CATEGORIES

Commercial GREATS

Sam Savelli offers an exclusive look inside Britain’s largest treasure trove of vintage adverts

Jazzy Jingles

Advertising jingles have a habit of working their way into our memories and taking up residence because the repetitive tunes and memorable lyrics are designed to trigger singalong behaviour.

SHARP PRACTICES

It pays to be vigilant, warns Derek Lamb

ONE OF THE BEST

The name Bentley conjures up opulence, comfort and speed. François Prins looks at the history of this remarkable marque that is admired the world over

BACK IN TIME WITH COLIN BAKER

BoB’s very own Time Lord serves up a winner (and a loser), celebrates a fellow actor’s selflessness and harks back to the days of spoiler-free science fiction

High Drama at Haddon Hall

Claire Saul pulls focus on one of the UK's most popular filming locations

Beagle Basset 206

Dave Eyles brightens up his display cabinet by building a handsome, twin-engine light executive plane from the Airfix Vintage Classics range

TESLA - The tormented genius who electrified the scientific world

You might drive one of the cars, maybe you’ve heard of the coil, but just how much do you really know about the late 19th century inventor and technological wizard Nikola Tesla?

THE FORGOTTEN EMPIRE

Mark Healy reveals why the Assyrian Empire was a power to be reckoned with

The Seong Sisters

How three women's influence went on to change the course of Chinese history

GUTENBERG'S PRINTING PRESS DID NOT SUCCEED?

How reform could have been stifled and the empowerment of literacy controlled by the elites of Church and State

BATTLE OF SOMOSIERRA

SOMOSIERRA PASS, SEGOVIA, SPAIN, 30 NOVEMBER 1808

BRITAIN IN TURMOIL

Dr Clare Jackson discusses why Britain was viewed as a 'failed state' during the Stuart period of instability

GALILEO vs The Inquisition

How the revered astronomer went head to head with the might of the Catholic Church

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT MEDIEVAL WOMEN

Dr Eleanor Janega addresses common misconceptions surrounding the lives of women during the Middle Ages

SHOWDOWN IN THE DESERT

The Italian campaigns in Africa sought to end British rule over Egypt and control of the Suez Canal, strengthening Mussolini’s dominance over the Mediterranean

ITALIANS IN THE EAST

Reeling from his setbacks in North Africa, and eager to prove his forces’ worth against the communist foe, Il Duce sent a large expeditionary force to join the Nazi invasion of the USSR

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

A timeless image of self-actualisation that reveals the power of art to create change

STRIKE AT AFRICA

Mussolini envisaged building an empire to rival Ancient Rome. Once he’d established his grip on Italy, he set his sights on Abyssinia as the place to begin

AIR BATTLE FOR KURSK

On the eve of Operation Citadel, the Red Air Force sought to pre-empt the attack by smashing the Luftwaffe. The risky spoiling operation failed spectacularly

SUPER SPREADERS IN THE TRENCHES

During the latter period of WWI, infection and disease were a universal enemy on both sides of no man’s land. Vaccination and prevention methods became essential for survival, never mind victory, on the frontline

William Blake: Romantic visionary

Seeing the world in a way that made his contemporaries think him mad, Blake was a minor figure in his own time. Today, as Danny Bird reveals, he's regarded as one of Britain's greatest-ever artists and poets

The Troian War

The ancient clash between the Greeks and Trojans has captivated people for millennia. Danny Bird looks at its influence on the Romans, what archaeologists have found, and whether it was all just a myth

PIOUS PIONEERS

Although men still called the shots, women played an active and important role in the development of the medieval church

PROKHOROVKA AND THE FIGHT FOR HILL 252.2

The Battle of Prokhorovka, on 12 July 1943, was the culmination point of the southern pincer of Operation Citadel. The Soviets ultimately emerged victorious, despite suffering extremely heavy losses to their armour. Here, Dr Ben Wheatley recounts the struggle for one critical position during the battle: Hill 252.2

THE IRA'S WAR IN COUNTY TYRONE

The IRA's East Tyrone Brigade was one of its deadliest units. This is the inside story of how one of its attacks triggered a retaliatory ambush by the SAS

MAKING AN HONEST LIVING

Women of the Middle Ages didn't just carry out chores at home – they crafted, created and cultivated in all manner of environments

JOHNSON BEHARRY

Two acts of valour from this young private saved the lives of his comrades in the narrow streets of Al Amarah, Iraq

CHANGING IDENTITIES

What happens when a spy becomes the subject of other people's investigations? Nige Tassell delves into the life of the Chevalier d'Éon - the French master of disguise who defied conventional notions of gender

5 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BEAUTY

Lucy Jane Santos examines a selection of the cosmetic practices our forebears used in a bid to keep themselves looking their best