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For the second time in six months, English historian David Starkey has launched a broadside against the Scots. Six months ago he accused Scotland of being a "feeble little nation" that likes to revel in failure (and when it comes to sport, they have plenty of opportunity). One of their few...

The first Manchester derby of the season was probably the most eagerly-awaited for years, and it certainly didn't disappoint. So much happened, you could probably write a book on it. It was a great advert for the English Premier League, and will do no damage to its claims as being the fastest...

Britain's Ministry of Defence ordered an investigation of thousands of UFO sightings in the 1990s to examine whether alien spaceship technology could be exploited to build advanced engines for the RAF, according to a new book. A wing commander initiated the project in 1993 because he believed...

The Scottish Government created a stir recently, especially in America, over the controversial release of the Lockerbie Bomber. Now it's at the centre of a storm again over allegation of rigging a referendum over Scottish independence. In 1999, devolution was partially introduced to Britain...

At first glance, it may look like some gigantic terror bird is terrorising people at famous British locations, including Piccadilly Circus. But in fact Kai the hawk loves flying around a model village. At the Babbacombe Model Village in Devon, Kai protects the scale model buildings from...

At just 18, Rifleman William Aldridge is the youngest British soldier to have been killed so far in Afghanistan. He was killed by a Taliban bomb on 10th July. Before his death, he took many photos on his camera whilst in Afghanistan, photos he took of himself and some of his comrades, some of...

What do you think are the most important events in history? Well, the BBC History Magazine has asked 12 historians what they are the great leaps for mankind. These leaps include the discovery of blood circulation in England, the invention of democracy in Greece, the Magna Carta, the founding...

If you've ever wanted to go on a "history tour", visiting various locations where an historical event occurred, then one of the best you can go on is a tour of the sites of the Norman Conquest. Being an ancient nation, England is a treasure trove of beautiful and magnificent buildings. Many of...

Not long ago, Britain had both and King AND a Queen. King George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from December 1936 to February 1952. Alongside him was his wife, Queen Elizabeth, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions. George VI died in February...

From Friday 31st August to Friday 9th November 1888, the mysterious Jack the Ripper stalked the filthy, gas-lit streets of Whitechapel, east London, then the world's largest city. Why Jack stopped killing after 9th November is, of course, a mystery. His (or, even, her) five victims - Mary Anne...

England's Italian manager, Fabio Capello, has guided England to 8 wins out of 8 in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, 31 goals for, 5 against, and a maximum 24 points from those games. England have qualified with ease, and with two games to spare. Capello has now said that his dream would be for...

It's amazing how World War II can still put people's lives at risk, 64 years after it ended. When Paul Davies was digging in his garden in Exeter, Devon, he came across a small metallic object. Thinking it was a piece of machinery, he took it into his house where his friend took a picture of...

During the winter and new year period, the central courtyard of the glorious 18th century Somerset House, on the Strand overlooking the Thames in central London, is home to an ice skating rink. And stunning it is, too, seeing hundreds of people skating in the courtyard of a classic building at...

Germany may be the largest EU state (population wise) with its largest economy, but that's no excuse for it to act like the boss and order people about (we fought a World War so we didn't have to take orders from the Germans). Due to recent events, the British often tend to view the Germans...

The Ministry of Defence has today released a computer-generated image of how one of Britain's gargantuan new aircraft carriers will look in its home base of Portsmouth, Hampshire. The new 65,000 tonne Queen Elizabeth Class carriers are due to enter service with the Royal Navy between 2014 and...

They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and when it came to Tudor royalty, that was most certainly the case. The perfect book, according to many authors, would begin like this: 'I'm pregnant!' said the Queen. 'I wonder who can be responsible?' No book can fail with the three top...

The new £78 million Darwin Centre at London's Natural History Museum is about to open. Shaped like a giant coccoon, it is 92ft high and houses 17 million insects and 3 million plants on its eight floors. Beetles collected by a young Charles Darwin on his 1831 voyage on the Beagle can be...

British author Roald Dahl was, without question, one of the greatest children's writers who ever lived. He wrote books such as Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, The Twits, James And The Giant Peach, George's Marvellous Medicine, The BFG, Matilda, The Witches, The Enormous Crocodile and...

England put in one of their best peformances in years last night by demolishing Croatia and qualifying for the 2010 South Africa World Cup with two games still to go in qualifying. Prior to yesterday, England had played 7 and won 7 in their group. Only Spain and Holland also had 100% records...

If fairies exist, you'd probably expect to find them in rural counties such as Herefordshire or Shropshire. You probably wouldn't expect to find them in the dense urban jungle of Europe's largest city. Whilst chatting with relatives in the back garden of her home in Croydon, south London...