December 2022 (Issue 114)

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A street in Whitechapel: the last crime of Jack the Ripper, from 'Le Petit Parisien', 1891.

Historical cold cases Murder in the year of the Ripper . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Howard Hughes makes preparations for the historic flight of the Spruce Goose.

Howard Hughes: the troubled tycoon

The Imperial State Crown, which alone has 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies is a priceless symbol of the British monarchy (Picture by Getty)

General History

6 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Crown Jewels

Periodic outbreaks of smog would continue for several years – this image shows a London street in late 1953. (Image by Getty Images)

The Great Smog of London: what caused the 1952 crisis?

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This statue of Alfred the Great stands in Winchester, the former 'capital' of his kingdom (Photo by TonyBaggett via Getty Images)

What if... Alfred the Great lost to the Vikings at the battle of Edington? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A colourised photomontage depicts a young woman on her deathbed in 1858. The “fasting girls” phenomenon of the
19th century resulted in similar scenes being played out in British and American homes. (Photo by Gado/Getty Images)

Hidden lives Victorian fasting girls

The Battle of Lipany or Lipan, also called the Battle of Cesky Brod, on 30 May 1434 virtually ended the Hussite Wars (Picture by Alamy)

In a nutshell The Hussite Wars