Family and parenting

London crowds celebrating the signing of the armistice at the end of the First World War.

First World War

Armistice Day: what does it commemorate? Why are poppies worn? Plus 4 more things you need to know

The England football team badge, showing three lions on a field of ten Tudor roses

Q&AWhy are there three lions on the shirts of the English football team?

A Neanderthal skull and some of the tools used by the Neanderthals. (Photo by Getty Images)

General prehistory

Your guide to Neanderthals, plus 7 fascinating facts

A group of wartime evacuees take time to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, flipping pancakes in the air

Shrove Tuesday historyWhy do we eat pancakes?

A portrait of the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815) during the Napoleonic Wars. Although Waterloo was "undeniably the most pivotal battle of this campaign", it was not the final battle against France, says Jem Duducu. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

7 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Napoleonic Wars

A 17th-century engraving of the Mount Vesuvius eruption of AD 79, by Athanasius Kircher (Photo by Shawshots/Alamy Stock Photo)

Your ultimate guide to Pompeii, plus 8 fascinating facts about the ancient Roman city

A depiction of Queen Cleopatra, c50 BC

Who was Cleopatra? Her life, her love affairs and her children, plus 6 little-known facts

Black and white photo of a group of women marching while holding a sign saying 'International Women's Day'

A brief history of International Women's Day: what is it and why do we celebrate it?

A medieval illustration showing a doctor bleeding a patient

General History

A history of medicine14 surprising facts

Theban mural showing people plucking geese. (Photo by DEA / G Dagli Orti/De Agostini/Getty Images)

Life in Ancient Egypt: what was it like?

A man goes into a village at night on the eve of Samhain

What is the history behind the Celtic festival of Samhain and what does it have to do with Halloween?

Tutankhamun’s golden funeral mask

Your guide to Tutankhamun, plus 8 fascinating facts

Industrial revolution

Q&AWhy do we say ‘get the sack’?

Elizabeth II poses for a portrait in Buckingham Palace in December 1958

Queen Elizabeth II50+ facts about her life and reign

An illustration depicting the Great Fire of London.

Your guide to the Great Fire of London, plus 10 surprising facts

A portrait of King Henry VIII

Henry VIIIThe life and rule of the Tudor king, plus 5 surprising facts

A fierce clash between colonists and British troops in Boston on 5 March 1770

The American Revolution: your guide to the 18th-century war of independence

Eggs, bunnies and Jesus Christ: the history and origins of Easter

St Patick depicted in a 13th-century folio

The history of St Patrick's Day traditions – and the importance of the colour green

An aerial photo of Stonehenge

Your guide to Stonehenge, plus 12 fascinating facts you might not know

(Illustration by Glen McBeth for BBC History Magazine)

Q&AWhat is the origin and meaning of the pirate expression ‘shiver me timbers’?

Tom Smith's Surprise Cosaques, Christmas Crackers 1878. (Image by Getty)

The history of Christmas crackers

The USS West Virginia burns at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941

What if…Japan hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The destroyer USS Shaw explodes in a massive fireball at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. The attack led almost immediately to Germany declaring war on America, and so brought Stalin an unexpected ally of colossal potential power, says Laurence Rees. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

OpinionWhy December 1941 was the most important month of WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Charles II sitting on a throne

Your guide to King Charles II, the ‘merry monarch’

A trieme is rowed towards a naval battle in a scene depicting the battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC

The ancient Greeks at war: hoplites, the phalanx and the greatest battles

A stone statue of Achilles

Q&AWhy do we say ‘Achilles Heel’?

The Statue of Liberty against a blue sky

Q&AWas the Statue of Liberty designed specifically for the United States?

A portrait of Katherine Parr in a jewelled head dress and finery

Q&AWhat happened to Katherine Parr’s daughter, Mary Seymour, after her mother’s death?

Crown Prince Olav on his ice yacht (Getty Images)

From Hollywood to war heroes: 10 Olympians who were more famous outside sport