When a routine procedure went wrong in October 1957, a fire broke out at the Windscale nuclear power station in Cumbria, UK. By the time it was put out, radiation had been sent across Britain and Europe. Jonny Wilkes reveals what happened, and why we should be grateful that it wasn’t much worse

History Extra

28.03.2025

A medieval mystery: the green-coloured children found in an English village | HistoryExtra

In the 12th century, two strange children suddenly appeared in a Suffolk village. Why, the villagers wondered, were they completely green? The story of the otherworldly children of Woolpit has long been treated as folklore – but, as John Clark explains, the tale may not be as fanciful as it seems...

History Extra

28.03.2025

The shockingly simple question historian Tom Holland would ask Julius Caesar | HistoryExtra

Given the chance to interrogate one of history’s most famous figures, what would you ask? Speaking on the HistoryExtra podcast, British historian and The Rest is History podcast host Tom Holland gave an unexpected answer

History Extra

28.03.2025

The triumph of the Anglo-Saxons: how the kingdom of Mercia powered the rise of England | HistoryExtra

Battered by the Vikings, outshone by King Alfred, Mercia has long been painted as the also-ran of the Anglo-Saxon world. Yet, writes Max Adams, this mighty Midlands kingdom was at the very heart of the emergence of England.

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History Extra

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Atomfall's Windscale Disaster | What Really Happened In The Fire | HistoryExtra

A medieval mystery: the green-coloured children found in an English village | HistoryExtra

The shockingly simple question historian Tom Holland would ask Julius Caesar | HistoryExtra

The triumph of the Anglo-Saxons: how the kingdom of Mercia powered the rise of England | HistoryExtra

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