Painting of Daniel Mendoza

Sport and leisure

Graphic photo collage of early 20th-century women engaged in sports—a mountaineer holding a rope, two women practicing jujitsu or grappling, and a golfer swinging a club—set against diagonal pink and blue stripes

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"No votes, no golf!": how the suffragettes made sport a political battlefield. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A photo collage featuring historical figures and athletes arranged around a red and white 1-2-3 winner's podium set against a yellow background.

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Are these history's greatest losers? 19 people who had glory snatched away from them. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Historic image of a cyclist in early riding attire standing with a bicycle, set against a collage of world maps suggesting travel and adventure.

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In 1895, a Chicago housewife left her family to cycle around the world. But was it all a hoax?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Grid of images showing characters from various sitcoms and comedy programmes against an orange background

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Thatcher, pubs and poverty porn: a gritty history of British sitcoms. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A traveller on horseback follows a rocky path through a lush mountain landscape, with two walkers and dogs nearby under towering sunlit peaks.

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Forget the Colosseum: here’s why Georgian Britons preferred to holiday at home. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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1966: The World Cup that changed a nation. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Composite image of Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland wearing a Viking helmet and the Norway national team shirt, standing with his hands on his hips against an illustrated background of Viking longships filled with oarsmen. The image links Haaland and Norway’s modern 'Viking row' football celebration with historical depictions of Viking seafarers.

Viking

Norway’s ‘Viking row’: the real history behind the World Cup football chant

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When football became a weapon of the Cold War. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A vintage black‑and‑white photograph of a crowded football match, with a player leaping towards the ball as several players jump around him. A packed stadium of spectators fills the background.

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Angry bishops, grumpy dictators and the 'wizard of dribble': 8 moments when football and politics collided. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A composite image of several soccer players in action set against a packed stadium. An American flag motif blends into the background crowd. The players wear different uniforms—including white with purple accents, white with red‑and‑blue stripes with the number 12, and blue with the number 21—suggesting multiple teams or matches. The overall effect celebrates soccer in the United States.

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Football's final frontier: America's tangled relationship with soccer. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A close-up view of a printed map of the United States. A small American flag pin sits in the centre of the country, surrounded by several red location markers placed across western, central, and eastern regions. Visible map labels include “United States,” “Colorado Plateau,” “Oklahoma City,” “Dallas,” “Lake Huron,” “Lake Erie,” “Indianapolis,” and “Appalachian.” The image emphasises geographic points of interest across the country.

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From LA glitz to Indy's legendary car races: which city is the true epicentre of American sport?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A bronze Greek warrior statue and a costumed hoplite stand against a sunset sky with tall grass and stylised golden olive branches.

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Nude inspections, thigh flashers and fights to the death: 15 things you need to know about the Spartans. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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When did Roman Britain really end?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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A short history of running. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Two circular portraits overlap on a teal background. The left circle contains a black‑and‑white photo of a runner wearing a tank top with an ‘AAA’ emblem and the number 41. The right circle shows a colour headshot of a smiling person with light hair wearing a dark top and necklace

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The Oxford neurologist who broke an 'impossible' record: the incredible life of Roger Bannister. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A tailor in a black vest and white shirt holds two large horns as he attaches them to a Viking’s helmet. The Viking wears a grey helmet, blue tunic, feathered cloak, and has a long orange beard, all set against a bright green background

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What are history's biggest misconceptions? 9 experts reveal what we get wrong about the past. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A pair of glasses with light brown and yellow frames and pink lenses. Below them is a reflected shadow of the same pair of glasses, against a beige background

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From Stranger Things to communist cars: why we can't resist nostalgia. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photograph of three men wearing striped helmets sitting in a bob sled. Behind them, a large crowd of men, wearing white jumpers and caps and helmets

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London 1908 was the weirdest Winter Olympics in history – and here's why. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A pink flower with various contraptions in the background

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From goat eyelids to bread: history's 12 strangest sex toys. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A sketch shows two topless men wearing pale shorts fighting each other in a boxing ring

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From a lion-taming lightweight to the Muscular Maids: 5 Victorian boxing sensations you need to know about. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

In a white hexagonal frame, there is a black and white image of a playground, with a young boy on a white rocking horse. The background is green

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Swings and roundabouts: a history of Britain's playgrounds. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The swordplay’s the thing: Henry VIII's Masters of Defence and the thrilling world of 16th-century fencing. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A boxing match in A Thousand Blows alongside an illustration of a Victorian boxing ring

Victorian

A Thousand Blows: the real history behind the Victorian boxing drama

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Sport's strangest tales. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Gladiators do battle in a c320 AD mosaic, housed in the Borghese Gallery in Rome

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Blood, guts and spectacle: 6 shocking events from the history of ancient Roman gladiators. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Victorian cricket. (Photo by Getty Images)

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Cricket, cocaine and cocoa houses: 5 ways Victorians spent their free time. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Video podcastCocaine: a Victorian sensation. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A 14th-century depiction of a lady and youth playing a game of draughts (Photo by Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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War and pieces: 5 games from history that were about much more than fun. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration of the Circus Maximus

Roman

Fast, dangerous and bloody: inside the Circus Maximus, the home of Roman chariot racing

The England football team badge, showing three lions on a field of ten Tudor roses

Medieval

Why are there three lions on the shirts of the English football team?

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