British History

Presenting Smithsonian magazine's top ten stories of 2019

Our Top Ten Stories of 2019

From a 16-million-year-old tree to Confederate soldiers’ diaries, voracious snakes and England’s warrior king, these were the most-read stories of 2019

Urquhart Castle, which sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland

Job Hunting? How About Working at a Stunning Scottish Castle?

Even after centuries in ruins, castles still need some TLC—and, perhaps, you?

The film opens on Christmas Day.

The True History Behind the '1917' Movie

A story shared by director Sam Mendes' grandfather, a veteran of the Western Front, inspired the new World War I film

On Christmas Eve 1869, a bird-related incident ruffled Charles Dickens' feathers.

Charles Dickens Lost His Last Christmas Turkey to a Freak Fire

A rediscovered letter reveals the famed author forgave the railway company that botched his holiday delivery

A 1997 photograph submitted by Andrea Ekins

See 150 Years of Stonehenge Family Photos

The collection offers a glimpse into humans' engagement with the monument

Roman tweezers found during bridge construction

Roman Ear Cleaner, Tweezers Unearthed in England

The ear cleaning tool looks similar to a modern Q-tip but is made entirely out of metal

Popular lore posits that Jimi Hendrix, or perhaps the crew of classic Hollywood film The African Queen, released the invasive species in the U.K., but a new study suggests otherwise.

Contrary to Popular Legend, Jimi Hendrix Did Not Introduce an Invasive Parakeet to the U.K.

A new study debunks several colorful theories about how ring-necked parakeets became the most abundant naturalized parrot across the pond

The Elgin cast, seen on right, reveals sculptural details lost today.

3-D Imaging Reveals Toll of Parthenon Marbles' Deterioration

A new study of 19th-century plaster casts of the controversial sculptures highlight details lost over the past 200 years

The shield was buried alongside a 2,000-year-old chariot drawn by two horses.

Archaeologists Unearth Celtic Warrior Grave Complete With Chariot, Elaborate Shield

One expert hailed the shield as "the most important British Celtic art object of the millennium"

The two cracked eggs emitted a "sulfurous aroma" during excavation.

Archaeologists Crack the Case of 1,700-Year-Old Roman Eggs

Two of the eggs broke open during excavation, but one remains intact

A sonar image of the S.M.S. Scharnhorst, which sank in the south Atlantic on December 8, 1914

German Ship Sunk During WWI Found Off Falkland Islands

Archaeologists started searching for the "Scharnhorst" on the centenary of the 1914 battle

Elizabeth's penmanship deteriorated over time, with the speed and sloppiness of her writing rising in direct correlation with the crown's increasing demands.

Elizabeth I's 'Idiosyncratic' Handwriting Identifies Her as the Scribe Behind a Long Overlooked Translation

The Tudor queen wrote in an "extremely distinctive, disjointed hand," says scholar John-Mark Philo

William Shakespeare (left) and John Fletcher (right) both contributed to Henry VIII, a new study suggests.

Artificial Intelligence Reveals Second Playwright’s Contributions to Shakespeare’s 'Henry VIII'

Scholars have long suspected the play, written in 1613, was a collaborative effort. Now, an algorithm has mapped out who wrote what

Helpers fill sandbags on the tip above the shattered Pantglas Junior School to divert a spring and avert the risk of further landslides at Aberfan, South Wales.

The True Story of the Aberfan Disaster

The 1966 Welsh mining tragedy claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults and features heavily in the third season of Netflix's "The Crown"

One of the three Armada portraits of Queen Elizabeth I

Three Portraits of Victorious Elizabeth I to Be Displayed Together for the First Time

The paintings were created in the wake of England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada

British novelist Ian Fleming on the beach near Goldeneye, his Jamaica home, on February 23, 1964

For Sale: Trove of Tempestuous Letters Exchanged by Ian Fleming and His Wife, Ann

"In the present twilight, we are hurting each other to an extent that makes life hardly bearable," wrote the James Bond author in one missive

Researchers debate whether Iron Age Scots hunted the massive fin whales or simply made the most of animals swept ashore.

Archaeologists Unearth Hollowed-Out Whale Vertebra Containing Human Jawbone, Remains of Newborn Lambs

Iron Age Scots made the unusual vessel with the bone of a fin whale, Earth's second largest whale species

The markings range from letters to shapes, patterns and symbols.

You Can Now Explore a 3-D Model of Cave Covered in Creepy 'Witches' Marks'

Visitors spotted hundreds of etchings designed to ward off evil while exploring a cave in England's Creswell Crags

Contractors found a witch bottle similar to the one pictured here while demolishing a former inn's chimney.

'Witch Bottle' Filled With Teeth, Pins and Mysterious Liquid Discovered in English Chimney

The charms were designed to ward off witches, but new research suggests they had medical uses as well

Henry V's nine-year reign saw a flourishing of royal authority and military action but ended abruptly with his untimely death in 1422

The True Story of Henry V, England’s Warrior King

The new biopic “The King” finds Timothée Chalamet tracing Henry’s evolution from wayward prince to heroic warrior

Page 30 of 53