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Modern History

From the end of the 18th century to the present day, this period of history saw European industrialization and the development of the modern nation-state.

'GREAT ESCAPES WITH MORGAN FREEMAN' - Morgan Freeman next to a helicopter and a search tower shining spotlights on the jungle

Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman

Tuesdays at 10pm
Joseph Stalin in 1920

4 secret hideouts of Europe’s ruthless dictators

Ayrton Senna sitting in his McLaren in May 1988

Ayrton Senna: The death of an icon, 30 years on
Phil Taylor celebrates

The 10 greatest darts players of all time
President Charles de Gaulle steps out of a black car not longer his assassination attempt

The assassination plot that inspired 'The Day of the Jackal'
Ross Kemp stands next to a masked man in an aircraft hangar

'It's violent and it's tough': Ross Kemp goes inside the Mafia
Ross Kemp sits at the bar in a pub while a gangster figure lurks in the back ground

Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain – Official Trailer
Sicilian Mafia boss Vito Cascio Ferro holds a puppy as he sits with his sun who is holding a large rifle. The photograph is overlayed on a black and white and blurred image of a modern Sicilian road sign covered in bullet holes

From Sicily to New York: A brief history of the Mafia
The Kray Twins pictured in an East London flat

Whiskey, gangsters and alliances: Britain's surprising Mafia history
John Gotti being booked in 1990

The Mafia's Golden Age: Who are the Five Families?
A seven-feet tall metal monolith appeared in a park in Mubmai

Are aliens or artists behind the monolith mystery
Hannah Cockroft of Team GB competes in wheelchair racing at the Tokyo Paralympics

The history of the Paralympics

Black and white photograph of men grasping the bars of a prison cell

The true story of Billy Hayes' escape from Turkish prison
Sir Keir Starmer speaks at the Labour Party Conference in October 2023 while standing at a podium that says, 'Britain's Future'

7 facts about Sir Keir Starmer
Ballet dancers on stage performing 'Swan Lake'

Swan Lake's link to political turmoil in the Soviet Union
A photograph showing two tugs moored alongside the Townsend-Thoresen ferry 'Herald of Free Enterprise' which capsized on the 6th March 1987

Zeebrugge ferry disaster: An entirely avoidable catastrophe
The wreckage of two catwalks scattered through the lobby of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel on Sunday 19th July 1981, after a collapse two days earlier

Hyatt Regency walkway collapse: America's most devastating engineering disaster
Harold Holt (L) talks to Lyndon B. Johnson (R) in the White House Oval Office

Harold Holt: The Prime Minister who disappeared  
Bottles of Coca Cola and Pepsi on-sale in Poland

The Cola Wars: The story of 'New Coke'
President Donald Trump supporters storm the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C on the 6th January 2021

Democracy under threat: When an angry mob stormed the US Capitol
Silhouette of a person looking at a solar eclipse

When is the next solar eclipse in the UK? 
Christopher Eccleston standing with his arms crossed in front of a blue brick background

'People power is always fascinating': Christopher Eccleston on 'The Guilty Innocent'
A woman celebrates Mardi Gras with a sparkly dress, a feather boa and confetti

When is Mardi Gras 2024? 9 facts about Mardi Gras
Statue of Saint Valentine

8 romantic facts about the history of Valentine's Day
King Charles II in coronation robes

6 major historical anniversaries from leap years
Abraham Lincoln

8 infamous assassinations from recent history
A portrait of Queen Charlotte with her children

11 facts about Queen Charlotte: Britain's longest reigning female consort
In this drawing police clash with a match girl's protest

7 biggest strikes in British history