Crime and punishment - Getty Images

Crime and punishment

Collage of 19th-century crime illustrations tinted pink, showing figures fighting, a man firing a pistol, and a woman lying on the floor.

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"She was mad with the acrid lust of blood": 6 murders that shocked Victorian Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Black-and-white engraving depicting the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. She rests her head on the block as an executioner raises an axe above her, surrounded by attendants and onlookers.

General History

Botched executions: 9 death sentences from history that didn’t go to plan

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The Soviet spy who couldn't love. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The slave ship that changed history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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How bullies shaped 19th-century America. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A large historic plantation-style house sits among tall oak trees draped with Spanish moss. The house has a wide front porch with ornate wrought‑iron railings, green shutters, and several dormer windows on the roof. A garden pathway leads to the front steps, bordered by manicured plants and shaded by the surrounding trees.

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I visited one of America's "most haunted" historical sites. What I found there astonished me. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Why did witches confess?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Renaissance Italy's firearm revolution. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A group of women work in an early 20th‑century industrial laundry, standing around large wash basins filled with clothing. The high‑ceilinged room has pipes, machinery, and washing equipment visible in the background.

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"This would be your place for the rest of your life": the haunting history of Ireland's Magdalene laundries. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A dimly lit pub interior where four people sit around a worn wooden table. Several pint glasses filled with dark beer, a couple of shot glasses, an ashtray, and a packet of cigarettes are scattered across the tabletop. The group appears relaxed and deep in conversation; one person leans forward with their hands clasped, another rests an arm on the table, while the others sit back slightly. Behind them, framed pictures hang on the wall and a stained‑glass lamp casts warm, amber light over the scene, giving the space a cosy, intimate atmosphere.

20th Century

Is The Westies a true story? Here's the real history behind the Ronald Reagan-era gangster drama

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Was Elizabeth Báthory really a serial killer?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The astonishing laws of medieval Wales. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black‑and‑white photograph of early LGBTQ+ activists standing on a city street in front of a large banner reading “GAY PRIDE” with a white triangle symbol beneath it. Several people face the camera, some holding newspapers or pamphlets. One person holds a sign that says “MARY WHITEHOUSE? HANDS OFF GAY NEWS BUY ONE TODAY.” Tall buildings line the street behind them.

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This sex poem sparked outrage in 1970s Britain – but who triumphed in the courtroom?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A group of robed philosophers sit and stand on marble steps in a classical architectural setting. Above the central seated figure, a bright purple light bulb with radiating lines has been digitally added to suggest a moment of inspiration.

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Curse of the copycats: inside history's biggest plagiarism scandals. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A medieval manuscript illustration showing seven figures in colourful robes standing in a row, each performing a different gesture or holding an object, set against a patterned background with decorative borders and handwritten script above and below.

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She tried to cover her husband in penises: a medieval guide to the seven deadly sins. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage combining a suited person holding a briefcase and hat with a painted scene of a large hall filled with seated figures in white garments, and a smaller black‑and‑white photograph of two people inside a car layered below.

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The ultimate Cold War sex scandal – and 11 other political outrages from British history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Several passengers ride a train, each focused on their own activity: one wearing large headphones, another listening to earphones, one reading a book, and others looking at their phones. The muted colours and soft lighting create a calm, quiet atmosphere.

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From ancient China to modern America: an astonishing history of censorship. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A person in a dark shirt stands near the entrance of a rough‑walled cave. Red graffiti is painted on the rock above, and the cave interior fades into darkness

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I went digging for buried Nazi gold – and this is what I discovered. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Late 19th and early 20th-century 'lock-up mugshots' show style-conscious villains staring down the camera

Victorian

Who were the real Peaky Blinders?

A medieval manuscript scene depicting three robed figures with pale, gaunt faces standing side by side. To their right, a hooded figure in a long robe lifts a club or staff in a striking pose. The background is plain parchment with several lines of Latin script written above the figures.

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It was medieval England's worst antisemitic massacre. Here's what happened next. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black‑and‑white portrait photograph of a person wearing large round glasses, a collared shirt, and a leather jacket rests on top of an aged folder with a string‑tie closure, placed on a wooden surface.

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I wrote a letter to the world's most famous terrorist – and nothing could have prepared me for his reply. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage featuring portraits of several historical figures linked to infamous crimes, including a Victorian woman at the center, a mustached man in period clothing, a Renaissance-era woman in ornate dress, and another older figure in a hat. Behind them are a chalk-style body outline on a blue textured background and an old multi‑story building with arched windows

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History's most notorious crime scenes: from Lizzie Borden's lair to HH Holmes's 'murder castle'. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The relentless rise of the mafia: a grisly tale of extortion, execution and Don Corleone. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A seated person wearing an elaborate costume poses with one hand resting on their face. They wear a large, ornate headdress with wing‑like extensions and pearls, and a richly decorated outfit with detailed embroidery and an eagle motif on the chest.

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"It wasn't very open about its queer connections": the hidden history of the National Trust. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Why do we still ban books?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white illustration showing two men dressed in dark clothing and hats sitting in a rowing boat. One of them sits halfway in the boat, holding the oars. The other is leant over the front of the boat and is pulling the body of a woman out of the water. Behind them is a bridge with two large arches underneath it

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He's the Victorian serial killer you've never heard of – and we may now know who he was. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration showing a royal purple robe being lifted from the ground, with some dust being swept under it with a dustpan and brush

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The prince and the brothel: 6 scandals that rocked the British monarchy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An outline of a woman sitting at a typewriter is placed over three newspaper clippings

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From maniacal horses to bat-men on the moon: 14 strange newspaper headlines from history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 1The MILLION pound forgery | Mrs Rudd vs the Perreaus. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage of images showing a woman in a red and brown dress, with her arms around a small child to her left. Behind them is a large building, some ships and a crowd of people

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Meet the incredible woman who saved Portugal's Jews. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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