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Go west: Refugees crowd the quayside in the port of Kolberg. Between them and their destination in the west lay freezing waters, mines and enemy submarines. (Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Operation Hannibal 1945: the Germany evacuation that dwarfed the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’

Colour painting showing Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi on a horse.

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi: the heroic queen dubbed India’s ‘Joan of Arc’

Confronting Holocaust Denial with David Baddiel (Image by Wall to Wall Media/Laurence Turnbull)

Confronting Holocaust denial: “History is more of a battleground now than ever” says David Baddiel

The police attempt to quell the crowd, and succeed only in inciting more violence. (Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

The Stonewall Riots: the flashpoint that launched the gay rights movement in the US

An illustration depicting Governor Tryon and the Regulators, c1877.

What was the Regulator movement that features in Outlander?

Black rights activist Malcolm X

Malcolm X: Activism, assassination and how he predicted his own death

The Battle of Bunker Hill

From Scots Highlanders to German soldiers: the Europeans who fought on both sides of the War of American Independence

An Art Deco mechanical valentine (moving the cape causes the arms to move up and down) from the 1930s. (Photo by Alan Mays)

‘Vinegar Valentines’: 9 surprisingly dark Valentine’s Day cards from the past

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Prime Minister Harold Macmillan at Admiralty House, London

History hero Michael Heseltine chooses Harold Macmillan (1894–1986) . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Queen Victoria refused to wear her crimson velvet robes of state for her wedding to Albert. Instead, she opted for a dress of pure white and “simple magnificence”. (Photo by Rischgitz/Getty Images)

“Nothing could have gone off better”: the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

'The Young Victoria' follows the early relationship of Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert. The monarch was played by Emily Blunt in the 2009 film. (Images by Bettmann/Getty Images/Alamy)

Leading ladies in love: 6 historical movies to watch this Valentine’s Day

Bottle of 'love potion'

General ancient history

Spanish fly, holy bread and mashed worms: history’s weirdest aphrodisiacs and love potions

Charles Manson stares out from fabric on sale in San Francisco

The afterlife of Charles Manson

During his time in Oxford, Wilde fully embraced ‘aesthetic flair’: growing his hair long; dressing in flamboyant fashions and assuming exaggerated affectations. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

7 facts you (probably) didn’t know about Oscar Wilde

The Battle of Lepanto between Holy League soldiers and Ottoman troops

The battle of Lepanto: when Ottoman forces clashed with Christians