British History

Wacky Victorian women play behind a clothing screen, ca. 1900.

Researchers Seek Silly Sherlocks to Dig up Victorian-Era Jokes

Joke detectives are using the British Library to uncover what made Victorians chuckle

Heir to Punk Royalty Will Burn $7 Million Worth of Punk Memorabilia

Son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren says it’s to spite the Queen

Bristol Old Vic artistic director Tom Morris with the thunder run.

A New Production of "King Lear" Features 18th-Century Special Effects

The Bristol Old Vic’s thunder run hasn’t been used since 1942

Suffragettes form a part of Emily Davison's funeral procession through London. She was a fellow campaigner who was trampled to death when, as a protest gesture, she tried to catch the reins of King George V's horse as it ran in the 1913 Epsom Derby.

The True History of Suffragette

Emily Wilding Davison was a tireless and ingenious activist for the cause of women's suffrage in Britain

A rare English gold pound coin dating to 1594-1596, with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I.

Queen Elizabeth I Held England’s First Official Lottery 450 Years Ago

The lucky winner took home a prize that included not just money, but also fancy dishware and tapestries

"History will be kind to me," wrote Winston Churchill, "for I intend to write it myself."

UNESCO Honors Winston Churchill's Writings With the Equivalent of World Heritage Status

Churchill's papers join the ranks of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Anne Frank's diary and the Magna Carta

A Brief History of Plaid

From highlanders to hipsters

Francis Bacon, social networking superstar, strikes a pose ca. 1618.

Six Degrees of Francis Bacon Is Your New Favorite Trivia Game

Move over, Kevin!

A Bronze Age mummified skeleton lies tightly curled in Bradley Fen in Cambridgeshire, England.

Mummies May Have Been Scattered Across Bronze Age Britain

Skeletal analysis hints that, intentional or not, mummification may have been more common than previously thought

An aerial view of Jamestown, St. Helena's capital.

It Just Got Easier to Visit the Place Where Napoleon Was Exiled (the Second Time)

Remote, rugged, finally accessible — St. Helena will soon have its first-ever airport

A 13th-Century Sword Is Giving Historians a Headache

The sword's inscription is an 800-year-old mystery

A stone etching on the grave of crewmember Lt. John Irving depicts the dire conditions that the Franklin expedition faced when they reached the Canadian Arctic.

Franklin’s Doomed Arctic Expedition Ended in Gruesome Cannibalism

New bone analysis suggests crew resorted to eating flesh, then marrow

A sumptuously appointed room within the Borgia family's castle in Tuscany, now available for everyday people to rent.

Want to Sleep Like a King, Queen or Borgia For a Night? Stay in these Historic Airbnbs

Whether it’s the former home of a national icon or an extravagant estate in Europe, the sharing economy offers the chance to go back in time for a night

In 16th-century England, death by plague, depicted in the wood carving above, might have been an easy way to go compared to the accidents that could befall a person in everyday life.

Here Are Some of the Weird Ways You Could Die in Tudor England

Pole vaulting and bacon are among the odd causes of death discovered by historians

How the India Pale Ale Got Its Name

A look to the hoppy brew’s past brings us to the revolution in craft beer today

Unfortunately, you can't have your ballot delivered by barn owl.

Cast Your Vote for Britain’s National Bird

An online campaign is asking the public to choose from a list of ten finalists whittled down by birders and conservationists

Found: One Lost Sherlock Holmes Story

It was in the attic, my dear Watson

A 19th century engraving of King John signing the Magna Carta

Legend Says the Ankerwycke Yew Witnessed the Magna Carta's Signing

The tree on the bank of the River Thames may be 2,000 years old

Cocoa roasters at the Hershey Chocolate Company in Pennsylvania

The Short Rise and Fall of the Crazy-for-Cocoa-Trade Cards Craze

In the late 19th-century, when you bought chocolate, the grocer dropped a delightful prize into your bag, a trade card to save and share

Who’s Digging Up Hadrian’s Wall?

Rogue diggers with metal detectors are threatening a priceless archaeological site

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