April 2020

Expert articles from the April 2020 issue of BBC History Magazine

A union flag flown on HMS Queen Charlotte at the battle known as the Glorious First of June, 1794

Stuart

Q&AWhen was the Union Jack or Union flag created?

Ian Fleming, British author and creator of the James Bond character

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James Bond in real life: where did Ian Fleming's inspirations come from?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Anthonis Mor's portrait of Mary I from 1554

Tudor

Mary Tudor: brutal but brilliant

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Christian Frederick Cole: England’s first black barrister. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Vivid experiences: a self-portrait of Artemisia Gentileschi, the Italian Baroque artist whose brilliant renderings of biblical and classical scenes earned her commissions from some of the most powerful figures in 17th century Europe. (Photo by Araldo de Luca/Corbis via Getty Images)

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Artemisia Gentileschi: how pain powered the great 17th-century artist. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The US assault on Okinawa

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The WW2 battle of Okinawa: the bloodiest assault of the Pacific War. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Greg Jenner. (Photo by Frank Monks)

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Books interviewFame, fortune and falls from grace: Greg Jenner on the rise of celebrity culture. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Scotland's cry for liberty: the Declaration of Arbroath. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The race to save Apollo 13. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Rosa Parks (right) riding on a bus following the Supremacial segregation on Montgomery's public transit system. (Photo by Don Cravens/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images)

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History heroGabby Logan chooses Rosa Parks (1913–2005). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Jesus appears before Pontius Pilate in a crowd scene from Oberammergau's 2010 Passion Play. The Bavarian town stages the mammoth production once every ten years, with a cast made up entirely of local residents. (Photo by Brigitte Maria Mayer Passionsspiele Oberammergau 2020)

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Travel to: Oberammergau, Germany. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Thomas Cromwell

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The Mirror & The Light book review: Hilary Mantel's epic finale "lives up to the hype". This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.