10 Downing Street, the residence of the prime minister of the United Kingdom. (Photo by Getty Images)

Politics

Two American soldiers wait for the second wave of combat helicopters of the 1st Air Cavalry Division during Operation Pershing during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War defined America in the second half of the 20th century. (Photo by Patrick Christain/Getty Images)

Your guide to the Vietnam War – plus 7 surprising facts you might not know

How William Shakespeare shaped America

Scotland's cry for liberty: the Declaration of Arbroath

Wales’s turbulent 20th century. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler watch a Nazi parade staged for the Italian dictators's visit to Germany. (Photo by Getty Images)

How do dictators seize power? The malevolent careers of eight 20th-century leaders explained

Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler watch a Nazi parade staged for the Italian dictators's visit to Germany. (Photo by Getty Images)

Dictators explained. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

"We cannot walk alone": 26 August 1963 – As they hold hands, Martin Luther King Jr and the other leaders of the March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom make history. (Photo by Robert W. Kelley/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

The story of Martin Luther King's struggle for civil rights in America

Nancy Astor on the campaign trail in 1919

Nancy Astor facts: who was the first female MP in British history to take her seat in parliament?

The Cato Street conspiracy

Georgian terrorists: the Cato Street Conspiracy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump

From Lincoln to Trump: a brief history of the US Republican Party

The rise of Hitler. (Photo by Getty Images)

The rise of Hitler. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Founding fathers: the men who made America

Prime Minister Harold Macmillan at Admiralty House, London

History heroMichael Heseltine chooses Harold Macmillan (1894–1986). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A bust of Charlemagne

Charlemagne: creating the myth

John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon

Does history show that age affects US presidents’ performance? Plus, how old is too old?

Democratic presidential candidates Birch Bayh, Jimmy Carter, Fred R Harris, Milton Shapp take on the press during the Iowa Democratic Caucus on 11 January 1976. (Photo by NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

A brief history of the US Democratic Party

January 1973: Londoners reading the newspapers headlining Britain's entry into the Common Market.

When did the UK join the European Economic Community (EEC) and why?

(Illustration by Davide Bonazzi for BBC History Magazine)

The big question: has the European Union been a success?

Photo of Adolf Hitler

Rise of a dictator: how did Hitler gain power and become the führer of Germany?

An illustration of the barons compelling King John to ratify Magna Carta, 1215. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

6 facts about Magna Carta

The state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill

The death of Sir Winston Churchill and the top-secret plans for his funeral

Ayatollah Khomeini

General ancient history

A brief history of Iran

French prime minister Georges Clemenceau (left), US president Woodrow Wilson (centre) and British PM David Lloyd George at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919. The treaty's provisions have been blamed for causing the Second World War. (Image by Topfoto)

First World War

Did the Versailles peace treaty trigger another world war?

From Allies to enemies. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Crowds protest in Tehran

Opinion: is Iran a nation at war with itself?

The long history of Brexit. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The two faces of Robert Mugabe

Setting a trap: East German soldiers construct the Berlin Wall, 13 August 1961. The barrier was an attempt to stop the flood of Germans fleeing from east to west – yet, as scores of audacious escape bids attest, it didn't entirely succeed. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

Escape from East Berlin: an audacious bid to tunnel under the Berlin Wall

“Somewhere in between exploitation and empowerment”: James Norton on society osteopath Stephen Ward

The Trial of Christine Keeler. (Photo by BBC)

Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies: the women at the heart of the Profumo Affair