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British History

Siegfried Sassoon

Cool Finds

These Diaries, of Poet Siegfried Sassoon, Capture the Chaos of WWI

Siegfried Sassoon’s poems captured life in the trenches of WWI

The London as it looked before it blew up

Cool Finds

In 1665, a British Warship Mysteriously Blew Up—And Soon We Might Know Why

349 years ago, the warship The London exploded in the Thames Estuary. Now archaeologists are trying to figure out why

The initiation ceremony for a 19th century secret society, as imagined by an artist.

The Cannibal Club: Racism and Rabble-Rousing in Victorian England

These 19th-century gentlemen of good standing let their inner boors loose in secret London backrooms

The train after the initial police investigation in Cheddington, Buckinghamshire.

The Big Mystery Behind the Great Train Robbery May Finally Have Been Solved

Chris Long’s A Tale of Two Thieves examines the largest cash theft of its time

A pre-war daguerrotype of James R. McClintock. Inventor, likely crook, possible spy.

The Amazing (If True) Story of the Submarine Mechanic Who Blew Himself Up Then Surfaced as a Secret Agent for Queen Victoria

The leading mechanic of the famed H.L. Hunley led quite the life, if we can believe any of it

USS Constitution vs. HMS Guerriere by Thomas Birch, circa 1813

The British View the War of 1812 Quite Differently Than Americans Do

The star-spangled war confirmed independence for the United States. But for Great Britain, it was a betrayal

Cool Finds

You Could Smell Like A Viking

York has come up with a new tourism stunt: smell like a Viking

Charles Darwin: sailor, scientist, beard aficionado.

Cool Finds

In the Victorian Era, Doctors Prescribed Beards to Help Keep Men Healthy

The mid-19th century beard boom was motivated, in part, by health concerns

Saint Sebastian Interceding for the Plague Stricken by Josse Lieferinxe

New Research

The Black Death Actually Improved Public Health

Analysis of skeletons from before and after the height of the epidemic yields surprising results

Cool Finds

The Area Around Stonehenge Has Been Inhabited for More Than 10,000 Years

That makes this area the oldest inhabited place in England

Abandoned Scottish Boats

Cool Finds

All Known Shipwrecks in Scotland Are on This Map

The Scottish coastline is treacherous, as this interactive map of shipwrecks shows

The aftermath of Ian Ball's attempt to kidnap Princess Anne. Ball's white Ford Escort is parked blocking the path of the princess' limousine.

The Bloody Attempt to Kidnap a British Princess

Remembering the failed plot undertaken by a lone gunman

World War I: 100 Years Later

Help Transcribe Diaries From World War I

WWI diaries are some of the most requested documents in the National Archives, but until now they’ve only been available on paper

St Martin's In the Fields William Logsdail

Cool Finds

See London in Double Vision—How It Looks Today And How Artists Saw It Years Ago

These pictures of modern London streets mashed up with old artwork are a sight to see

The British Guiana 1-cent stamp

Cool Finds

The World’s Most Valuable Stamp Is Expect to Sell for More than $10 Million

There’s only one of these stamps left in existence

Have patience, says this bouquet of two roses and two carnations.

Cool Finds

Send Your Valentine a Secret Message in the Language of Flowers, Updated for Modern Lovers

Certain flowers had well-understood meanings back in Victorian times, and now a London startup is trying to revive floriography for current times

Cool Finds

A Tiny Scrap of Paper Offers a Glimpse Into Jane Austen’s Inspiration

The small scrap of paper transcribes part of a sermon, the theme of which Austen later explored in “Mansfield Park”

The Heartbreaking History of Divorce

Historian Amanda Foreman explores the other side of love and marriage

New archaeological analysis shows that King Richard’s remains were buried in an awkward position, leaning against the wall of a grave that wasn’t dug large enough.

New Study Finds That King Richard III Was Buried in a Hurry

The British king’s remains, discovered in a parking lot, were dropped in an awkward position in a grave that wasn’t dug large enough

William Crockford—identified here as “Crockford the Shark”—sketched by the great British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson in about 1825. Rowlandson, himself an inveterate gambler who blew his way through a $10.5 million family fortune, knew the former fishmonger before he opened the club that would make his name.

Crockford’s Club: How a Fishmonger Built a Gambling Hall and Bankrupted the British Aristocracy

A working-class Londoner operated the most exclusive gambling club the world has ever seen

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