Born into a poor, abusive household in 1838, Victoria Woodhull doesn’t have much hope of a comfortable life. But she’s smart, charismatic and has an uncanny ability to read people, ...

Mary Bateman lived in York in the late 18th Century, an age that prized rational thought. Many people still longed to believe in the old ways and Bateman used this to her advantage, selling spells and ...

Chargin’ Charlie Beckwith is an American colonel who expects nothing less than perfection from his squad. When hostages are seized during the 1979 Iranian revolution, Chargin’ Charlie is given the ...

Keeping warm is sometimes expensive, but even a caveman can cope with the technical challenge: pull on an extra bearskin and throw another log on to the fire. Keeping cool is a trickier business. The ...

The children of North End, Boston, play in the shadow of an enormous steel tank of molasses. The thick, sticky sugar syrup is being used to make munitions for the First World War. When a worker ...

In the early 1900s, Sir Arthur Vickers keeps the magnificent Irish Crown Jewels safe under lock and key at Dublin Castle. When the jewels disappear, the King rages, the police investigate, and even ...

When John Darwin walks into a shop in London, it causes an instant stir. After all, John Darwin has been dead for five years. He claims to have amnesia, but everyone – from the police and the media to ...

As Governor of Britannia, Magnus Maximus has a huge army at his disposal, which is just what he needs to secure the Roman imperial throne. But perhaps the impressive general should have looked into ...

The great number theorist GH Hardy would probably have disagreed with the label “great”. In his book A Mathematician’s Apology, he admitted: “I have never done anything ‘useful’. No discovery of mine ...

In a column in January about the paradox of work, I recalled the immortal Douglas Adams joke about working conditions: the hours are good, but “most of the actual minutes are pretty lousy”. The joke ...

Joy in his blood bursting his heart, he died — the bliss! With the death of Pheidippides began the legend of the marathon, a feat of running so arduous that the very attempt could kill you. I plan to ...