United Kingdom
Going Mad for Charles Dickens
Two centuries after his birth, the novelist is still wildly popular, as a theme park, a new movie and countless festivals attest
February 2012 |
By Joshua Hammer
Evolution World Tour: Jurassic Coast, England
The best opportunity to play paleontologist is on the southern coast of England, a site rich with marine reptile fossils
January 2012 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Serenity of the Outer Hebrides
Breathtaking views and millennia of history charm guests of these islands off the coast of Scotland
July 28, 2011 |
By Lyn Garrity
How Charles Dickens Saw London
Sketches by Boz, the volume of newspaper columns that became Dickens’ first book, invokes a colorful view of 19th-century England
June 06, 2011 |
By Rebecca Dalzell
The Picturesque Torquay, England
The seaside town beckons vacationers and Agatha Christie pilgrims alike
June 2011 |
By Joshua Hammer
Where Agatha Christie Dreamed Up Murder
The birthplace of Poirot and Marple welcomes visitors looking for clues to the best-selling novelist of all time
June 2011 |
By Joshua Hammer
A Viking Mystery
Beneath Oxford University, archaeologists have uncovered a medieval city that altered the course of English history
October 2010 |
By David Keys
Rick Steves' Europe: Blackpool, England
Home to a giant amusement park, a vintage trolley and an old-time variety show, Blackpool is northwest England's glittering beach city
May 2010 |
By Rick Steves
Rick Steves' Europe: Cotswold Villages, England
The storybook countryside of hedgerows, grazing sheep, thatched-roof cottages and stately homes harks back to the days of the medieval wool trade
May 01, 2010 |
By Rick Steves
Sherlock Holmes' London
As the detective stalks movie theaters, our reporter tracks down the favorite haunts of Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous sleuth
January 2010 |
By Joshua Hammer
The Glorious History of Handel's Messiah
A musical rite of the holiday season, the Baroque-era oratorio still awes listeners 250 years after the composer's death
December 2009 |
By Jonathan Kandell
Trekking Hadrian's Wall
A hike through Britain's second-century Roman past leads to spectacular views, idyllic villages and local brews
October 2009 |
By Andrew Curry
Ancient Cities Lost to the Seas
Dunwich, England, is one of several underwater sites where divers are discovering new information about historic cultures
July 29, 2009 |
By Robin T. Reid
Booting Up a Computer Pioneer’s 200-Year-Old Design
Charles Babbage, the grandfather of the computer, envisioned a calculating machine that was never built, until now
April 02, 2009 |
By Aleta George
Voices from Literature’s Past
The British Library’s Spoken Word albums of recordings by British and American writers shed new light on the authors' work
March 20, 2009 |
By Matthew Gurewitsch
In Northern Ireland, Getting Past the Troubles
A decade after Protestants and Catholics agreed on a peace treaty, both sides are adjusting to a hopeful new reality
March 2009 |
By Joshua Hammer
At Home with the Darwins
Recipes offer an intimate glimpse into the life of Charles Darwin and his family
January 23, 2009 |
By Kathleen M. Burke
Out of Darwin’s Shadow
Alfred Russel Wallace arrived at the theory of natural selection independently of Charles Darwin and nearly outscooped Darwin’s The Origin of Species
January 22, 2009 |
By Lyn Garrity
Rewriting History in Great Britain
Recently uncovered documents in the British archives reveal dark secrets from World War II. One problem: they are forgeries
November 18, 2008 |
By Gregory Katz
New Light on Stonehenge
The first dig in 44 years inside the stone circle changed our view of why—and even when—the monument was built
October 2008 |
By Dan Jones
