Septimius Severus: The Story Behind Britain's African Emperor

From Tobruk to El Alamein and Operation Torch, see how Montgomery's 8th Army broke Rommel and ended Axis power in North Africa. June 11, 1940: Italy enters the war, threatening Suez and Britain's lifelines. Outnumbered in men and aircraft, General Wavell faces 250,000 Italian troops with thin forces from Egypt to East Africa. Early raids give way to bold counterblows as Bardia falls and Tobruk is taken, but the arrival of General Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps reverses fortunes. The siege of Tobruk grinds on, Halfaya Pass is a bruising contest, and on 21 June 1942 Tobruk falls, which Churchill calls one of the heaviest blows he could recall. Churchill arrives with new leadership: General Alexander and General Montgomery. With fresh Sherman tanks and RAF cover, Monty launches Operation Lightfoot on 23 October 1942, a night-long barrage that shocks the Axis. Fighting through deep minefields and fierce counterattacks, the Allies wear the enemy down. Operation Supercharge on 2 November breaks the line and forces a retreat. The 8th Army pursues fast, regaining Mersa Matruh, recapturing Tobruk on 13 November

Born in 1893 to a peasant family in the Hunan province of China, Mao Zedong or "Chairman Mao" would become one of the most recognisable figures of the 20th century. After seizing power and turning China into a communist country, he would go on to lay the foundations of modern China by bringing them back up to speed with the western world. However this would come at the cost of enormous loss of life at the hands of a iron-fisted dictatorship. War Stories is your one-stop shop for all things military history. From Waterloo to Verdun, we'll be bringing you only the best documentaries and stories from history's most engaging and dramatic conflicts. You can find more from us on

From Apollo 11's tense 1202 alarm to SpaceX's early return attempts and ESA's Gaia, this episode traces how spaceflight evolved under pressure and ingenuity. Early on July 16, 1969, more than a million people gathered around Cape Kennedy to witness Apollo 11 lift off, the culmination of a decade aimed at meeting President Kennedy's lunar goal. At the launch center, tension was high as rocket pioneer Werner von Braun and NASA teams prepared the giant Saturn V. Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and mission commander Neil Armstrong brought hard-earned Gemini experience, while unusual simulators and a Langley gantry helped them rehearse lunar gravity. Twelve minutes after liftoff they reached orbit. Trans lunar injection and docking proceeded smoothly as mission control refined navigation alongside the Apollo Guidance Computer. In lunar orbit, the command module became Columbia and the lunar module Eagle. The descent toward a long ellipse in the Sea of Tranquility unfolded in stages. Fuel sloshing muddied guidance, then the computer threw a 1202 alarm. A young software engineer recognized the overload as survivable, and Armstrong used the final phase to

Explore Winchester, Alfred the Great's capital, from coronation origins to St Cross and Henry VIII's painted Round Table. From a Celtic ford and Roman town to Saxon Wynton Cester, Winchester rose with Alfred the Great during England's struggle against the Danes. After retreating to the Somerset marshes, Alfred reorganized Wessex and established Winchester as a center of government, worship, and learning. The Great Hall of the Norman castle housed the treasury and exchequer, kept the Domesday Book, and even hosted parliaments into the 1300s. After a fire in 1302, the bishop's palace near the cathedral became the preferred royal residence. Bishop Henry de Blois founded the Hospital of St Cross, England's oldest almshouse, originally for 13 poor men. Two orders of brothers remain, in black and in purple, with weekly tokens of charity that recall centuries of care. In the 15th century, Cardinal Henry Beaufort, so powerful he once pawned the royal crown to lend money to the king, expanded this vision of welfare and service. Winchester Cathedral grew from the Old Minster, the spiritual heart of Wessex. Here the

Can modern couples spend a year in the Canadian wilderness, living like 19th-century pioneers? See how the modern couples are selected and how long they manage to tough it out. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits!

In this episode, Missguided are launching a new campaign with a superstar influencer, the design team are up against it to create the hottest new style and the brand are going against their rivals to land Love Island star Molly Mae to front a new collection. But will they outmanoeuvre their fierce rivals? Documentary Central is the home for compelling documentaries tackling subjects like history, climate change, wildlife, conspiracy and more.