Buzz Aldrin Poses next To The U.S. flag On Moon

American history

My History Hero: Franklin D Roosevelt (1882- 1945). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

President John F Kennedy speaking at a press conference, c1963. (Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

Q&A: If President Kennedy hadn’t been wearing a back brace when he was assassinated, would he have lived?

George G Meade, best known for defeating Confederate General Robert E Lee at the battle of Gettysburg in 1863. (Photo by Matthew Brady/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

Gettysburg: Lincoln’s greatest victory

18th-century slave uprising

Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The 16th president of the United States "understood the value of hard work, had deep beliefs and pursued them," says Alastair Campbell. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

My history hero: Abraham Lincoln (1809–65). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration depicting the battle of Naseby, arguably one of the most significant land battles in British history. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

20 important battles that shaped Britain

LA Times photo from newspaper report 1942

A big day in history: Japanese planes attack Los Angeles. Or do they?

A big day in history: A speck of glitter triggers the California Gold Rush

Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, gives his 'victory' sign while making a polling day tour of his constituency during an election. (Getty Images)

Are these the most overrated people in history?

George Frederick Handel married opera's passion with the respectability of biblical texts, says Tim Blanning. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

10 milestones in the history of western music

A 1864 campaign banner. (David J & Janice Frent/Corbis via Getty Images)

US presidents: Race, religion and re-election?

Ye olde travel guide: Philadelphia 1774. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Rosa Parks Riding the Bus

My history hero: Rosa Parks (1913-2005). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A coloured engraving from the 16th century depicting Walter Ralegh's arrival in Virginia. (DeAgostini/Getty Images)

Tudors in America: how England's New World colonies came into being

The Cold War Olympic boycott. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Industrial might: Blenheim bombers in production in England, late 1939. The Allies’ combined industrial strength proved too much for the Axis. (Getty Images)

Second World War

The LibraryThe world in flames

Richard Buckminster standing next to his draft of a house of the 21st century. (Ullstein picture via Getty Images)

My History Hero: Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Abraham Lincoln: 5 facts

An American privateer is shown repelling a British attack during the War of 1812. Despite some notable successes, the British regarded the entire conflict as a sideshow and quickly forgot it. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

When Washington burned

Mary Beard, professor of classics at the University of Cambridge. (David Levenson/Getty Images)

My history hero: Sir Moses I Finley (1912–86). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

American golfer Bobby Jones practising his swing on the roof of the Savoy Hotel in London. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

My history hero: Robert Tyre Jones (1902–71)

1492: The Year Our World Began

My history hero: Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A European buyer of enslaved people

General History

Who started the enslavement of Africans in the Americas?

Illustration by Jonty Clark

Ye olde travel guide: New Orleans 1858. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The surprisingly long history of humanity's political development

Lincoln’s British enemies

Civil rights and the Civil War

Two women from South America. Six centuries ago South American civilisations matched the west in some respects. (Getty Images)

The wonder of the west

Communist sport: Cold War copycats