Feature

26 November

The surgeon Robert Liston prepares to cut open a patient in the first half of the 19th century. Known as the “fastest knife in the west end”, Liston could remove a leg in less than 30 seconds. For most patients, however, the agony was more prolonged. (Wellcome Library, London)

An appointment at the house of death: the horror of the early Victorian hospital. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The surgeon Robert Liston prepares to cut open a patient in the first half of the 19th century. Known as the “fastest knife in the west end”, Liston could remove a leg in less than 30 seconds. For most patients, however, the agony was more prolonged. (Wellcome Library, London)

"An enlightened turn": how medicine (and the vaccination) developed in Victorian Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

25 November

24 November

23 November

Egyptologist Howard Carter near golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun in Egypt in 1922.

Is the mummy's curse real? False tales about ancient Egyptian mummies (plus some true ones). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

22 November

Richard II and Henry IV of England. The cousins duked it out for control of England.

The tyrant and the usurper: Richard II v Henry IV. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A mural in Bristol of activist Roy Hackett, one of the primary organisers of the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott (Photo by Steve Taylor ARPS/Alamy Stock Photo)

Hakim Adi | “Racism in Britain has a long history – but so does anti-racism”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Adolf Hitler and his lover, Eva Braun, relaxing in Berchtesgaden in 1942. The Nazi leader’s private life was more ‘normal’ than some accounts have suggested (Photo by akg-images)

“We need to understand the Nazis as human beings”: Richard J Evans on the motivations of Hitler’s followers. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An 18th-century engraving of Edward, Earl of Warwick. Much of his short life was spent in the Tower of London before his execution for alleged treason (Photo by INTERFOTO/Alamy Stock Photo)

The other prince in the Tower: the tragedy of Edward of Warwick. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An 1872 illustration from the weekly newspaper Days’ Doings shows a shoplifter being apprehended (Photo by Look and Learn/Rosenberg Collection/Bridgeman Images)

Lady swindlers: 6 women who turned to lives of crime and became queens of the underworld. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

21 November

20 November

19 November

Schools of hard knocks: Georgian and Victorian public schools. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The school for girls imprisoned at Tothill Fields in the late 1850s. A dedicated schoolmistress was employed to teach that institution’s large female population; in other prisons, the matron took lessons. (Engraving from Chronicle, via Alamy)

Reading, writing and retribution: inside Victorian prison schools. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Shaftesbury Welcome Ragged School in Battersea , 1899. Classes of 40 were not rare, and they could stretch to 80 during staff shortages. (Photo by Mary Evans)

Class warfare: a day in the life of a Victorian schoolchild. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

18 November

17 November

15 November

14 November

13 November

12 November

Visitors promenade alongside a lake with Surrey Zoological Gardens in the background, 1844 (Photo by Guildhall Library & Art Gallery/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Victorian zoosAnimal attraction in the 19th century. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Manchester dog show, c1909

The surprising history of Victorian dog shows. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

11 November

10 November

9 November