History Extra

BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.

WELCOME OCTOBER 2026

THREE THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY EYE

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

ANNIVERSARIES • DANNY BIRD highlights events that took place in October in history

From radio to AI, have new technologies always sparked fear in the classroom? • As the role of AI in education sparks debate, LAURA TISDALL examines past technological advances in teaching, and how they were received at the time

“I imagine Vitalis enjoying the sea breezes, gazing out to Normandy”

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH • JAMES OSBORNE highlights insights shared by experts on our HistoryExtra podcasts

“The Amazonian rainforest may have been occupied by millions of people” • KAVITA PURI on a revolutionary technology transforming our view of the ancient world

LETTERS

History Extra

How Harold conquered England • In 1066 the last Anglo-Saxon king was ousted. But how, asks Tom Licence, had Harold, an earl without royal blood, taken the English crown in the first place? Was it truly because he was the strongman demanded by a land fearing invasion?

THE COMEBACK KING HOW HAROLD ROSE, FELL, ROSE… AND FELL FOR GOOD

Ale, terror and a martyr’s death WHAT NOT TO MISS ON THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY • Heading to the British Museum to see the Bayeux Tapestry for yourself? David Musgrove and Michael Lewis reveal the 10 things you simply must do when experiencing the world’s most famous embroidery in all its glory

Who are the great unsung heroes in history? • Our team of historians, broadcasters and authors champion those whose contributions have been overlooked

Winds of change • As Pressure, which dramatises meteorologists’ attempts to predict the weather on D-Day, storms into cinemas, Catherine Ross charts five moments when weather forecasts (or the lack of them) changed the course of history

Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

Class clowns • From Del Boy’s rags-to-riches-to-rags tale to The Royle Family’s quiet revolution, Laura Minor explores how British sitcoms have portrayed working-class lives down the years and why it matters who tells these stories

“George IV? He should have been a hairdresser” • If Lucy Worsley has learned one thing in her 30 years as a historian, it’s that what we think we know about Britain’s kings and queens is often wrong. She looks again at five royals whose reputations have been transformed - or are long overdue a makeover

“The Arab world is much less monolithic than we in the west like to think. Different states and regions all have their own agendas” • We have, says Simon Sebag Montefiore, long needed a history of the modern Middle East encompassing all the myriad peoples, forces and states that have shaped the region. That’s why, he tells CHARLOTTE VOSPER, he decided to brave the heat of The Cauldron

Annie Londonderry Self-promoting cycle circumnavigator • As the 19th century drew to a close, one young woman took on a cycling challenge like no other: to pedal around the globe solo. PETER ZHEUTLIN traces her unbelievable journey

Nationalist spirit • JOHN FOOT salutes a haunting account of how Mussolini’s influence on Italian life has endured in the eight decades since the Fascist leader’s...