HistoryExtra Long Reads
Episodes
Emily Anderson: codebreaking pioneer
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The work of Britain's wartime cryptanalysts is now well known, but there is one woman whose contribution has gone largely unrecognised – Emily Ander...
1924's British Empire Exhibition: the empire’s last hurrah?
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When the British Empire Exhibition opened its doors in Wembley a century ago – featuring exotic pavilions, sporting spectacles and even a replica of...
Beastly Victorians: battling animal abuse in the 19th century
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Cowie marks the RSPCA's 200th anniversary by returning to its roots campaigning against vicious Victorian animal cruelty They rescued mutilated...
The battle of Meggido: ancient Egypt at war
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nicky Nielsen traces the progress of a brutal 15th-century BC battle that saw supercharged the rise of Egypt's greatest warrior pharaoh Recovering t...
WW1's Eastern Front: the forgotten theatre of war?
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Lloyd considers why, despite its scale and legacy, the First World War's Eastern Front has been overshadowed by its Western counterpart In both ...
Life beyond the margins: female diarists through time
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Gristwood delves into the diaries of women that have previously been lost to time to reveal what they can tell us about the past From meditatio...
Knights! Camera! Action!: the Middle Ages on film
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From the heroic glamour of Henry V to the heady nationalism of Braveheart, the medieval era has proven a rich source of material for film directors. I...
From the Knights Templar to the killing of JFK: the enduring power of conspiracy theories
21 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who shot JFK? Was Elizabeth I a man? And did aliens really land at Roswell? Conspiracy theories abound in modern society – but these kinds of rumou...
Mary vs Elizabeth: sisters at war
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
By the end of her reign, Mary I’s relationship with her half-sister and successor, Elizabeth, was at an all-time low. But had the Tudor siblings alw...
Alexandria: the ancient world's greatest city
07 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Alexander the Great founded a settlement at the junction of three continents in 331 BC, he created a metropolitan powerhouse that would shape glo...
The war on grey squirrels
31 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The grey squirrel’s domination of Britain’s woodland over the past 150 years has enraged everyone from gamekeepers to prime ministers. In today's ...
Medieval breastfeeding: an act of love
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What can the history of breastfeeding tell us about medieval society? In this Long Read, written by Hannah Skoda, we explore stories of miracle cures,...
Death and alcohol on Victorian canals
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Britain’s canals are ideal places to enjoy a leisurely cruise – but in the 19th century, they had a vastly different reputation. In this Lo...
Wonderlust: exploring the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were daring and dazzling constructions that have burned bright in the human imagination right up to the modern...
Labour’s leap to power
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In January 1924, Ramsay MacDonald entered 10 Downing Street as Britain’s first Labour prime minister. As Richard Toye reveals in today's Long Read, ...
Shakespeare: playing with the past
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, we marked the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio, a collection of plays by William Shakespeare. To celebrate this landm...
The Bloomsbury Group: the new radicals
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Bloomsbury Group transformed British culture in the early 20th century – and its impact can still felt across the world today. So, how did this ...
Lady Killers: what murder scandals reveal about Victorian society
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What can brutal murders reveal about society at the time they were committed? And what additional insights can we gain when those killings were commit...
The long death of the Roman Republic
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Julius Caesar's murder is often seen as the event that ushered in the age of emperors. Yet, argues Shushma Malik in today's Long Read, structural weak...
Walter Cowan: Britain's oldest commando
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For some servicemen hardened by a long military career, death in battle is preferable to simply fading away in old age. In this Long Read, Joshua Levi...
Matilda of Scotland: the queen behind the veil
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Matilda of Scotland, wife of Henry I, did perhaps more than any other figure to bridge the chasm between the Anglo-Saxons and their Norman conquerors....
The Boston Tea Party
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Boston Tea Party is often cited as a model of peaceful civil protest. But, as Elinor Evans reveals in today's Long Read, on the 250th anniversary ...
Race across the Atlantic: 1969's wackiest escapade
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1969, everyone from Prince Michael of Kent to Billy Butlin competed in a dash between London and New York aboard tandems, sedan chairs and jump jet...
The A to B of medieval travel
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From dodging deceitful street hustlers and menacing bandits to dealing with the looming threat of food poisoning, sea sickness and even death, medieva...
The Munich beer hall putsch: a botched coup?
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the mid-1920s, Adolf Hitler saw a dramatic transformation in the eyes of the German public – from the buffoon who had botched a coup, to a true...
Cartoon Century: Disney at 100
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the Walt Disney Company celebrates its centenary, it seems a fitting time to reflect on the legacy of the iconic House of Mouse. In this Long Read...
The crusade against the odds
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Powerful foes, chronic starvation, hostile landscapes – the First Crusade, an 11th-century armed pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem, overcame ...
The hellish WW2 battle for Italy
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Allied invasion of Italy in 1943 was envisaged as a swift push on Rome. Yet, as James Holland explains in today’s long read, by the end of the y...
The siege of Calais: a medieval Stalingrad?
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edward III’s siege of Calais was a pivotal moment in the Hundred Years’ War. In today’s long read, Dan Jones argues that it bears comparison wit...
Empire on the brink
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In September 1923, the British empire reached its maximum territorial extent – a staggering 460 million people lived within its borders. Yet just as...
Anne Boleyn’s fatal French connection
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anne Boleyn famously spent her youth learning the customs and etiquette of the French court. But how did this extensive education impact her later lif...
Eleanor Glanville: butterfly collector
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, insects are seen as a vital part of our ecosystem, but in the late 17th century, they were largely overlooked by science. Today’s long read, ...
Dick Whittington: London’s golden boy
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past 200 years, Dick Whittington has become one of Britain’s best-loved pantomime heroes. Yet, as today’s long read explores, the real-li...
Unearthing Pompeii’s streets
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From cobbled alleys and snarky graffiti to bustling communal fountains and holy shrines, Pompeii was a city teeming with life. In today’s long read,...
Templars on trial
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From 1307, members of the Knights Templar were beaten, brutalised and put to death on charges of heresy, Satanism and mass murder. But, asks today’s...
8 scandals that rocked Georgian Britain
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the illicit affairs of high society to duels, crimes and even ghosts, Georgian Britain loved a scandal. Today’s long read, written by historian...
Tudor traders: keep calm and ignore the Armada
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What did English merchants and mariners do when a Spanish invasion fleet menaced the South Coast in 1588? Well, as today’s long read written by Robe...
Bannockburn: Scotland’s greatest victory
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The image of plucky warriors sending a cocksure English army into flight has secured Bannockburn’s status in the annals of Scottish history. Today’...
Could WW1 have ended in 1916?
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From as early as 1914, powerful voices called for the First World War to end in a negotiated compromise. So, why were they ignored? That’s the quest...
Pax Romana: peace at the point of a sword
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pax Romana brought stability and prosperity to Rome’s vast empire. Yet, argues today’s long read written by historian and broadcaster Tom Holland,...
Roger Mortimer: king of folly
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1323, Roger Mortimer pulled off an audacious escape from the Tower of London before ejecting Edward II from the English throne. But, as today’s l...
Britain’s love affair with the NHS
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since its faltering launch in 1948, the National Health Service has become a cherished part of British society. In today’s long read – written by ...
The original rogue heroes of the SAS
13 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s long read, we’re bringing you a story of extravagant lies, homemade bombs and adrenaline-pumped commandos, as historian Joshua Levine c...
Ramesses II: the greatest pharaoh?
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ramesses II was a genius in the art of self-promotion. Epic palaces, jaw dropping temples and sycophantic scribes all projected his brilliance. But, a...
The forgotten history of Windrush
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The famous voyage of HMT Empire Windrush from Jamaica to Britain 75 years ago did not come out of the blue – it was the product of a tumultuous cent...
HistoryExtra Long Reads
16 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Take a deep dive into the past as we bring you the very best of BBC History Magazine, Britain’s bestselling history magazine. With a new episode rel...