Based on a True Story

Merab Ninidze and Benedict Cumberbatch in The Courier.

The True Story Behind 'The Courier'

A new spy thriller draws on the fascinating life—and whopping lies—of one of the U.K.'s most famous intelligence agents

James Earl Jones (right) played Jack Johnson, while Jane Alexander (left) portrayed Eleanor Bachman, a fictionalized version of the boxer's first wife.

Looking Back at the Legacy of 'The Great White Hope' and Boxer Jack Johnson

The two stars of the play and movie reminisce about their experience adapting the life story of boxer Jack Johnson

Informer William O'Neal (played by LaKeith Stanfield, seen wearing a beret in the foreground) provided the FBI with information used to plan Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton's assassination (portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya, standing with hand raised at the podium).

The True History Behind 'Judas and the Black Messiah'

Shaka King's upcoming film dramatizes Black Panther leader Fred Hampton's betrayal by an FBI informant

Netflix's The Dig dramatizes the excavation of an elaborate Anglo-Saxon ship burial.

The True History Behind Netflix's 'The Dig' and Sutton Hoo

One of the greatest archaeological finds in British history, the Anglo-Saxon burial changed historians' view of the Dark Ages

The film fictionalizes the night that Cassius Clay (seated, wearing a bow tie) became the world's heavyweight boxing champion. Three of his friends—Malcolm X (holding a camera at far left), Jim Brown (standing with his hand on Clay's shoulder) and Sam Cooke (raising a glass to the right of Clay)—joined the young athlete for a post-fight celebration.

The True History Behind 'One Night in Miami'

Regina King's directorial debut dramatizes a 1964 meeting between Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown

The depiction of corsets in the premiere episode of "Bridgerton" is more of the same mythmaking from popular culture.

What 'Bridgerton' Gets Wrong About Corsets

Women's rights were severely restricted in 19th-century England, but their undergarments weren't to blame

The 74-day clash found Argentina and the United Kingdom battling for control of the Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic.

A Brief History of the Falklands War

The latest season of Netflix's "The Crown" dramatizes the 1982 clash between Argentina and the United Kingdom

An estimated 750 million people worldwide tuned in to the July 1981 ceremony.

14 Fun Facts About Princess Diana's Wedding

The royal nuptials—and the couple's tumultuous relationship—feature heavily in season four of Netflix's "The Crown"

The True History of Netflix's 'The Liberator'

The new animated series tells the story of the U.S. Army's most integrated World War II unit

The second season of "The Spanish Princess" presents a highly dramatized version of the Battle of Flodden. In actuality, the queen (seen here in a c. 1520 portrait) never rode directly into battle.

When Catherine of Aragon Led England's Armies to Victory Over Scotland

In 1513, Henry VIII's first queen—acting as regent in her husband's absence—secured a major triumph at the Battle of Flodden

Denzel Washington won an Oscar for his role as one of the soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts.

Why 'Glory' Still Resonates More Than Three Decades Later

Newly added to Netflix, the Civil War movie reminds the nation that black Americans fought for their own emancipation

Tom Hanks portrays fictional Navy commander Ernest Krause.

The True Story Behind the 'Greyhound' Movie

Tom Hanks' new World War II film offers a dramatized account of the Battle of the Atlantic

Elle Fanning portrays the eponymous empress in Hulu's "The Great."

The True Story of Catherine the Great

Hulu's "The Great" offers an irreverent, ahistorical take on the Russian empress' life. This is the real history behind the period comedy

Cate Blanchett plays conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly

The True Story of 'Mrs. America'

In the new miniseries, feminist history, dramatic storytelling and an all-star-cast bring the Equal Rights Amendment back into the spotlight

Charles Lindbergh, Walter Winchell and Franklin D. Roosevelt (L to R) are among the public figures fictionalized in Philip Roth's The Plot Against America.

The True History Behind 'The Plot Against America'

Philip Roth's classic novel, newly adapted by HBO, envisions a world in which Charles Lindbergh wins the 1940 presidential election

The list includes Artemisia Gentileschi, Wilma Mankiller, Frances Glessner Lee and other Oscar-worthy women.

Nine Women Whose Remarkable Lives Deserve the Biopic Treatment

From Renaissance artists to aviation pioneers, suffragists and scientists, these women led lives destined for the silver screen

The top history movies of the decade include Spotlight, 12 Years a Slave and Hidden Figures.

What Were the Best History Movies of the Decade?

These ten films (plus one documentary) each took the past and translated it in a way worth remembering

The film opens on Christmas Day.

The True History Behind the '1917' Movie

A story shared by director Sam Mendes' grandfather, a veteran of the Western Front, inspired the new World War I film

Falling stars as seen on a balloon journey in pioneering aeronaut James Glaisher's book Travels in the Air. A record-setting balloon flight manned by Glaisher is the subject of the new movie The Aeronauts.

The True History of the Aeronauts Who Transformed Our View of the World Above

For early balloonists like James Glaisher, the sky was uncharted—and dangerous—territory

As leader of the powerful Teamsters Union, Hoffa was rumored to have connections with organized crime and served four years in prison for various offenses.

The True History Behind Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman'

Many have suggested Frank Sheeran's claims about the murder of Jimmy Hoffa are mere fantasy; the historical context of Scorsese's epic is more nuanced

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