British History

'The Morning Walk" by Thomas Gainsborough

Man Charged After Slashing Gainsborough Painting at the National Gallery

Fortunately, preliminary reports suggest that "The Morning Walk" can be repaired

Did Catherine Parr Write a Propaganda Song for Henry VIII?

'Gaude gloriosa Dei mater,' purportedly penned by the king’s sixth wife, will be performed in London for the first time in more than 470 years

Beginning as a religious feast day, Saint Patrick's Day has become an international celebration of Irish heritage.

The Origins of Chicago's Green River, Shamrock Shakes and Other Surprising Trivia About St. Patrick's Day

From colonial patriots to mass-marketed milkshakes, the Irish religious holiday has morphed into a worldwide celebration

Joseph Lister's work was influenced by Louis Pasteur's work on fermentation.

The Idea of Surgeons Washing Their Hands is Only 154 Years Old

The world of surgery before that was much grosser and less effective

Thornbury Castle.

Thornbury Castle, Honeymoon Spot of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, On Sale for $10.3 million

The property boasts boasts 28 bedrooms, sprawling Tudor gardens and restaurant experience in the dungeons

A re-engraving of the best-known picture of Jane Austen, the "memoir portrait," based on a drawing by her sister Cassandra.

Researchers Float (Unlikely) Theory That Jane Austen Died of Arsenic Poisoning

A contested hypothesis says the author’s glasses may offer new insight into her death

First page of the Kempe manuscript

Researchers Decipher Recipe Believed to Treat Medieval Mystic

The find came to light thanks to a multi-spectral analysis on the manuscript of Margery Kempe's autobiography

A collage of the work distributed by the British propaganda effort.

The Fake British Radio Show That Helped Defeat the Nazis

By spreading fake news and sensational rumors, intelligence officials leveraged “psychological judo” against the Nazis in World War II

Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were often portrayed together. Here, Davis is drawn as a Confederate general.

The Illustrator of Alice in Wonderland Also Drew Abraham Lincoln. A Lot

John Tenniel was a well-known editorial cartoonist as well as the man who gave Lewis Carroll’s books their visual charm

An 1817 illustration of a draisine.

This Wooden Running Machine Was Your Fixie’s Great-Great Grandpa

The draisine was invented as a potential replacement for the horse during a shortage

British statesman and author Winston Churchill reads correspondence at his desk in 1933.

“Are We Alone in the Universe?” Winston Churchill's Lost Extraterrestrial Essay Says No

The famed British statesman approached the question of alien life with a scientist's mind

One of the first teddy bears has been in the Smithsonian's collection for over a half-century.

Some of the Most Important (and Cutest) Teddy Bear Moments of the Past 114 Years

The American toy was introduced in 1903, and almost immediately made its mark

Mr. Darcy as depicted in a tailored blue Regency-styled suit.

Meet the Historically Accurate Mr. Darcy

A team of experts on fashion and social culture offer their take on Jane Austen's brooding hero

The 500 artifacts featured in "Tunnel: The Archaeology of Crossrail" offer insight into millennia of the region's history—from Mesolithic tool makers to those affected by the Great Plague of 1665.

New Exhibit Reveals 8,000 Years of London's History

The Museum of London Docklands highlights 500 finds unearthed by the Crossrail Project

Vera Lynn performing a lunchtime concert at a munitions factory in 1941.

WWII Songstress Croons Her Way to Age 100 With a New Album

Dame Vera Lynn "the Forces' Sweetheart" will make the history books with the release

Appert devised the canning process using that old standby, trial-and-error.

The Father of Canning Knew His Process Worked, But Not Why It Worked

Nicolas Appert was trying to win a hefty prize offered by the French army

Balloon prints like this one, of the Great Nassau “enable us to share some sense of the excitement that gripped those watching their fellow beings rise into the sky for the first time,” writes Tom D. Crouch of the National Air and Space Museum.

A Picture History of One of the World’s Greatest Hot Air Balloons

Designed by Charles Green, the Great Nassau was big enough to capture the imaginations of an entire country

The manuscript notebook is comprised of astronomical observations with tables of viewing data, describing transit witnessed by King George III and others, 3 June 1769, with notes signed by Stephen Demainbray, astronomer.

The Royal Archives Reveals the Hidden Genius Behind George III’s “Madness”

Historians are salivating at the opportunity to gain new insights into the massively misunderstood monarch

Weapons from the Falkland War are melted down for the project, which brings together British and Argentinian families affected by the conflict.

This Artist Creates Roses From Weapons Left Behind By War

"Two Roses for Peace" brings together people on both sides of a 1982 conflict

A piece of gold, believed to be a small ring, found in the Hoard

Researchers Finish Separating World's Largest Celtic Coin Hoard

It took nearly three years to separate the more than 68,000 coins

Page 45 of 53