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Flying ‘the hump’: the US pilots who navigated treacherous skies above the Himalayas in WW2 | HistoryExtra
In 1942, after the capture of the vital Burma Road by the Japanese, President Roosevelt pledged new support to nationalist China – from the air. Why was such support promised? And just how risky was the endeavour? Author Caroline Alexander explores the experiences of US pilots who flew the perilous aerial supply route from northeast India to China – from the titanic thunderstorms that rocked their aircraft to the rugged terrain and jungle below
On ancient battlefields, the world's oldest civilisations turned beloved pets into weapons of war | HistoryExtra
From tail-wagging agents of battle to divine deities, ancient Mesopotamia’s civilisations saw dogs as more than just pets. Discussing the civilisations’ attitude to their canines, Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid reveals the many roles played by dogs over 4,000 years ago
What created the Diana phenomenon? The origin story of the ‘people’s princess | HistoryExtra
The death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 led to an outpouring of grief, both in the United Kingdom and around the world. Edward White, author of new book on the princess and her legacy, explores why she made such an impact
Suing for equality: how Sarah Mae Flemming began the legal fight against segregation | HistoryExtra
The year before the arrest of Rosa Parks sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, another black American woman started a legal fight against segregation on public transport. Clive Webb and Tom Adam Davies highlight her role in the civil rights battle
Step inside the covert WW2 spy network that trained women to kill with their bare hands | HistoryExtra
Responsible for daring assignments like Operation Postmaster, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was given a mission to undermine enemies of the Allies in Nazi-occupied territory and “set Europe ablaze” – and it did so with exploding rats, sabotage and women trained in silent assassination
Was it possible to be neutral in World War One? | HistoryExtra
At the outbreak of World War One, certain countries took the official stance to remain impartial and not participate in the conflict. But was this really possible? In episode two of her HistoryExtra Academy series 'World War One: Myths and Misconceptions', historian Alex Churchill explains why true neutrality was a myth
Beyond the trenches: untold stories of WW1 | HistoryExtra
Although it's one of the most common images we have of the conflict, World War One wasn't just fought in the trenches. In episode three of her HistoryExtra Academy series 'World War One: Myths and Misconceptions', historian Alex Churchill tells some of the personal experiences of the war you might not have heard about before
Did Franz Ferdinand's death really start World War One? | HistoryExtra
Most people think of Franz Ferdinand's assassination in June 1914 as being the spark that started World War One. But it was a conflict that had much longer roots. In episode one of her HistoryExtra Academy series 'World War One: Myths and Misconceptions', historian Alex Churchill explains the long and short term causes of the war
The CIA’s most unlikely Cold War weapon? A secret smuggling operation that terrified Soviet censors | HistoryExtra
In the aftermath of the Second World War, as the Soviet Union imposed ideological control across Eastern Europe, the CIA turned to an unexpected tactic: a covert smuggling operation designed to win hearts and minds
Think James Bond's pure fantasy? His creator's real WW2 missions were more outrageous than you'd believe | HistoryExtra
From exploding tinned food to covert assaults and code-breaking schemes, Ian Fleming’s real-life wartime exploits were just as wild – and arguably even more outlandish – than anything dreamed up in his Bond novels
"England is invincible": How the Luftwaffe lost the Battle of Britain | HistoryExtra
When the Battle of Britain erupted, many Luftwaffe pilots anticipated a swift victory. Yet soon that confidence had been replaced by chronic fatigue and a crippling fear of drowning in “dirty water”. Victoria Taylor charts the mental disintegration of Hitler’s flyers
From a scandalous threesome to classical stardom: the actress who found redemption in Handel’s Messiah | HistoryExtra
Susannah Cibber’s journey from abuse and scandal to a role in the debut of Messiah is one of the most remarkable stories in music history. Elinor Evans spoke to Charles King, author of Every Valley: The Story of Handel’s Messiah, to reveal how an actress embroiled in a salacious courtroom drama became the emotional heart of one of the most enduring pieces of Western music
Were Ancient Ireland’s ‘Incestuous Elites’ Just a Myth? A Tomb Older than Stonehenge has New Answers | HistoryExtra
In 2020, analysis of a skull fragment discovered at Newgrange, County Meath, led to sensational claims of royal incest within the region’s prehistoric ruling dynasties. But new research suggests that Neolithic Ireland may have been far more socially equal – and more complex – than originally assumed