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Weird and wonderful history

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Weird and wonderful history

From healing spells to conjuring demons: the medieval obsession with magic. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The unexpected Vikings. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval magic at work: 7 spells and charms our ancestors used. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Yuri Gagarin: 8 things you (probably) didn’t know about the first man in space

Written in the stars: 7 celestial events that may have changed history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Q&AWhy did 17th-century plague doctors wear peculiar beaked masks?

Fairies, rabbit births and an 'ancient' tiara: what are the greatest historical hoaxes?

Disney history: how has the corporation shaped our perception of the past?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The greatest show on earth? The myths of the Victorian freak show

The truth about Viking berserkers

From the handshake to the high-five: a brief history of gestures. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

General ancient history

When was toilet paper invented and what did people use before?

The (not so) stinky Middle Ages: why medieval people were cleaner than we think

General History

A brief history of human filth: how did people try to keep clean in the past?

5 smells that made Georgian England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Burglary: a modern history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Why do women propose in a leap year?

'Vinegar Valentines': 9 surprisingly dark Valentine's Day cards from the past. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

General ancient history

Spanish fly, holy bread and mashed worms: history's weirdest aphrodisiacs and love potions

A history of nakedness in art: Mary Beard on her new BBC series Shock of the Nude

Mary Beard on the nude in western art. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The woman who gave birth to rabbits. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The curious case of Lord Lucan + 10 other mysterious disappearances from history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The day Thomas Blood stole the Crown Jewels. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Royalists, beards and cowardice: are these the strangest taxes in history?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Vampyre stirs: 200 years of vampire entertainment. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

From Dracula to The Historian: 5 gothic novels that reflected the anxieties of their age. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The filthy Middle Ages?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

9 general election curiosities through history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Stonehenge: a prehistoric tourist trap. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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