The mastermind behind the infamous Gunpowder Plot was not Guy Fawkes, but Robert Catesby. Guy Fawkes was just the fall guy ...

Previously known as New Amsterdam and formerly in the hands of the Dutch, in 1664 the settlement, now known as New York, ...

The British Empire is remembered for its extensive, long-lasting and far-reaching imperial activities that ushered in an era of globalisation and connectivity. The British Empire began in its ...

Edward of Woodstock was born in – unsurprisingly – Woodstock, on June 15th 1330. He was the eldest son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, but alas he never actually became king, dying one ...

The Industrial Revolution took place from the eighteenth century up until the mid-nineteenth century, marking a process of increased manufacturing and production which boosted industry and encouraged ...

Lucozade! Many baby boomers will remember this sparkling, lurid-coloured drink when the glass bottle still came wrapped in crinkly cellophane. This iconic tonic only appeared when a child was ill in ...

The Huguenots were French Protestants from the sixteenth and seventeenth century who fled from the French Catholic government fearing persecution and violence. As they fled, a diaspora of Huguenots ...

Welcome to part two of our Fashion Through the Ages series. Starting from medieval fashion ending at the swinging sixties, this section covers British fashion during the 16th and 17th centuries. This ...

The period 1700 – mid 1800 was marked by British naval dominance, as evidenced by the expansive colonial empire and victories in the War of Spanish Succession and Napoleonic Wars. These triumphs were ...

Out at sea loomed the 138 ships of the mighty Spanish Armada. On the Hoe in Plymouth, Sir Francis Drake shrugged and finished his bowls match before drumming up his men and setting out to drub the ...

The mortal remains of monarchs of all people would seem most likely to receive respectful treatment after death. Yet this isn’t always the case. Notorious examples include the treatment of William the ...

George Villiers, the 1st Duke of Buckingham, was a powerful and divisive figure, who won the heart of King James I but in doing so alienated those fellow ambitious courtiers surrounding him. His ...