CATEGORIES

TIMELINE OF... MILITARY RAILWAYS

Rail transportation and artillery played an important part in military planning from the mid-19th century to the Cold War

WWII SUPER GUNS

In the second great global conflict, railways were mounted with some of the biggest artillery pieces the world had seen

HOW EDINBURGH CASTLE DEFIED THE JACOBITE REBELLION

During the rebellion of 1745, Jacobite forces took control of Edinburgh - but the city's iconic castle would not surrender

Heroes of the Victoria Cross NEVILLE HOWSE

During a fighting retreat at Vredefort, in the Orange Free State, this medical officer rescued a severely wounded man and carried him to safety, despite fierce enemy fire

AFRICAN QUEENS THE WARRIOR 'AMAZONS' OF DAHOMEY

New Hollywood blockbuster The Woman King brings the remarkable story of the female soldiers of 19th-century west Africa to the fore. Jonny Wilkes reveals how this elite fighting force of highly trained and disciplined warriors built such a fearsome reputation

GOING WEST

One man’s chance discovery would put California firmly on the map and change the course of US history

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY | A snapshot of 19th-century Parisian nightlife has hints of a darker story lurking just beneath the surface

WONDERS OF GOD

In the 19th century, numerous young women on both sides of the Atlantic were alleged to be forgoing food and surviving on faith alone. Felicity Day uncovers the secrets of the so-called fasting girls”, whose stories have inspired a new Netflix drama

6 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE CROWN JEWELS

With a coronation on the horizon, we reveal some lesser-known facts about the nation’s most precious treasures

FIRST MILITARY RAILWAYS

Some of the earliest railway networks became critical to conflicts around the world, transporting men and materiel

WWI ON RAILS

The outbreak of the Great War saw the rapid development of armoured trains - formidable weapons that played a pivotal role in the conflict

AN END TO THE BEGINNING - THE SECOND BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN (23 OCTOBER - 11 NOVEMBER 1942)

Eighty years ago, the Allied 8th Army launched a decisive offensive against the Axis forces in North Africa. It saw the tipping point of a long struggle for dominance over the region and precipitated the Axis collapse in the Mediterranean

HOSPITAL TRAINS

These long military medical trains were first developed in the 1850s and reached the zenith of their effectiveness during World War I

EYES ON THE SAND THE LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP AT EL ALAMEIN

Watching and reporting enemy movements, the LRDG served as Monty's eyes and ears in the build up to the decisive battle

THE HITLER WHO FOUGHT FOR THE ALLIES

The estranged half-nephew of the Nazi leader, William Patrick Hitler led his own wartime crusade against his half-uncle across the ocean. William's story is one of family drama, FBI investigations and eventually the taking up of arms against the Axis

CHASING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Being a prospector during the California gold rush was by no means plain sailing, but non-white arrivals had it especially tough

THE PRICE OF GOLD

Dr Stephen Tuffnell shines a light on the staggering cost that intensive mining practices inflicted upon the natural world

What is the importance of the Phaistos Disc?

SHORT ANSWER The ancient treasure may be the key to unlocking an unreadable  script, if it can ever be deciphered

Howard Hughes: the troubled tycoon

Every venture the American business magnate undertook was big from his blockbuster movies to the planes he constructed. But how did Hughes go from rubbing shoulders with the stars to living a life of seclusion?

The Great Smog

On 5 December 1952, as Londoners rushed around the city after the start of the festive season, fingers of fog began to unfurl between chimneys. But as night rolled in, the fog thickened, and soon a blanket of smog was choking the capital. Londoners stumbled around the streets, unable to see further than a few metres in front of them.

The Queen's Jesters

Robert Ross runs his rule over the favourite comedians of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

AUNT ESTHER GOES TO WAR

Stephen Bourne remembers his beloved aunt who told him about her life in wartime London as she survived the blitz

THE ORIGINAL BHOY

Celtic are one of Britain’s biggest football clubs but, as Mark Hornsey reveals, they were founded by a humble religious brother as part of his efforts to raise money to help the poor and disadvantaged of Glasgow’s East End

Well Worth a Pepys

Simon Stabler discovers a vintage inn that really did improve with age

England’s Forgotten Football Great

Yorkshireman George Raynor led Sweden to the final of the 1958 World Cup. Margaret Brecknell remembers a managerial pioneer whose achievements are little recognised in his homeland

THE BIG CHANNEL 4-O

Neil Anthony was in at the start of the UK’s first new television channel for 18 years and recalls the heady and hectic times of producing new programmes

SOFA SURFER

Chris Hallam pays tribute to former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull whose long career enabled him to build up an easy intimacy with his audience

CARTER, CARNARVON AND A KING

Glenys Adams puts together the pieces of a historical drama and murder mystery set in Ancient Egypt which continues to fascinate over hundreds of years

The Queen's Champion

Simon Stabler speaks to writer and actor Sanjeev Bhaskar, the star of The Kumars at No 42, Queen Elizabeth II's favourite television programme

POSTCARD FROM SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Bob Barton visits a man-made island in the cradle of the steel city, enjoys a pub crawl with a rock legends theme and spends a day on the buses