Family and parenting

Photo of a crocodile

Q&AWhy do we say 'crocodile tears'?

The vanquishers of the Bastille before the Hôtel de Ville, 14 July 1789. Found in the Collection of Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

What triggered the French Revolution?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A contemporary illustration of the Storming of the Bastille, 14 July 1789 – an event that helped create the idea of 'revolution' as we know it today. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Fighting for freedom: the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution

5 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Plantagenets

A 20th-century fresco 'Plucking the Red and White Roses in the Old Temple Gardens' by Henry Payne. It depicts a scene by Shakespeare, showing Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset being challenged by Richard, 3rd Duke of York to choose between the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster. (Photo by Artefact / Alamy Stock Photo)

7 things you (probably) didn’t know about the houses of Lancaster and York. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Apartheid road sign

Your guide to apartheid in South Africa. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A red herring on a plate

Q&AWhy do we say ‘red herring’?

A cartoon of Napoleon and King George III.

Q&AHow tall was Napoleon Bonaparte?

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte: facts about his life, death and career

Members of the royal family: Prince Louis; Prince George; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Princess Charlotte; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; Princess Anne, Princess Royal; and Queen Elizabeth II during the Queen's annual birthday parade on 8 June 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Q&AHow did the royals choose 'Windsor'?

Q&AWhy do we say ‘white elephant’?

A portrait of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare: a guide to the life of England's greatest playwright

A 1782 cartoon by James Gillray that depicts Buller as ‘Judge Thumb’. (Photo by Library of Congress)

Q&AWhy do we say ‘rule of thumb’?

The battle of Towton during the War of the Roses, 1461. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Wars of the Roses: the 15th-century clash of kings that heralded the dawn of the Tudor dynasty

No 10 Downing Street has been home to dozens of prime ministers (and numerous cats) since the iconic residence was first offered to Sir Robert Walpole

23 things you (probably) didn't know about No 10 Downing Street, the official residence of Britain's prime ministers

Battle of Culloden. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Your guide to the battle of Culloden – plus 7 myths busted

Da Vinci's sketch 'The Vitruvian Man'. Da Vinci's talents ranged from anatomy to military engineering, and many of his innovations were not explored further for several centuries. (Photo by: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)

Your guide to Leonardo da Vinci: his life, inventions and milestones in his career

The 'Alexander Mosaic' showing Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great: all you need to know about the empire builder and military genius

A portrait of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch

Henry VII: your guide to the first Tudor king

The Tudors: 51 moments that shaped the royal dynasty

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Norman invasion of 1066. The tapestry was most likely embroidered by women in Norman England in a workshop setting using four embroidery stitches – stem stitch; split stitch; chain stitch; and laid work, sometimes called ‘Bayeux Stitch’, says Dr Alexandra Lester-Makin. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Bayeux Tapestry: what is it, why was it made and what story does it tell?

Otto von Bismarck, pictured on horseback, was instrumental in the creation of a unified German state and was among the most influential politicians of late 19th-century Europe.(Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Otto von Bismarck: a brief guide to the ‘founder of modern Germany’

Smokey the bear is presented with a firefighter's helmet

The paratrooper, the poet's pet and the real Winnie: 10 famous bears in history

A depiction of Robin Hood, the heroic archer in English folklore who supposedly robbed the rich and gave to the poor. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

Robin Hood: 7 myths about the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forest

QuizHow well do you know Year 9 history?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Extract from Domesday Book.

Your guide to the Domesday Book: the most important document in English history?

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie in profile: facts about her life

9 things you (probably) didn’t know about Helen Keller

19th century advert for snuff

Q&AWhat was snuff?

Charles Darwin and the Beagle: how the voyage transformed our understanding of the world