THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH....

WELCOME AUGUST 2020

The Norman Conquest of 1066 is one of the most

THIS MONTH’S BIG NUMBERS

100 The number of oxen sacrificed to Zeus at the

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NORMAN CONQUEST

We all know the Battle of Hastings took place in 1066 – but what really happened on the battlefield and who were the Normans anyway? Leading medieval historian Marc Morris puts us on the straight and arrow, answering pressing questions about the conflict and the fearsome Norman conquerors in a comprehensive interview

HOW MARTIN LUTHER LOST CONTROL OF THE REFORMATION

When the 16th-century German theologian published his 95 Theses, he sparked the Protestant Reformation in Europe – but the movement soon outgrew him, writes Jonny Wilkes

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS

Covid-19 may have put the brakes on this year’s Olympics, but Nige Tassell transports us back in time to the Games of 436 BC, with top tips on how to get the most out of a trip to this ancient sporting event

SERGEANT STUBBY AMERICA’S MOST DECORATED WAR DOG

Sergeant Stubby’s World War I record earned him a stack of medals and accolades. Rachel Dinning traces the pooch’s meteoric rise from Connecticut stray to American hero

MAKING A SPLASH

In 1926, 19-year-old New Yorker Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel – and she did so quicker than the five men who had already achieved the feat. Gavin Mortimer shares Ederle’s remarkable story and how she has inspired generations of women…

THE COLOUR OF WAR

Brazilian artist Marina Amaral and historian Dan Jones have joined forces to research and colourise some 200 photographs, taken between 1914 and 1945. The results, a selection of which are shown here, bring to life the stark, bloody reality of ‘the long war’

WHAT IF... ABRAHAM LINCOLN HADN’T BEEN SHOT?

Jonny Wilkes talks to Professor Adam Smith about how reconstruction of the war-torn United States would have had stronger foundations with Lincoln at the helm – but potentially at the cost of his legacy

SNAPSHOTS

If you’re thinking there is something ‘off’ about this image

Cavalry trooper re-enactor in the Sealed Knot

Harriet Heaton (Wallers Cavalry, Parliamentarian army)

ANNE FRANK WRITES HER LAST DIARY ENTRY

Hidden in a secret annexe, Anne Frank hunches over her

Yalta and Potsdam, 1945

Between 4 and 11 February 1945, US President Franklin D

Q&A YOU ASK, WE ANSWER

HISTORY’S GREATEST CONUNDRUMS AND MYSTERIES SOLVED

TV, FILM & RADIO

THE LATEST DOCUMENTARIES, BLOCKBUSTERS AND PERIOD DRAMAS

EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS

WHAT TO SEE AND WHERE TO VISIT IN THE WIDER WORLD OF HISTORY

BOOKS & AUDIO BOOKS

THIS MONTH’S BEST HISTORICAL READS AND LISTENS

SIX MORE BOOKS TO READ

If you know anything about 11th-century English king Edward the

OUR PICK OF AUDIO BOOKS

By Terry Deary and Neil Tonge (narrated by Terry Deary)

History Extra Podcast

Each month we bring you three of our favourite interviews from the HistoryExtra podcast archives…

HISTORICAL FICTION

In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris,

LETTERS

I enjoyed your recent piece on the Korean War, but

TRUE OR FALSE

Have you been paying attention? The answers to the following

PHOTO FINISH

ARRESTING IMAGES FROM THE ANNALS OF THE PAST