General History

Actress Vesta Tilley poses with a bicycle while dressed in male uniform

General History

Drag kings: a brief history of male impersonators

Spies in show business. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Curling stones during a match at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah

General History

A brief history of curling – from medieval Scotland to the Winter Olympics

British identity in 50 documents. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An old man penetrating the earth's firmament to see the workings of the universe beyond

A brief history of astronomy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Valentine's celebrations in historyFrom fertility festivals to the first cards

A cartoon of Queen Elizabeth I

General History

QuizMonarchy: from William the Conqueror to the Windsors

A replica of St Edward’s Crown, used in the coronation of British rulers since 1661

General History

Who is Britain’s greatest monarch?

Berlin’s tumultuous history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Gothic: from Dracula to The Shining. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Women of the Rothschild dynasty. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

When were punctuation marks first used? Illustration by Glen McBeth for BBC History Magazine.

General History

Q&AWhen were punctuation marks first used?

The Age of Sail: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Hells, heavens and afterworlds: a traveller’s guide. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The New Year’s resolutions Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and Franklin D Roosevelt should have made…

General History

7 real moments in history you might think are made up

Three medieval carol singers, image dated 1911

Christmas carols: the history behind 9 festive favourites

A Victorian Christmas card

HistoryExtra's Christmas history quiz

Anna Whitelock's Talking PointsFriends or enemies?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Still Life of Game Birds, oil on canvas. Birds such as goose, swan and peacock were often on the late medieval festive menu

The roasts of Christmas past: 5 festive dinners from British history

A woman on a bike cycles in front of a castle

General History

A real castle for Christmas: 5 places to explore and stay this festive season

Supernatural stories: 9 unusual British folktales

Illustration of the Red Dragon of China

Has China always been the world’s greatest superpower?

Everything you wanted to know about Canadian history

Canadian history: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What are the challenges of telling LGBTQ history?

Young woman gets hair cut in to a bob

A brief history of changing hairstyles

Eadwine the Scribe, c mid-12th century. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

A history of left-handed writing. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Terracotta plaque which is believed to show the poet Sappho rejecting an amorous advance by her contemporary who is also from the island of Lesbos. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

From Sappho to It’s a Sin: 9 LGBT+ histories, chosen by experts

View of a gay pride parade in Boston, Massachusetts, c1977. (Photo by Spencer Grant/Getty Images)

From the ancient world to the 1969 Stonewall Riots: a brief guide to LGBT+ history

Historians have chosen their favourite historical novels.

22 of the best historical fiction novels to help you escape to the past