Articles tagged as British History | Smithsonian Magazine

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Did Shakespeare Lose His Head?

Scans of the Bard’s grave reveal that robbers may have stolen his skull two centuries ago

March 25, 2016

A self-portrait made by Johnny Rotten on the walls of the studio where the Sex Pistols recorded their first demos.

Cool Finds

Johnny Rotten’s Graffiti Made These Buildings Historic Landmarks

The Sex Pistols’ home and recording studio are now protected as a cultural heritage sites

March 24, 2016

"The Last Communion of Joan of Arc" by Charles Henri Michel

After buying a ring purportedly owned by Joan of Arc, a French history park owner defies UK demands

March 24, 2016

Jeremy Scott (United States, born 1975) for Adidas, Boots, Spring/Summer 2013.

Take A Trip Through 300 Years of Men’s Fashion

At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a new exhibition highlights 200 styles, from military uniforms to punk jackets

March 23, 2016

Cool Finds

Visit Richard III’s Gravesite With This Bone Chilling 3D Model

The ruler’s final resting spot is now publicly available for exploration online

March 22, 2016

Some of the items found in the Watlington hoard including coins depicting Alfred the Great and Ceolwulf II together

Cool Finds

Blokes with Metal Detectors Uncover Pieces of British History

Finds by amateur history sleuths shed light on the time when Anglo-Saxons clashed with Vikings

March 21, 2016

Wacky Victorian women play behind a clothing screen, ca. 1900.

Cool Finds

Researchers Seek Silly Sherlocks to Dig up Victorian-Era Jokes

Joke detectives are using the British Library to uncover what made Victorians chuckle

March 18, 2016

Son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren says it’s to spite the Queen

March 16, 2016

Bristol Old Vic artistic director Tom Morris with the thunder run.

Cool Finds

A New Production of “King Lear” Features 18th-Century Special Effects

The Bristol Old Vic’s thunder run hasn’t been used since 1942

March 11, 2016

Suffragettes form a part of Emily Davison's funeral procession through London. She was a fellow campaigner who was trampled to death when, as a protest gesture, she tried to catch the reins of King George V's horse as it ran in the 1913 Epsom Derby.

Women Who Shaped History

The True History of Suffragette

Emily Wilding Davison was a tireless and ingenious activist for the cause of women’s suffrage in Britain

January 13, 2016

A rare English gold pound coin dating to 1594-1596, with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I.

Cool Finds

Queen Elizabeth I Held England’s First Official Lottery 450 Years Ago

The lucky winner took home a prize that included not just money, but also fancy dishware and tapestries

January 13, 2016

"History will be kind to me," wrote Winston Churchill, "for I intend to write it myself."

Churchill’s papers join the ranks of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Anne Frank’s diary and the Magna Carta

November 30, 2015

Cool Finds

A Brief History of Plaid

From highlanders to hipsters

November 20, 2015

Francis Bacon, social networking superstar, strikes a pose ca. 1618.

Cool Finds

Six Degrees of Francis Bacon Is Your New Favorite Trivia Game

Move over, Kevin!

October 16, 2015

A Bronze Age mummified skeleton lies tightly curled in Bradley Fen in Cambridgeshire, England.

New Research

Mummies May Have Been Scattered Across Bronze Age Britain

Skeletal analysis hints that, intentional or not, mummification may have been more common than previously thought

September 30, 2015

An aerial view of Jamestown, St. Helena's capital.

It Just Got Easier to Visit the Place Where Napoleon Was Exiled (the Second Time)

Remote, rugged, finally accessible — St. Helena will soon have its first-ever airport

September 25, 2015

Cool Finds

A 13th-Century Sword Is Giving Historians a Headache

The sword’s inscription is an 800-year-old mystery

August 4, 2015

A stone etching on the grave of crewmember Lt. John Irving depicts the dire conditions that the Franklin expedition faced when they reached the Canadian Arctic.

New Research

Franklin’s Doomed Arctic Expedition Ended in Gruesome Cannibalism

New bone analysis suggests crew resorted to eating flesh, then marrow

July 27, 2015

A sumptuously appointed room within the Borgia family's castle in Tuscany, now available for everyday people to rent.

Urban Explorations

Want to Sleep Like a King, Queen or Borgia For a Night? Stay in these Historic Airbnbs

Whether it’s the former home of a national icon or an extravagant estate in Europe, the sharing economy offers the chance to go back in time for a night

May 29, 2015

In 16th-century England, death by plague, depicted in the wood carving above, might have been an easy way to go compared to the accidents that could befall a person in everyday life.

Cool Finds

Here Are Some of the Weird Ways You Could Die in Tudor England

Pole vaulting and bacon are among the odd causes of death discovered by historians

May 29, 2015