Hourly History

James I of England and VI of Scotland was the first king to rule both countries. He was faced with division between his realms and caught between the religious wars of the Reformation....

One of the most controversial figures in British history, Oliver Cromwell entered as an insignificant member of the English gentry and left it as the all-powerful Lord Protector....

George Rogers Clark was an American general during the Revolutionary War—the epic conflict in which the newly formed United States of America broke free from British rule.

In 1642, King Charles I and the elected Parliament of England went to war over the future of the Stuart kingdom. Over the next nine years, three civil wars would be fought, devastating the populations of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

Mary Stuart was born into a powerful royal dynasty that was at war with the rest of Europe and with itself. Mary reached adulthood completely unprepared for the plots and betrayals....

There are many versions of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the beautiful young Tudor Queen courted by all the princes of Europe....

The Aztec Empire did not recoil from the face of an impending doom, it struggled faithfully. Destined to emerge from humble beginnings, it grew into a highly complex devoted civilization....

The Great Famine which afflicted Ireland from 1845 to 1849 was one of the most catastrophic events in Europe during the 19th century. More than one-quarter of the population of Ireland died of starvation or associated disease, or were forced to emigrate....

Patrick Swayze was more than just a beloved Hollywood star—he was a force of nature. Known for his magnetic presence and irresistible charm, Swayze captivated audiences worldwide with roles that showcased his unique blend of ruggedness and grace.

Ancient Egypt has mystified and entranced generation after generation. The Egyptians' mastery of architecture, their complex religious ideologies, and their peculiar views on death have given modern-day readers much to ponder....

Isambard Kingdom Brunel: one of the most famous engineers the United Kingdom has ever produced. He put his stamp on his country in the most visible way possible: through the construction of bridges and tunnels that stand to this day....

With the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Irish Free State was created, and Ireland was granted a level of autonomy it had not enjoyed for more than 100 years. However, the treaty contained a clause that was to divide Ireland, literally and politically....

Discover the remarkable history of the Crimean War...The Crimean War was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 19th century, but it is also one of the least remembered. More men died in the Crimean War than in the American Civil War which followed soon after....

Jane Austen wrote that in her novels she painted the world on a “little bit (two inches wide) of ivory,” working “with so fine a brush.”....

Founded at the dawn of the 17th century as European nations were establishing global empires, the English East India Company would become a vital part of burgeoning British supremacy....

The most notorious man in history, Adolf Hitler, is best known for having perpetrated crimes against humanity over the six-year course of World War II....

George Washington, the first president of the United States, is much more than a monument on Mount Rushmore. Who was Washington, the general, president, and husband? Find out....

Vera Atkins is one of the many unsung heroes and heroines of World War II. She carried out her life with great care and due diligence, quietly becoming the perfect spy when no one was watching.

Listen to the epic saga of the ordinary British civilians who sailed across the English Channel to the embattled port of Dunkirk to rescue their trapped soldiers, while the German military launched its might to prevent the evacuation....

Discover the remarkable history of the Falklands War...The Falklands War, which erupted in 1982, was a conflict between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Argentina over sovereignty of the Falklands, a group of largely uninhabited islands in the South Atlantic....