A statue of the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason stands atop a tall stone column, holding a cross-topped orb above the skyline.

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He was one of the greatest Viking warlords – and his death is still an unsolved mystery

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How opium became a powerful global commodity. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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General History

Weekly crossword7 August

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An illustrated scene shows a person standing in front of a wall covered with pinned photos, maps, drawings, and notes connected by red string. The items include a house sketch, a marked map, a grave symbol, a sword, and a chalk body outline. Papers are scattered on the desk and floor, along with a skull and a box of bones. A red desk lamp lights the cluttered workspace, which also includes a filing cabinet and a table, creating the look of a detective piecing together clues.

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From Jack the Ripper to the Princes in the Tower: these are history's 8 biggest mysteries. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Queen Victoria in a blue dress and white lace veil superimposed over a dim cobblestone alley, where a shadowy figure walks beneath glowing streetlights. The composition appears on an aged photograph lying among worn papers

MembershipaudioEpisode 1Was Jack the Ripper Queen Victoria's grandson?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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A large ancient Greek red‑figure krater with two painted scenes. On one side, three standing figures appear in a mythological moment, including one drawing a bow. On the other, three figures are shown indoors, with one reclining on a couch and another standing beside them. The vessel is decorated with geometric and floral borders.

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I'm an expert on ancient Greece – here's what you need to know before you watch The Odyssey. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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100 women who changed the world

A small group of people in historical-style clothing gather outdoors around a campfire. One person plays a violin while others clap, dance, or sit watching. A simple canvas tent stands behind them in a grassy, wooded setting.

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Go west! Is Little House on the Prairie a true story? Here’s the real history behind the frontier drama reboot

Matt Damon stars as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s big-screen adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. The movie remains broadly faithful to the source material while emerging as a spectacular cinematic achievement in its own right | Credit: Universal Studios

Ancient Greece

Is The Odyssey based on a true story? The movie's historical accuracy explained

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These Iron Age bodies were all buried in the same bizarre way. What does it mean?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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A medieval manuscript illustration showing flagellants processing through the streets of Tournai in 1349. The penitents, wearing pointed hoods and simple garments, scourge themselves while carrying religious banners and a crucifix during the Black Death.

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A terrifying plague ravaged Europe for nearly 400 years – but one surprising group had the most to fear. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A cut-out portrait of Lady Jane Grey is superimposed over Edward VI's handwritten Devise for the Succession, visually linking the Tudor claimant with the document that underpinned her brief reign.

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The most important document in Tudor history? How a forgotten text triggered a royal crisis

A Roman mosaic depicting elegantly dressed figures surrounded by luxury goods, including shells, chests, vessels and other valuable objects, suggesting trade, wealth and domestic consumption.

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The ancient Romans thrived on consumerism. Here's what was on their shopping lists

After 20 years away, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca. In one of the Odyssey's most dramatic scenes, he reveals his identity by stringing his great bow before turning it on the suitors who have overrun his household, bringing his long journey to a violent and decisive end | Credit: Getty Images

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Is the Odyssey the first historical novel? How Homer recreated a world of gods and monsters

This ancient Greek vase depicts one of the most famous episodes in The Odyssey: Odysseus and his men blinding the Cyclops Polyphemus after becoming trapped in his cave | Credit: Getty Images

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How the Odyssey's Cyclops became the ancient Greeks' worst nightmare

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A collage of famous footballers from different eras shown in colour against a black‑and‑white stadium. Players appear in dynamic poses: one mid‑bicycle kick, one lifting the World Cup, another holding the Champions League trophy, and others in action wearing kits from Argentina, the Netherlands, England, and the United States.

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These are the 27 most important soccer players in history. You probably won't agree with our choices. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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A promotional graphic for the HistoryExtra Daily Quiz. The image combines several historical scenes, including the entrance to Hampton Court Palace, a section of the Bayeux Tapestry showing the battle of Hastings, and a black-and-white photograph of a woman working in a wartime factory. Bright, semi-transparent blocks of colour and large question marks overlay the collage, while the words "Daily Quiz" appear in bold white text in the bottom-left corner.

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I was so inspired by Harriet Jacobs that I wrote a song about her: Corinne Bailey Rae on her history hero. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The effects of the disease known as the Black Death

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