HistoryExtra Long Reads

The Enlightenment was an era of open-eyed progress, of the advance of science and reason – right? So why, in the 18th and early 19th centuries, did British people continue to be hoodwinked? This Long Read written by Madeleine Pelling exposes eight frauds and forgeries from a golden age of hoaxes.

Today's feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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The US Declaration of Independence was formally adopted on one famous day in July 1776. Yet this celebrated event was the product of years of misunderstandings and escalating tensions. On the 250th anniversary of the birth of a nation, this Long Read written by George Goodwin traces the evolution of one of the most consequential documents in history.

Today's feature originally appeared in the July 2026 issue of HistoryExtra magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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When Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, she could barely have conceived the currents – imperial retreat, multiculturalism, deindustrialisation – that would transform the nation during her reign. This Long Read, written by David Cannadine, explores how she navigated seven decades of dizzying change.

Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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Today, we think of the seven deadly sins as outdated definitions of moral flaws prohibited by the church. But as this Long Read written by Peter Jones reveals, these vices were originally conceived to provide medieval solutions to universal human problems.

Today's feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 buried Pompeii and its citizens beneath pumice, stone and ash for centuries. But, as this Long Read written by Jess Venner reveals, we can now reconstruct the lives of its citizens before the catastrophe.

Today's feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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