I had a great chat with the enthusiastic and knowledgeable James Osborne for this podcast for @historyextra.bsky.social a few months ago: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...

How Orkney became the centre of Viking Age violence

Podcast Episode · HistoryExtra podcast · 24 May · 38min

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'Football's final frontier: America's tangled relationship with soccer'. Article by @icshc.bsky.social Director Professor Matt Taylor @matttayl.bsky.social for @historyextra.bsky.social Magazine - www.historyextra.com/membership/f... #sportshistory #FIFAWC

Which place can claim to be America’s top sports city? There was so much history to choose from this was tough! Do you agree with these 5 cities? #sporthistory #fifawc #skystorians 🗃️ On @historyextra.bsky.social www.historyextra.com/membership/f...

From LA glitz to Indy's legendary car races: which city is the true epicentre of American sport?

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, Heather Dichter reveals the illustrious and unexpected sporting histories of cities around the United States

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Listen to Jonathan Sheehan, author of On the Altar, speak about the history of Christian sacrifice on the @historyextra.bsky.social podcast:

A history of Christian sacrifice

Podcast Episode · HistoryExtra podcast · May 21 · 32m

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🎉 TFW @historyextra.bsky.social feature your article on the Viking Age Wandlebury mass grave in an Insta carousel! Music: Dry Heat Musician: Yari (from Audiio)

I've been published in @historyextra.bsky.social, Mum! This morbid Viking Age death pit is more mystifying than it first seemed – here’s why (£) www.historyextra.com/membership/m...

This morbid Viking Age death pit is more mystifying than it first seemed – here’s why

A newly discovered burial pit dating to the Viking Age contains the remains of at least ten young men. But were they victims of battle, execution – or something else entirely?

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What inspired the darkness of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'? Here's the disturbing history behind the novel 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4srkF0v

What inspired the darkness of Lord of the Flies? The disturbing history behind the novel

The first TV adaptation of William Golding’s haunting 1954 novel Lord of the Flies premiered on BBC One in February 2026. This disturbing and mesmeric four-part series of the modern classic challenges...

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Victorian audiences revelled in riddles, physical comedy and bawdy jokes that challenge everything we think we know about 19th-century respectability 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/40frmqs

Think the Victorians were prudes? Their filthiest jokes will shock you

Victorian audiences revelled in riddles, physical comedy and bawdy jokes that challenge everything we think we know about 19th-century respectability

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#OnThisDay in 1942, Anne Miller, a nurse from Connecticut, became the first known person to have her life saved by penicillin after developing a streptococcal infection, following a miscarriage. 📸 Getty

As Europe lay in ruins following the end of the Second World War, Churchill’s instinct was to punish the surviving Nazi leadership without a trial. How was the decision made to stage the Nuremberg Trials instead? https://bit.ly/4llzqQk 🗝️ This article is free to read

Before the Nuremberg Trials, this was Winston Churchill’s shocking plan for Nazi war criminals

As Europe lay in ruins following the end of the Second World War, Churchill’s instinct was to punish the surviving Nazi leadership without a trial. How was the decision made to stage the Nuremberg Tri...

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During the Second Punic War, the famous Carthaginian general Hannibal led his forces to numerous victories. But did he really take war elephants across the Alps? https://bit.ly/4raBSKB 🗝️ This article is free to read

Have archaeologists just found proof of ancient Carthage's legendary anti-Roman war weapon?

During the Second Punic War, the famous Carthaginian general Hannibal led his forces to numerous victories. But did he really take war elephants across the Alps?

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From dealing with nits to learning the three Rs, ancient Roman childhood bore some striking similarities to the modern experience 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4lb2o5n

This ordinary ancient Roman object is still used today – and has hardly changed

From dealing with nits to learning the three Rs, ancient Roman childhood bore some striking similarities to the modern experience

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Before picket lines and unionisation, ancient Egyptian artisans learned that collectively withdrawing labour could force even a pharaoh to negotiate 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/40SXksJ

3,100 years ago, ancient Egyptian workers defeated a God-King – without using any weapons

Before picket lines and unionisation, ancient Egyptian artisans learned that collectively withdrawing labour could force even a pharaoh to negotiate

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#OnThisDay in 1908, the Football Club Internazionale Milano was founded. Known in the UK as Inter Milan, the club derives its name from its founders' wish to accommodate foreign players as well as Italians. 📸 Getty

What was the Habsburg jaw? As Jonny Wilkes explores, the Habsburgs' desperate bid to keep power within the family gave them a distinctive physical callsign, as well as dynastic longevity… 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4ampKBm

What was the Habsburg jaw?

One family was an ever-present force in European affairs from the Middle Ages to the modern era, but, as Jonny Wilkes explores, the Habsburgs’ desperate bid to keep power within the family gave them a...

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#OnThisDay in 1910, Raymonde de Laroche became the world's first licensed female pilot. The French aviatrix was issued with the licence number 36 by the Aero-Club de France. 📸 Getty

Henry VIII planned a monumental tomb to match his power and legacy. Instead, the king now lies beneath a small, easily-missed slab. Here’s how three Tudor monarchs, and a civil war, erased his grand design 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/46x6BKt

Henry VIII wanted a giant Tudor tomb. So why didn’t he get it?

Henry VIII planned a monumental tomb to match his power and legacy. Instead, the king who reshaped England’s relationship with Rome now lies beneath a small, easily missed slab. Here’s how three Tudor...

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#OnThisDay in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte captured Jaffa in Palestine. After taking the city from Ottoman forces, Napoleon allowed his troops to rape and murder their way across the city for two days. 📸 Getty

Margaret Beaufort has long been put forward as a shadowy mastermind potentially behind one of England’s greatest royal mysteries. Does the case against her stand up to scrutiny? 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/3YrpERW

Was a ruthless Tudor matriarch behind the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower?

Margaret Beaufort has long been put forward as a shadowy mastermind potentially behind one of England’s greatest royal mysteries. Does the case against her stand up to scrutiny?

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#OnThisDay in 1888, Louisa M Alcott, writer and feminist, died. Her best-known work is 'Little Women', a novel which was largely based on her own experiences. 📸 Getty

After many centuries, the Bayeux Tapestry is returning to Britain in 2026. But as the loan draws closer, new information about attempts to bring forth a previous loan have come to light 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4pNfR3J

Could the Queen Mother have secured the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum 45 years ago?

After many centuries, the Bayeux Tapestry is returning to Britain in 2026. But as the loan draws closer, new information about attempts to bring forth a previous loan have come to light

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The struggle between Catholicism and Protestantism came to a head in England when Maria of Modena gave birth to an heir with a claim to two crowns 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4kbXepj

Over 70 observers watched this Stuart queen give birth. Why did they still doubt the baby was real?

The struggle between Catholicism and Protestantism came to a head in England when Maria of Modena gave birth to an heir with a claim to two crowns

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#OnThisDay in 1193, Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, died in Damascus. In 1187 he had defeated Christian forces at Hattin and recaptured Jerusalem. 📸 Getty

As well as creating new regulations on faith, Henry VIII’s 16th-century government also decided which kinds of knowledge were legitimate – and which were criminal 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/477JfLD

The Tudor law that forced an occult practice underground for centuries

As well as creating new regulations on faith, Henry VIII’s 16th-century government also decided which kinds of knowledge were legitimate – and which were criminal

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#OnThisDay in 1913, thousands of women took to the streets of Washington DC in the city's first suffragist march. The women marched in pursuit of their right to vote but they were met with jeers and abuse from men on sidewalks. 📸 Getty

With conflicting advice and endless new trends, it can feel hard to keep up with the modern health and wellness space. But ideas about how to live a healthy life are nothing new. Thousands of years ago, the ancient Greeks had their own list of requirements... https://bit.ly/4ulZmzt

#OnThisDay in 1141, Empress Matilda met with Henry of Blois, the Bishop of Winchester. Henry agreed to support Matilda's claim to the English throne against his brother, King Stephen. 📸 Getty

#OnThisDay in 1815, Napoleon returned to France to re-take power. After being in exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba for over 9 months, Napoleon landed on the south coast of France and headed for Paris. 📸 Getty

#OnThisDay in 1638, members of the Scottish nobility signed the National Covenant at the churchyard of Greyfriars Kirk, in Edinburgh. In doing so, they opposed Charles I's proposed reforms of the Church of Scotland. 📸 Getty

Amid the industrial warfare of the Second World War, battlefield performance depended on precise logistics and the ability to absorb catastrophic losses. How did America, Germany and the Soviet Union approach this problem? https://bit.ly/3ZIGigD 🗝️ This article is free to read

Quality or quantity? With WW2 tanks, there was a surprising winner

Amid the industrial warfare of the Second World War, battlefield performance depended on precise logistics and the ability to absorb catastrophic losses. How did America, Germany and the Soviet Union ...

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