History

Explainers in History

• History

  Dating the past

  How scientists work out the age of bones, wood and rocks using radiocarbon dating, tree rings and rock…

  4 min read
• History

  Roman roads

  How the Romans surveyed and built long straight roads, with layers of stone, a curved surface and ditches…

  4 min read
• History

  The calendar

  Why a year needs leap days, how the Julian and Gregorian calendars differ, why month names look odd, and how…

  4 min read
• History

  Time zones

  How time zones came about when railways made local sun time impractical, why Greenwich sets the world's…

  4 min read
• History

  The steam engine

  How steam engines work, how Newcomen and Watt improved them, and why steam power moved factories away from…

  4 min read
• History

  Maps before satellites

  How maps were made before satellites, using triangulation, theodolites and chronometers, and how the Ordnance…

  4 min read
• History

  The Great Fire of London

  How the 1666 Great Fire of London started in a bakery and spread so fast, and how it changed building rules…

  5 min read
• History

  The printing press

  How Gutenberg's printing press worked in the 1450s, why movable metal type was the real breakthrough, and how…

  4 min read