Victory was total. An enemy fleet obliterated. The course of a great war determined. A hero struck down and a legend born. In October 1805 the British Royal Navy defeated the combined battle fleets of the French and Spanish empires 20 miles northwest of a promontory of rock and sand in southern S...

Susan Schulten presents a selection of maps from the fascinating collection of maps that feature in her book 'A History of America in 100 Maps'.

Today, Sydney is one of the World's great metropolises. 200 years ago, it was a very different place. Sydney was a rudimentary British penal colony, established on the far side of the World in one of the most hostile environments on the planet. For the first Europeans who called Australia home, l...

Windsor Castle has a legendary connection to the British monarchy: the longest-serving royal palace in the whole of Europe. Ever since the days of William the Conqueror, the Castle has dominated this strategic point on the banks of the Thames, overlooking west London. Over the next 1,000 years ki...

200 years ago, Britain's Royal Navy was the most technologically advanced and supremely efficient force in the history of naval warfare.

But what was it like to live and work on board these ships? What did the men eat? How did the ships sail? What were the weapons they used?

In this documentar...

On 16th June 1373, England’s King Edward III signed a treaty of alliance with Portugal’s King Ferdinand. It still stands, making it the longest continuing alliance in history. This year, in June 2023, it celebrates its 650th anniversary. In this film, Mike Loades, a Brit living in Portugal, trave...

High on the peak of the Cotswolds stands one of the most remarkable buildings in Britain. Built as a folly in the final days of the 18th century, Broadway Tower sprung up during the height of the French Revolutionary Wars under the distracted watch of the architect James Wyatt. In the following y...

Dan Snow goes to Pittsburgh to explore the extraordinary story of how an over-ambitious young George Washington fought for the British and helped to fire the shots that started the Seven Years War, the world’s first global conflict.

Today, the East End of London is a thriving centre of commerce. In the 19th century however, it was a maze of dark alleys, gas lit courts and foggy wharfs. It was a particularly dangerous place for women, a number of whom were murdered at the hands of Jack the Ripper. Dr Julia Laite takes Dan Sno...

About 10 miles from the centre of London is one of the most magnificent houses of Stuart England, Ham House. This lavish mansion is a treasure trove of 17th century art and architecture, a dazzling red-brick jewel on the muddy banks of the River Thames.

But Ham House also has a remarkable hist...

Alice Loxton pays a visit to The Florence Nightingale Museum to unveil the true story of the Lady with the Lamp. Joined by David Green and Amber Lickerish, she learns how Nightingale broke through the restrictions of Victorian convention, laid the foundations for modern nursing, and tirelessly ca...

The night was freezing cold. The hard ground shrouded in mist. By dawn the soldiers were on the move. It was 2 December 1805 and just outside what is now Brno, 3 mighty armies were about to fight one of the greatest battles in history. By the time the sun set, the French Emperor Napoleon Bonapart...

The British Army is one of the world’s most experienced fighting forces. From Blenheim to Waterloo, from Balaclava to the Somme, it has played its part in the history’s most bloody conflicts. But as these troops executed Herculean tasks in the worlds harshest terrains, what were they wearing? How...

Enormous gatherings and torch-lit marches down Main Street. At first glance, images like these conjure up some of America’s darkest moments. But this wasn’t the Klan. These black-clad torch-bearers were the Wide Awakes: a para-military political machine with one mission: get Abraham Lincoln into ...