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British History

The Bromeswell Bucket, restored its original form, is on display in the High Hall at Sutton Hoo.

New Research

This Bewildering Byzantine Bucket Stumped Archaeologists for Decades. Now, They’ve Finally Discovered Its Purpose

Fragments of the bucket were first found at England’s Sutton Hoo burial site in 1986. New research has revealed that the 1,500-year-old artifact was probably used as a cremation vessel

An 18th-Century Family, Joy Labinjo, 2022

New Exhibition Features Contemporary Portraits Honoring Forgotten Black Abolitionists

Cambridge University’s Fitzwilliam Museum is spotlighting the men and women who fought to end slavery but received little attention from artists during their lifetimes

If marriage was just a piece of paper, then the bride’s gown could be one, too. “The ultimate disposable gown must be the paper wedding dress,” the Australian Women’s Weekly declared in 1967. “Why not? You only wear it once, anyway.” 

Would You Wear a Wedding Dress Made of Disposable Paper? These 1960s Brides Donned Them to Save Money—and Make a Daring Fashion Statement

Created with synthetic textiles, the “nonwoven” gowns could be shortened for the reception or easily packed away for the honeymoon

England has long been considered the birthplace of modern soccer. But new archaeological evidence is challenging that long-held belief.

Where Was Soccer Invented? A New Archaeological Discovery Suggests Scotland, Not England, Was the Sport’s Birthplace

Archaeologists say they’ve found the ruins of a soccer field in southwest Scotland that date to the 17th century

Historian David Carpenter examines the digitized document.

Cool Finds

Harvard Bought This Stained Copy of the Magna Carta for $27.50. It Turned Out to Be an Original

Issued by Edward I in 1300, this version of the historic text is one of only seven known surviving copies. It’s been hiding in plain sight in Harvard Law School’s library since 1946

Ever since its departure from England exactly 180 years ago, on May 19, 1845, the Franklin expedition has captivated the public’s imagination.

The Shipwrecks From John Franklin’s Doomed Arctic Expedition Were Exactly Where the Inuit Said They Would Be

In May 1845, 129 British officers and crew members set out in search of the Northwest Passage on HMS “Erebus” and HMS “Terror.” None returned

The exterior is made of fruitwood adorned with mother-of-pearl inlay and silver banding.

You Can Buy Novelist Charles Dickens’ Personal Travel Writing Desk and Silverware Set

The ornate desk features a silver plaque with a personal inscription that references the English writer’s family nickname, “Venerables”

Located in Northumberland National Park, the Sycamore Gap tree was well-known throughout England and beyond.

Two Men Convicted of Chopping Down England’s Beloved Sycamore Gap Tree in an Act of ‘Mindless Thuggery’

After five hours of deliberation, jurors found Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham guilty of criminal damage for felling the iconic tree that stood near Hadrian’s Wall

A John Trumbull painting of the death of American General Richard Montgomery at the Battle of Quebec on December 31, 1775

America's 250th Anniversary

How the Thirteen Colonies Tried—and Failed—to Convince Canada to Side With Them During the American Revolution

After peaceful attempts at alliance-building stalled, the Continental Army launched an ill-fated invasion of Quebec in June 1775

An illustration of Witold Pilecki in military uniform in 1939 (left) and as an inmate at Auschwitz in 1940 (right)

The Daring Polish Resistance Fighter Who Volunteered to Be Sent to Auschwitz So He Could Sabotage the Nazi Death Camp From the Inside

Witold Pilecki smuggled reports about Germany’s war crimes to the Allies, urging them to stop the atrocities at Auschwitz by bombing the camp. But his warnings went unheeded

Roughly 230 film reels have been found in storage.

Cool Finds

London Zoo Discovers Hundreds of Old Film Reels Featuring ‘Zoo Oddities’ and Animal Celebrities

Zoo officials are looking for experts to help preserve and digitize the decaying film canisters, which date to between the 1960s and 1990s

Their Royal Highnesses on North Seymour Island, Richard Foster, 2009

Official Paintings From Charles III’s World Tours Are Going on Public Display for the First Time

Over 40 years, artists have accompanied Charles on his travels to 95 countries with only one directive: Paint whatever interests them

The S.S. Almond Branch was torpedoed by a German submarine during World War I.

Man Who ‘Always Fancied’ Owning a Shipwreck Buys One on Facebook Marketplace for $400

Hobbyist diver Dom Robinson jumped at the chance to purchase the S.S. “Almond Branch,” a cargo ship that’s been resting 190 feet beneath the surface of the English Channel since World War I

Castle Howard's restored tapestry drawing room 

See the Newly Renovated Castle Howard, Made Famous by ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Brideshead Revisited’

After the house suffered extensive fire damage in 1940, generations of the Howard family have faithfully restored parts of the mansion to its 18th-century glory

Sotheby’s will auction off the set in London on May 23.

This Complete Set of Shakespeare’s Four Folios Could Sell for $6 Million

In the 17th century, the Bard’s plays were preserved for posterity in the First, Second, Third and Fourth Folios. Now, all four volumes are being sold as a set

One of the flags is decorated with 13 interlocking gold rings labeled with the names of the first 13 states.

America's 250th Anniversary

See the Colorful Flags That the Patriots Unfurled as They Fought in the American Revolution

At the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, a new exhibition has gathered together 17 historic flags that served as symbols of liberty

Researchers analyzed indentations in the skeleton's pelvis.

New Research

Bite Marks on Ancient Skeleton Reveal First Physical Evidence of Roman Gladiators Fighting Lions

Researchers compared the markings found on an ancient skeleton in England to bones that had been chewed on by cheetahs, lions, tigers and leopards in present-day zoos

A book bound in Corder's skin has been in the museum's collections since the 1930s. The second copy was given to the museum several decades ago.

Recently Rediscovered Book Bound in Human Skin Goes on Display in England

Curators think the volume’s corners and spine are bound in the skin of William Corder, an infamous criminal who was convicted of murder in the late 1820s

In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem "Paul Revere's Ride," the 40-year-old silversmith was a lone hero who "spread the alarm / through every Middlesex village and farm."

America's 250th Anniversary

Paul Revere Wasn’t the Only Midnight Rider Who Dashed Through the Darkness to Warn the Patriots That the British Were Coming

Revere, who was later immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, was one of many riders who rode through the countryside, spreading the alarm on April 18, 1775

The North Wind, Emily Brontë, 1842

Rare Watercolor by ‘Wuthering Heights’ Author Emily Brontë Will Go on Public Display for the First Time

“The North Wind,” painted while Emily and her sister Charlotte were studying in Belgium, is now heading to the Brontë family home in Yorkshire

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