Culture

A classic of the horror genre that has inspired generations, why is the message of Shelley's 19th-Century novel still overshadowed by its success, more than two centuries on?

In Paris, women were banned from wearing trousers in 1800 – many flouted the law and bravely fought for their sartorial freedom. Here are 10 images capturing their distinctive style.

AA Milne's first Pooh book was published a century ago. Its inspiration, the author's own son, told the BBC why he took to "running away when people bring up the subject".

She seemed destined to become queen – then was convicted of witchcraft, a scandal that was a catalyst for the Wars of the Roses. Was Eleanor Cobham a scheming satanist or a pawn?

In October 1962, the world came to the brink of nuclear war. According to insiders who spoke to the BBC, the expertise of President John F Kennedy and his brother Robert saved the day.

The Norse made it to Canada around the year 1000, and used it as a base to explore. The BBC has delved into the "lost history" of the first Europeans to cross the Atlantic.

After a volcano erupted on tiny Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, the 264 displaced islanders told the BBC about their first taste of modern British life.

On 29 September 1947, the "biggest murder trial in history" began. Seventy years on, the chief prosecutor, Ben Ferencz, told the BBC how he fought to bring 22 killers to justice.