People & places
Take some often surprising looks at the lives of some historical figures - and the places they knew:
![Adolf Hitler and his generals [Image: Walter Frentz Archive]](images/hitler_progfront_1112.jpg)
Building a post-war world
Touchstone of the Labour movement: but what was achieved by the Labour government of 1945?
Did she die in vain?
As it was less important than the Charter of the Forest, why do we all know about Magna Carta?
Nightmare or scapegoat?
How did the fear of revolution in Victorian England lead to creation of the mythology of Jack The Ripper?
Time and tide
How does the shape of the shoreline change over the centuries? Charts tell the story through coastal mapping.
Memory lane
Every street in every town holds hints of its past. Discover the clues to unlocking High Street History.
A straight road
Travel through time and explore the historical events that shaped Roman Britain in our timeline.
The edge of empire
Why did Empire Hadrian insist on the wall that bears his name? The experts explain all about the Wall.
The battle and the war
The British experience in the Somme can overshadow other stories. We place the battle in its context.
Strength through defeat?
Can it really be the disaster of the Somme taught the British army its winning lessons?
Eine andere veranschaulichung
The British lost lives and learnt about warfare but both sides felt the pain. What did The Somme look like from the German perspective?
Silent but powerful
Considered so subversive Hoover's FBI had him barred from the US, was the real Chaplin the little tramp or a major threat?
The prime conductor
She played a key role in the rescue of slaves and the abolition movement - many consider Harriet Tubman her people's Moses.
Dictator or democratic trailblazer?
A brutal, joyless dictator or the man who set in train the democracy we enjoy today? Whatever you feel about Cromwell's achievements, it's undeniable he was puritan made.
The revolutionary struggles
For Che Guevara, revolution was motivated by - and called for - extreme emotions and reactions. At its heart was love and violence.
The original lit hit
He was the first literary superstar - and although his popular reputation is built on them, Chaucer did much more than The Canterbury Tales.
Pens, peanuts, souls and bodies
Are we solely the sum of our body parts, or is there more to us? Descartes frames the question as a Cartesian dualism.
Eruptions and revolutions
Romantic or scientist? What was Sir William Hamilton's real interest in 18th century Naples? Discover the risks of living in volatile times.
Beyond the Bastille
Margaret Thatcher's refusal to attend the bicentenary of the French Revolution suggested she hadn't forgotten the counter-revolution in the Vendee - but has everyone else? The French revolution programme transcript.
The other space race
Take a closer look at the competing claims of Apollos 8 and 11 with the space race programme transcript.
The other Armadas
Michael Portillo asks how long finishing a bowls game might have taken Drake, and if Elizabeth might have had more effect in the 1940s than the 1580s. Read the full Armada programme transcript.
The few and the many
Although the air battle is the one that's remembered, other events were equally important in the Second World War. Read the full Battle of Britain programme transcript.
Snapping at the Fuhrer
Incredibly, these photographs of Hitler are reportage, not reconstruction. Discover how Walter Frentz came to be photographing Hitler.
From Braunau to bunker
Track the key events in Hitler's life, from political influences to his terrible fascinations, on our Hitler timeline.
The OU lecture 2005
Ian Kershaw's attempt to put Hitler into his historical context in depth - read the full lecture transcript.
Hitler's place in history: a response
Benedikt Stuchtey, Deputy Director of the German Historical Institute in London, offers his own lecture perspective.
Conspiracy theories
Ever since his execution, debate has raged over Rodriguez Katz - was he really conspiring against the Queen?
One city, slightly worn
Famed for its canals; a tourist spot before tourism was invented - but is Venice a second-hand city?
Relative, stranger
When offered the presidency of Israel, Einstein declined claiming he had no head for problems. A different claim is made Einstein's work.
The man of rights
From the Town Council in Lewes to national hero in France and America is quite a journey - discover more about the philosophy and life of Thomas Paine.
The children of suffrage
Overshadowed by her less radical relatives, and with her role in socialism and anti-imperialism sometimes ignored completely, her reputation falls short of what was achieved by Sylvia Pankhurst.
Making monsters
Heartbreak, passion and the quest for respectability - it's a wonder Mary Shelley had as much time for writing as prolifically as she did. Follow the story of Shelley.
Soothsayer or smarty?
The common view of Leonardo paints him as a man who saw the future - but if we judge him by the standards of the time, does a different picture emerge? We paint a portrait of Da Vinci.
Composing himself
Fittingly for a man whose Ode To Joy came to be the anthem of the European Union, his life and influence spanned the continent. Meet Beethoven.
Intelligently designed
The logic of what he was discovering made Darwin incredibly anxious. Discover more about Darwin's evolution revolution.
Investigating the universe
Although much of what he thought subsequently proved to be wrong, it shouldn't ruin our view of Aristotle - Olympic thinker.
Byronic man
He could only have been a poet, couldn't he? Meet Byron, first of the international playboys.
Throwing back the apple
Newton didn't need to rely on fruit for his insights. Follow Newton beyond gravity.
The Marx before the ism
Separate the man from the application of his ideas and take a fresh look at Marx.Please wait while loading. You must have JavaScript enabled to view star ratings.
