Why did Britain and China go to war over opium?

WELCOME OCTOBER 2021

The events of the French Revolution caused shockwaves

1901 A TRADITIONAL WELCOME

SNAPSHOTS

1930s SPOOKS IN THE CITY

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1908 PARTY IN THE PAST

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THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH...

RECENT HISTORY HEADLINES THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE

Head of performance at the London Dungeon

MY LIFE IN HISTORY

Londoners drown in a tidal wave of beer

THIS MONTH... 1814

PARANORMAL COLD CASE

INVESTIGATING HISTORY’S MOST SPINE-CHILLING ENCOUNTERS

The Chinese Civil War

IN A NUTSHELL

Princess Feodora’s relationship with Victoria

THE LIVES OF HISTORY’S MOST FAMOUS FIGURES

When did Australia gain independence?

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Why do we say ‘eavesdrop’?

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How did quipus work?

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What was Benjamin Franklin’s kite experiment?

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What was the reaction to the Eiffel Tower?

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DID YOU KNOW?

LEGEND’S LEG END Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna,

Which capital cities are named after US presidents?

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When was the final ground engagement in Britain?

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How did Vikings care for their hair?

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What came first: Egypt’s or Sudan’s pyramids?

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How long was HMS Victory in service?

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What is a Macedonian phalanx formation?

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Did Abner Doubleday invent baseball?

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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 & PODCASTS

THIS MONTH’S BEST HISTORICAL READS AND LISTENS

WHAT TO LISTEN TO...

Each month we bring you three of our favourite podcasts from the BBC and HistoryExtra

HISTORICAL FICTION...

J.WILMOT X1 The Master of Measham Hall By

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TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR HISTORICAL PUZZLE EVERY ISSUE

LETTERS

BIRTH OF A CITY In the first paragraph

THE WARS OF THE ROSES

ON SALE 30 SEPTEMBER •••

PHOTO FINISH

ARRESTING IMAGES FROM THE ANNALS OF THE PAST

ROAD TO REVOLUTION

How France went from a monarchy to a republic to an empire

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Everything you wanted to know about

What were the CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION?

A more enlightened way of thinking, an unfair political system, financial crises and a weak king all combined to form a perfect revolutionary storm

PRISON BREAK

The storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 was not merely a revolt, but the spark that lit the touch paper of revolution

WRITING A NEW CHAPTER

A pivotal document, issued in 1789, would set out a fresh agenda for France and its people

LIBERTY, EQUALITY, SORORITY?

The French Revolution was a time of great upheaval, but women still had to battle to make themselves heard

Forging a new IDENTITY

Symbolism played a major role in the French Revolution as the imagery of the ancien régime was swept away

The Final Days of MARIE ANTOINETTE

When the French queen was indicted in August 1793, she asked that she would not “su er long”. However, she went on to spend more than two months living in squalor before her eventual execution. Will Bashor tells the story of Marie Antoinette’s demise

ARCHITECT OF TERROR

Maximilien Robespierre may have been one of France’s leaders during the revolution, but even he wasn’t safe from the guillotine’s blade

A LEADER IS BORN

Napoleon Bonaparte shone in his early military career, but what allowed him to rise to the top, says Professor Marisa Linton, was his exploitation of the instability that followed the revolution

THE GREAT WAR GHOST HOAX

Imprisoned in Turkey at the height of World War I, a British barrister and an Australian mechanic devised an audacious exit strategy involving a homemade Ouija board, a fake treasure hunt, and nerves of steel. Margalit Fox, author of a new book on the ruse, reveals the story behind one of history’s forgotten great escapes

Underwater Cities

Lying beneath the surface of the world’s seas and lakes are the real Atlantises, preserved by the waters and submerged due to natural disasters – or the march of progress

WHAT IF... THE JACOBITES HAD SUCCEEDED?

Jonny Wilkes asks Professor Daniel Szechi about the possible chain of events had Bonnie Prince Charlie managed to seize the British throne – and how his victory could have reshaped the future of Europe