in the Normandy Landings with a huge range of designs created for specific roles and capabilities

'Maestro' Revealed

Bradley Cooper's transformation into Leonard Bernstein on film

The United State of America

Yes, we said 'United' -That's what Newsweek writers and readers told us

A kind of tree magic

When it comes to driving away witches or warding off evil, nothing beats the rowan tree, with its gleaming scarlet berries and pentagram markings. Aeneas Dennison walks into a forest of myths

7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE

Presidential historian Dr Lindsay M Chervinsky reveals some of the most surprising facts about the world-famous US residence

WHAT IF...CHARLES V HAD INVADED ENGLAND?

Nige Tassell asks Dr Owen Emmerson about the possible chain of events had Henry VIII been deposed by the Holy Roman Emperor

THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD

Dickens expanded his horizons and boosted his fan-base by venturing overseas - but global fame came with a cost

A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON

The works of Charles Dickens are synonymous with visions of Victorian London. We talk to Dr Lee Jackson about the author's love of the capital, and the locations that most inspired him

REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT

A Christmas Carol wasn't just a bestseller - it changed the way that Britons chose to mark the festive season

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

We explore the story behind an allegorical painting that celebrates the triumph of love over hate, peace over war

How to fall in love

Struggling to find that special someone? Justin Pollard looks at the ways in which our ancestors tried to woo would-be lovers - and deal with the consequences when things didn't quite go to plan

'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'

DR LEE JACKSON ON WHY CHARLES DICKENS REMAINS RELEVANT TODAY

GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING

We take a journey through the photo archives to reveal how Christmas and its many traditions have been celebrated over the years - and around the world

HELLISH NELL

Malcolm Gaskill delves into the life of Helen Duncan - the fraudulent Scottish medium whose ectoplasm-filled seances saw her ending up on the wrong side of the law

GIVING THE POOR A VOICE

From Hard Times to Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens used his pen to help illuminate the lives of the less fortunate

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Dr Lee Jackson chronicles Charles Dickens's journey from down-at-luck teenager to titan of Victorian literature

"A Personal Stab of Shock and Horror"

Chris Hallam looks back on the British reaction to President Kennedy's assassination

The Rise and Fall of Poole Pottery

Steve Annandale charts the history of what was, by the 1990s, Dorset's most significant tourist attraction

POSTCARD FROM CHESHIRE

Bob Barton finds out about subsidence, timber-framed buildings, boat lifts, waterways and Lewis Carroll, taking it all with a pinch of salt

THE ULTIMATE RESPONSE

Roger Harvey nominates a sculpture in his native Newcastle as the most poignant and powerful memorial to duty and heroism

DOCTOR HO-HO!

Robert Ross takes a swift spin through some of the comedy stars who have stumbled into the Tardis

ON TARGET

Russell Cook browses through 50 years of a publishing phenomenon

OVER HERE

Michael Foley looks back at how the people of East Anglia reacted to the American \"invasion\" during World War Two that saw the building of dozens of airfields

A BUILDING BONANZA

Claire Saul samples some of the entries in a new publication from the National Trust