Sultans in the Ottoman Empire loved to eat. In the 15th century, Topkapi Palace boasted a kitchen staff of 100 people, a number that grew to 500 during the 16th-century reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Before 1600, the kitchen staff...

Emmeline discusses marriage and her early life in the suffragist movement

The region stretching from eastern Europe and sweeping right across into Arabia and the north coast of Africa, was home to one of the most extraordinary empires in history: the Ottoman Empire. Along its routes flowed ideas, goods,...

Let’s take a look at the works of Merian C. Cooper and Ishirō Honda. Both are known for their work on giant monster movies, especially the Kaiju genre.

This video explores the origins of Halloween and how it evolved over time. From early Christian feast days merged with northern European festivals for the dead, to the All Saints Day and All Souls Day, the video delves into how the...

Victorian Christmas part 5

The cuisine of the Victorian era was a mix of dishes and ingredients from Medieval times and modern day food. Turkey, duck, goose, and a variety of jellies were common and some dishes moved from savory to...

Coverture severely restricted women’s political, financial, and personal rights and was imported to the American colonies as a part of English common law. It affected the lives of all American women and although it has been diminished...

In the first of a new series, James Payne and Joanne Shurvell combine their love of Art and Travel, as they look at less well known museums in cities around the world.



In "Great Art Cities Explained: London", we look at...

Earlier in the series we talked about how it was the artificial dye industry that gave way to the pharmaceutical industry in the latter half of the 19th century. Let's now examine the first large pharma companies to emerge, and the...

Practise your listening skills and learn some new vocabulary!



In this video I talk with my mother about her experiences...

This is a love story behind one of the most important medical inventions ever made - the rubber gloves.

Discover the rich history of Christmas feasts and gift giving during the Tudor period. From the political dance of gift-giving within the Tudor Court to the traditional agricultural celebrations of plow Monday, learn about the customs...

Famous American author Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting death may have been a result of cooping, a violent form of voter fraud practiced in the 19th century.

Analysis of how to use the different types of Augmented Sixth Chords

Having talked a lot about diseases caused by pathogens, and the breakthroughs with antibiotics and vaccines to address them, it's time to check out some other maladies that are more directly related to human physiology. Let's start with...

Throughout history girls have been told what they can and cannot do with their bodies. But through activism and creativity, girls have fought to take back control.

In this video, Jabzy brings us historical tidbits and unknown facts about the Division of Central Asia

Over a two-year period in the 1860s, infamous train robbers the Reno Gang stole the equivalent of $9 million dollars, until an act of vigilantism stopped them in their tracks.

Solfege and Tonic Sol Fa. What is it, and how is it used? Many musicians use sol fa. Others have heard about it but are not sure how it works. In this music performance lesson, we explain the sol fa system and how it can transfer from...

The Emancipation Proclamation is one of the most important and misunderstood documents in US history. So, what did it actually proclaim?

Daniel Doctoroff, chairman and CEO of Sidewalk Labs, speaks with the WSJ's Matt Murray about what it takes to build the first city that is powered by data.

Rila Monastery is one of the symbols of Bulgaria and is also a popular tourist destination. The monastery lies in the recesses of Rila Mountain, between Rilska and Drushlyavitsa Rivers, at 1147 m above mean sea level. It is located about...

Although inequality has recently become one of the current topics "de jour" in the economics profession, Branko Milanovic is certainly not a newbie to this area. Indeed, the World Bank economist and development specialist...

In the early 19th century, we were still in the habit of searching for plants with medicinal properties. But we were finally beginning to develop the capacity to identify active ingredients within those plants, isolate them, and purify...