Victorian murders most female
Women accused of violent murders have often faced assumptions about their motives and disbelief that the ‘gentle sex’ could commit such bloody crimes. This Long Read written by Rosalind Crone investig...
16 Feb 20min
The bizarre beginnings of the Winter Olympics
Boxing and football? In a Winter Olympics? In October? Held in 1908, the first ever Winter Games was an experimental affair – but, according to this Long Read written by Martin Polley, it was one that...
9 Feb 20min
Air raids and arias: Britain's WW2 operatic obsession
As the conflict with Nazi Germany raged on, British tram drivers tuned in to Tchaikovsky and waitresses revelled in Wagner. But why? This Long Read written by Alexandra Wilson explores the surprising ...
2 Feb 20min
How many Bayeux Tapestries were there?
David Musgrove investigates whether the iconic embroidery was simply one of many A new theory, put forward by Professor John Blair, questions whether the world-famous embroidery was unique. In this...
26 Jan 16min
Julius Caesar: he came, he saw, he crucified pirates...?
Ancient accounts of Julius Caesar’s early life depict an all-action hero who outwitted tyrants and terrorised bandits. But can they be trusted? This Long Read written by David S Potter investigates......
19 Jan 20min
Margaret Beaufort: schemer or opportunist?
Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII, is often characterised as a domineering woman who plotted her son’s rise to the throne. But how true is that depiction? This Long Read, written by Lauren Jo...
12 Jan 21min
How Spain became a democracy
Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy in the late 1970s surely counts as one of modern Europe’s most remarkable stories. On the 50th anniversary of General Franco’s death, this Long Read w...
5 Jan 19min
Beyond Jane Austen
Jane Austen was a brilliant observer of Georgian Britain – but she couldn’t speak for everyone. The author’s books depict an evocative slice of early 19th-century life, but many aspects of the Regency...
29 Dec 202521min
