History resources for Teachers

There are not enough bathrooms in Manhattan in 1900.

#HazardousHistory

Far in the distance, three colossal shapes tower over the desert horizon…

In this episode, we travel to the Nile Valley, and tell the story of one of the most iconic cultures ever produced by humankind – the civilizations of ancient Egypt. I want to show how this series of related cultures grew up in the floodplains of their great river, and built some of the most enduring and recognizable structures in the world. And I want to tell the story of what happened to bring the age of the Pharaohs finally and cataclysmically to an end.

Fears are mounting that unexploded WWII munitions buried in Belgium’s High Fens could detonate as underground peat fires smolder on, following the country’s worst wildfires in recent history.

In 1945, World War II ended with the dawn of the Atomic Age, but peace was short-lived. As the alliance between the US and the USSR fractured, a new battle of ideologies emerged: Capitalism versus Communism. From the nuclear test sites of Bikini Atoll to the proxy battlefields of Greece and China, this documentary explores how Stalin’s Iron Curtain descended across Europe, culminating in the high-stakes 1948 Berlin Blockade. Discover how the world stood on the brink of World War III and entered the era of Mutually Assured Destruction.

Imagine a ship struggling in an endless storm. Its captain, though strong and commanding, is a terrible navigator. Neither he nor his crew have been trained to sail, yet they tirelessly vie for control through bribery, flattery, and mutiny, and ignore those with real navigation knowledge. This dysfunctional vessel is Plato's Ship of State. Michael Vazquez explores the infamous thought experiment.

From the surprise assault on Pearl Harbor to the catastrophic nuclear climax at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this comprehensive documentary reveals the brutal reality of World War II in the Pacific. Featuring enhanced color footage and rare footage shot by troops on the front lines, explore how American industrial power and tactical ingenuity overcame Imperial Japan's fierce resistance across Guadalcanal, Midway, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

Over a thousand years ago, Viking longships swept across Northern Europe, leaving a trail of destruction. But new scientific discoveries, tree-ring climate analysis, and ancient DNA extraction reveal a far more complex story. Follow the rise and fall of King Ivar’s ruthless dynasty as they established a global slave empire, built Western Europe’s first major trading cities, and clashed with Anglo-Saxon kings for the fate of England. Did these fearsome warriors actually save ancient societies from extinction? Explore the groundbreaking evidence that is changing everything we knew about the Viking Age.

Midlands correspondent Lisa Dowd explains how the dry weather is revealing historical details in our landscape that are usually hidden.

After nine months at sea, some of the sailors on board the USS Abraham Lincoln have become so desperate they've reportedly been trying to jump overboard.

Ivorians have celebrated the return of the Djidji Ayokwe, a ‘talking drum’ stolen by the French colonial troops in 1916. It’s the first time the instrument is being presented in public since its return to the Ivory Coast from France in March this year.

WWII-era shipwrecks are emerging for the first time in years, as one of Europe's biggest rivers dries up.

In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation legally freed enslaved people within the United States. Still, it took military backing, specifically from the 25th Army Corps of the US Colored Troops, to help enforce this new law.

In the far east of the Eurasian steppe, the sound of hoofbeats is growing...

In this episode we travel along the vast grassland corridor of the steppe, to hear one of the most remarkable and unlikely stories from medieval history – the story of the Mongol Empire. Find out how this group of nomadic horse riders united the peoples of the Mongolian steppe, and forged them into a truly unique kind of state. Discover how they conquered much of the lands of Eurasia, and brought the distant cultures of China, Persia, the Middle East and Europe into contact. And hear the story of how the world’s largest land empire finally came apart, and left the world as we know it in its wake.

Who were the first Europeans, and what did they actually look like? In this feature-length documentary, cutting-edge genetic science and archaeology combine to rewrite thousands of years of human history.

By extracting ancient DNA from skull bones buried deep within ancient tombs and ring forts, researchers are peeling back the millennia to uncover the truth about our ancestors—from dark-skinned, blue-eyed hunter-gatherers to the Neolithic farmers who erected Europe’s most magnificent megaliths. Plus, journey into the early Middle Ages to uncover shocking "deviant burials," pagan rituals that survived the arrival of Christianity, and the chilling ancient fear of the living dead.

Israeli forces installed gates around the home of Palestinian American Lou Ridi in Qusra, in the occupied West Bank, as settlers continue to besiege homes in the village. Ridi says soldiers have prevented him from accessing his own land while Israeli settlers remain positioned outside his home.

Wildfires are exposing more than scorched forests across Europe. In former World War II battle zones, firefighters are encountering bombs, mines, and other munitions that have been buried underground for decades. Some have even detonated in the intense heat.

The history of the Roman Empire is written in blood and conquest, but few chapters are as intense or shocking as the Celtic uprising led by Queen Boudica. In the first century, British society was thriving with advanced ironwork, vibrant clothing, and a culture that saw women warriors as equals to men. However, the arrival of Emperor Claudius and his ruthless legions changed everyday life forever.

After the death of her husband, corrupt Roman officials seized Boudica's kingdom, subjected the queen to public torture, and assaulted her daughters. This monumental betrayal sparked one of the most violent rebellions in ancient history. Witness the terrifying revenge of the Iceni tribe as they united to burn prominent Roman cities to the ground, taking no prisoners in their path. We examine the tactical genius of the Roman military, the horrific final battle that ended the Celtic dream of freedom, and the true story of a legendary warrior who pushed the world's greatest superpower to the absolute brink.

Spanish authorities on Thursday (August 13) removed the remains of three 11th century Aragon kings from a monastery threatened by wildfire.

A group of Palestinian families has been besieged by masked, stone-throwing Israeli settlers in the Occupied West Bank, in what the US ambassador has condemned as a “horrific act of terror” in a rare rebuke.

Settlers had earlier cut off power and water to their homes.

The incident in the village of Qusra is, according to the trapped Palestinians, an attempt to force them out and steal their land.

Once again droves of Ukrainian drones strike deep inside Russia, as Russian drones and missiles kill civilians in several Ukrainian cities.

In the increasing war on infrastructure, Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks on the Moscow region damaging another warehouse belonging to e-commerce firm Wildberries.

Has North Korea gained the upper hand? South Korea's president is calling for talks to end the war that has divided the peninsula for more than 70 years. But does Kim Jong Un even need a peace deal? Anthony Howard speaks with Professor Robert Kelly in Busan about Seoul's dramatic policy shift, Kim Jong Un's growing ties with Moscow and what happens next.