150 years ago today (4th March 1861) Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th President of the USA 75 years ago today (7th March 1936) Adolf Hitler ordered his troops into the demilitarised zone of the Rhineland, breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact 20 years ago today (14th March 1991) The ‘Birmingham…

“The Soviets have opened a new phase in space exploration with the launch of the world’s biggest space station, Mir. The successful launch of Mir comes just over three weeks after the American space shuttle Challenger disaster, in which seven astronauts died….more“

Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War [more]

For more on Decimal Day, click here.

No one has figured out how to read the enigmatic Voynich Manuscript, but now we know how old it is.

Finnish scientists are analyzing a golden, cloudy beverage found in a 19th century shipwreck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, hoping new beers can be modeled on an ancient brew.

In the months before and after the end of World War II, Tuviah Friedman tirelessly hunted Nazis as part of a militia in liberated Poland, and he reveled in his nickname, the Merciless One.

CBBC's Horrible Histories triumphed over its adult counterparts at the British Comedy Awards – and rightly so, says Gerard Gilbert

Angie Powell, 57, and her husband Rhodri, 56, uncovered the 20ft wide, six ft high, wall painting as they peeled back wallpaper and mortar from their grade II listed home.

Like a virus, revolt has spread rapidly over the last few weeks from Tunisia to Egypt, with additional riots and protests in nearby Jordan and Yemen and rumblings that Syria may be next. As alarming as the spread of uprisings might be, the recent chain of events echoes numerous periods of discontent that stretch back more than 200 years.

The body of Oliver Cromwell, former Lord Protector of England, was dug up and “executed” more than two years after his death [more]

In Paris, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe, honouring unidentified soldiers who fell in WWI [images]

The American space shuttle “Challenger” exploded shortly after lift-off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing all 7 astronauts [video]

40 years ago (2nd Feb. 1971) Idi Amin became President of Uganda. He had overthrown Milton Obote in a military coup the previous week. 100 years ago (6th Feb. 1911) Birth of Ronald Reagan, American actor and 40th President of the United States. 40 years ago (7th Feb. 1971) Women in Switzerland were finally given…

The first members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley [official website].

Primary school children in Bacup, England were terrified during a school assembly when administrators told them World War III was happening and London was being bombed.

John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States [video].

History study needs facts first, analysis later

Does Tom Hooper's Oscar-tipped Brit-flick about George VI's struggles with his stammer talk sense or take liberties?

Death of Sir Francis Galton, British anthropologist, explorer, eugenicist, statistician, and meteorologist, known for his pioneering studies of human intelligence, for devising the concept of correlation, and for creating the first weather map [more]

The Gulf War begins with “Operation Desert Storm” after a UN deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait expired [more].

The Basque separatist group Eta has announced a permanent ceasefire in its fight for independence from Spain.

The first shots were exchanged between Union and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, when the Union ship ‘Star of the West’ attempted to deliver troops and supplies to Fort Sumter, South Carolina [more].

The very mention of the name The Forty Elephants, a crime syndicate made up exclusively of young women, would send shivers down the spines of West End shop owners.

But details of the world's first ever nose jobs show how it's not as modern as you might imagine. A 16th century book detailing one of the earliest rhinoplasty operations came to light when it was sold at auction.

Execution of William Joyce (‘Lord Haw-Haw’) at Wandsworth prison, London. Joyce was the British traitor who broadcast Nazi propaganda from Germany during World War Two [more].

Dec. 30, 2010 — Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the woman who became the poster girl for American working women during World War II, has died at age 86 in Lansing, Mich.