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The cast of Downton Abbey in front of Highclere Castle

Downstairs in Downton: a guide to the life of an Edwardian servant

The Lockheed U-2 shares little in common with a flying saucer. (Image by Alamy)

Q&A How did Area 51 become associated with aliens?

Tyburn, just north of Marble Arch, served as the capital's hanging spot for centuries. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

An A-Z guide to the history of executions

A student party, c1824: Oxford undergraduates drinking together. drinking escapade.

The Georgian guide to university life

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Max Hastings by Fran Monks

Max Hastings on the Dambusters . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Highclere Castle

The secrets of Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle

Ramesses II holding prisoners

Was Ramesses II really that great?

Baked loves of bread

Q&A Why are there 13 items in a Baker’s Dozen?

The Acts of Union was signed in 1706 and 1707, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

The historical differences between Scottish and English Law, and what it means for Brexit

Soldiers at the battle of Arnhem

Second World War

9 things you (probably) didn’t know about the battle of Arnhem

The wrecked remains of an Allied glider that participated in Market Garden

Second World War

Why Operation Market Garden, the Allies’ battle for Arnhem, was a disaster in the planning

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Suzie Lipscomb by Steve Sayers.

Suzannah Lipscomb on women’s lives in Reformation France . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ballerina Margot Fonteyn in a tutu

Q&A Who invented the tutu?

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Tom Holland by Helen Atkinson

Tom Holland on Christianity’s enduring legacy . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A gamer plays the video game 'Red Dead Redemption II', an action-adventure and multi-platform western video game developed by Rockstar Studios released on October 26, 2018. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Battlefield V: the real history behind 3 popular video games