Tell us in the comments!

For many, Christmas is not complete without listening to the atmospheric and angelic sound of carols. Here, journalists Alexandra Coghlan and Eugene Byrne investigate the origins of nine festive favourites https://bit.ly/4aDsL0k 🗝️ This article is free to read

Charles Dickens is often credited with inventing winter festivities as we know them. But is his pioneering reputation really deserved? 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/3Dq8eOq

Early crackers were initially called ‘Cosaques’, supposedly because the crack they made when pulled was reminiscent of the cracking whips of Russian Cossack horsemen. Find out more facts about the history of Christmas crackers... https://bit.ly/45b9tMf

#OnThisDay in 1815, Jane Austen’s 'Emma', a novel about “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like”, was an instant hit. It was published in three volumes, each set costing one guinea. 📸 Getty

Explore how modern Britons sought signs of divine order in a collapsing world – from searching snails’ shells to eating moles’ hearts 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4i7frDc

#OnThisDay in 1938, Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, curator of a small museum in East London, South Africa, discovered what turned out to be a coelacanth, a fish believed to have been extinct for millions of years. 📸 Getty

What would you experience if you visited Christmases past in Wales? Lauren Good explores the country’s festive traditions… https://bit.ly/4gjkVZr 🗝️ This article is free to read

#OnThisDay in 1937, Walt Disney's 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' was first screened. 📸 Getty

On the podcast | Dr Lizzie Rogers explores Jane Austen’s twenties, a tumultuous period that saw both love and loss https://bit.ly/4htubM5

The people of ancient Rome didn’t have access to modern science, but they still developed complex – and incredibly intuitive – theories on how nutrition worked 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4oFzcn6

Images of the Anglo-American Santa Claus or Father Christmas have come to dominate the modern Christmas. But who is he? What does he have to do with Odin, and when was he called Captain Christmas? https://bit.ly/4gGE0VF 🗝️ This article is free to read

#OnThisDay in 1192, Richard the Lionheart was captured by the forces of Leopold, Duke of Austria. He was not released until February 1194, after his countrymen had paid an enormous ransom. 📸 Getty

For many, Christmas is a time to uphold traditions. But where did they come from? Discover the history behind ‘the most wonderful time of the year’… 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/3Vj5nN6

Archaeology reveals that a millennium ago, North America was home to thriving urban centres as large and sophisticated as those of medieval Europe. But how and why did these rise, flourish and decline? 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/48qhf7d

#OnThisDay in 1848, 30-year-old Emily Brontë, author of 'Wuthering Heights', died of tuberculosis at her family home at Haworth, West Yorkshire. 📸 Getty

On the podcast | Terry Stiastny tells the story of the British misfits and mavericks charged with waging psychological war on Nazi-occupied Europe https://bit.ly/4htubM5

How did turkeys come to Britain and when did we first start eating them? As 10 million homes across Britain prepare to tuck into one over the festive period, Julian Humphrys looks at the history of the bird that will never vote for Christmas https://bit.ly/48OX4Pd

Though rare, female gladiators did appear in the Roman arena, challenging ancient Rome’s expectations and revealing how spectacle, politics and social boundaries shaped life in the empire 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4acMc00

#OnThisDay in 1912, newspapers announced the discovery in Sussex of the skull and jaw of the ‘Piltdown Man’. It was presented as the missing link between apes and humans but 40 years later the ‘discovery’ was revealed to have been an elaborate hoax. 📸 Getty

Today, December is associated with decorations, gift-giving and indulgence in many places all over the world. But how did the Romans celebrate during the festive season? 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4pvXIrD

On the podcast | Historian Clare Jackson offers a new perspective on the much-maligned James VI & I as a central, and overlooked, figure in British history https://bit.ly/4htubM5

Tell us in the comments!

In the roster of laudable history books published in 2025, authors tackled topics as diverse as Gaza, Indian partition, extinction, medieval and Stuart monarchs – even historians themselves. Here, a panel of experts recommend the titles they most enjoyed: https://bit.ly/3rl4wLq

What did everyday life look like for the millions of ordinary people living in Tudor England? Historian Ruth Goodman found out by living the way they did, uncovering a world that was hard, industrious – but also fulfilling 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4avzmKd

#OnThisDay in 1773, dozens of men boarded the Dartmouth and two other tea ships, unloaded hundreds of chests of tea and dumped them into Boston harbour. 📸 Getty

On the podcast | Hannah Templeton explores the life and career of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart https://bit.ly/4htubM5

David Musgrove reports on new research that casts light on the appearance of the comet in the 11th century, and its depiction in the Bayeux Tapestry https://bit.ly/4pXizEm 🗝️ This article is free to read

#OnThisDay in 1832, the engineer and tower designer Gustave Eiffel was born in Dijon. 📸 Getty

On the podcast | Ben Machell explores the history of ghost hunting https://bit.ly/4htubM5

Want to know more about Jane Austen, her novels and the period she lived in? Lauren Good has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine archive to help you explore more about Austen and her life https://bit.ly/4pNpnnS

#OnThisDay in 1861, Prince Albert, the 42-year-old consort of Queen Victoria, died in the Blue Room at Windsor Castle. The cause of death was stated to be typhoid fever, although doubt has since been cast on this diagnosis. His death plunged the queen into a lifetime of mourning. 📸 Getty

Fear of the living dead, in the form of vampires, is a near-constant trope in modern popular culture – from the regular reinterpretations of Bram Stoker’s 'Dracula' to the 20th century's Buffy. But the tradition has far deeper roots... https://bit.ly/48q6Eb7

#OnThisDay in 1871, Canadian writer and expressionist painter Emily Carr was born in British Columbia. Much of her work was inspired by the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific north-west coast. 📸 Getty

What would you experience if you visited Christmases past in Wales? Lauren Good explores the country’s festive traditions… https://bit.ly/4gjkVZr 🗝️ This article is free to read

#OnThisDay in 1870, Joseph H Rainey, a South Carolina Republican, became the first African-American to serve in the United States House of Representatives. 📸 Getty

#OnThisDay in 1282, Llywelyn ap Gruffyd, the last prince of an independent Wales, was killed by the English in a minor skirmish while campaigning in the Builth region. 📸 Getty

For many, Christmas is a time to uphold traditions. But where did they come from? Discover the history behind ‘the most wonderful time of the year’… 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/3Vj5nN6

The people of ancient Rome didn’t have access to modern science, but they still developed complex – and incredibly intuitive – theories on how nutrition worked 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4oFzcn6

Archaeology reveals that a millennium ago, North America was home to thriving urban centres as large and sophisticated as those of medieval Europe. But how and why did these rise, flourish and decline? 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/48qhf7d

I’m absolutely thrilled that Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy is one of BBC History magazine’s books of the year 😊 #womenwhoruledtheworld @historyextra.bsky.social

From ritual parades to blood-soaked duels, explore a single day in the life (and death) of the most brutal entertainment in the ancient Roman empire 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4iuO5al

#OnThisDay in 1732, the Royal Opera House opened at London’s Covent Garden with a performance of William Congreve’s 'The Way of the World'. 📸 Getty

There have been many examples of pointed hats in history, but it remains unclear how any of them became a must-wear for the witches 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4rzQGnC

#OnThisDay in 1421, Henry VI, the only son and heir of Henry V of England, was born at Windsor. He succeeded to the English and French thrones before his first birthday, after his father Henry and grandfather Charles VI of France died within months of each other. 📸 Getty

In the aftermath of the American Civil War, a grieving nation turned towards spiritualism in the hope of seeing the dead once more. Facilitated by new technologies like photography, some unscrupulous fraudsters stepped in to manipulate the vulnerable https://bit.ly/48bjvPv

#OnThisDay in 1791, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died. Two days later, he was buried in an unmarked grave. This has sparked much hearsay, however the overwhelming majority of middle-class Viennese were buried this way. 📸 Getty

Who won the crusades, how many were there, and what caused them? Medieval expert Rebecca Rist answers these major questions, exploring how centuries of religious conflict reshaped the medieval world https://bit.ly/3Koe1YD 🗝️ This article is free to read

What did everyday life look like for the millions of ordinary people living in Tudor England? Historian Ruth Goodman found out by living the way they did, uncovering a world that was hard, industrious – but also fulfilling 🗝️ This article is free to read https://bit.ly/4avzmKd

#OnThisDay in 1872, sailors spotted the abandoned Mary Celeste. Upon investigation, there were no signs of a fight, no hints of fire or disaster – nothing, in short, that would explain the disappearance of the entire crew. 📸 Getty