CATEGORIES

WHAT IF...JAMES II AND VII HAD KEPT HIS THRONE?

Nige Tassell asks Professor Ted Vallance about the future of both monarchy and state religion had James II and VII not been usurped in 1688

Get a good night's sleep

Being able to enjoy eight hours’ straight slumber is today seen as something of a superpower. But, as Justin Pollard reveals, attitudes to sleep and its medical importance have evolved over the centuries

LOVE IN THE TIME OF WAR

In 1939, two young women set out to make matchmaking and marriages a more businesslike affair. Jonny Wilkes delves into the story of the Marriage Bureau, and reveals how it transformed attitudes towards dating in Britain

A SHARED STRUGGLE

While the precise context may have been different, Britain’s own fight for equality drew inspiration from events across the pond

THE CALL OF THE PANTHERS

When a young black activist rose to speak at a Mississippi rally in June 1966, his words lit the touchpaper of a powerful new political force

13 MOMENTS THAT SHAPED A MOVEMENT

Discover the stories behind the seismic events that came to define the long battle for civil rights in the US

THE LONG ROAD TO RACIAL EQUALITY

Professor Adriane Lentz-Smith examines the deep-rooted history of segregation and discrimination that fuelled the creation of the American Civil Rights Movement

5 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF ALCOHOL

Professor Phil Withington looks at humanity's long love of booze from the caves of prehistory to the gin houses of Georgian London

WHAT IF...ADOLF HITLER HAD NOT SENT THE WEHRMACHT INTO THE SOVIET UNION?

Professor Evan Mawdsley tells Nige Tassell about the direction that World War II may have taken had the Nazis not turned eastwards

How to get rich

Pssst! Fancy making some cash? Justin Pollard tells us what we can learn from the lives of history's wealthiest individuals, and why it takes much more than brains and brawn to make lots of money

6 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Hay Fever

As pollen levels begin to rise, we ask: why is it called hay fever? How did people in the past treat the condition? And why was it originally known as a disease of the upper classes?

MAKING AN HONEST LIVING

Women of the Middle Ages didn't just carry out chores at home – they crafted, created and cultivated in all manner of environments

PIOUS PIONEERS

Although men still called the shots, women played an active and important role in the development of the medieval church

WHAT IF...THE CONTINENTAL ARMY HAD NOT ESCAPED AFTER THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND?

Nige Tassell and Professor Benjamin Carp consider the fate of the American colonies had George Washington not ordered his troops to retreat from the battlefield in August 1776

THE HUNT FOR THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN

From Alexander the Great to Sir Edmund Hillary, the Yeti has fascinated visitors to the Himalayas for millennia. Jonny Wilkes follows in the footsteps of the cryptid and the explorers who have spent their lives trying to find it

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

A timeless image of self-actualisation that reveals the power of art to create change

CHANGING IDENTITIES

What happens when a spy becomes the subject of other people's investigations? Nige Tassell delves into the life of the Chevalier d'Éon - the French master of disguise who defied conventional notions of gender

DOMESTIC BLISS?

From raising children to baking bread, medieval women were forced to bear the brunt of the household duties

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT MEDIEVAL WOMEN

Dr Eleanor Janega addresses common misconceptions surrounding the lives of women during the Middle Ages

5 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BEAUTY

Lucy Jane Santos examines a selection of the cosmetic practices our forebears used in a bid to keep themselves looking their best

William Blake: Romantic visionary

Seeing the world in a way that made his contemporaries think him mad, Blake was a minor figure in his own time. Today, as Danny Bird reveals, he's regarded as one of Britain's greatest-ever artists and poets

The Troian War

The ancient clash between the Greeks and Trojans has captivated people for millennia. Danny Bird looks at its influence on the Romans, what archaeologists have found, and whether it was all just a myth

Even when out on rest periods they were constantly training for the next 'big push'

PETER HART ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD WAR I TRENCH WARFARE

SISTERS IN ARMS

Women played vital roles in the war effort, working as nurses and ambulance drivers

TRENCH LIFE THROUGH A LENS

We delve into a selection of the most striking snapshots from the trenches of World War I

HELL ON EARTH

The battle of the Somme offers a powerful reminder of the brutal reality of trench warfare

SHRAPNEL, SHELL-SHOCK AND SHATTERED DEFENCES

Trench warfare forced military strategists to develop fresh tactics and terrifying new weaponry - in a bid to gain the upper hand

A DISMAL EXISTENCE

From fear to boredom, life in the trenches left men battling a range of emotions - as well as lice and rodents

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE IN THE TRENCHES

Peter Hart answers questions about the experiences of the men who served in some of the harshest conditions of World War I

Fulvia: the power broker of ancient Rome

As the wife of three successive political heavyweights, Fulvia attained a level of influence that few Roman women could have dreamed of. But is her legacy as a cruel opportunist entirely fair? Danny Bird reveals all...