Wars, trials, sieges and scandals told one scene at a time. The pictures are AI reconstructions; every caption is checked against the records listed under each story, and where the sources disagree, the story says so.
In the hot summer of 1858 the Thames stank outside the Houses of Parliament. A bill to borrow £3 million for new sewers became law eighteen days later.
In 448 or 449 a Roman envoy watched Attila eat from a wooden plate while his guests drank from gold, on an embassy carrying a secret plot to kill him.
In besieged Leningrad, staff of a plant institute guarded seeds, grain and potatoes through the winter of 1941–42. Several starved. The seeds survived.
On Christmas Eve 1914 carols crossed no man's land, and next day British and German soldiers met between the trenches. No one had ordered it.
In 1820 George IV tried to end his marriage to Queen Caroline through Parliament. The streets took her side, and the bill was dropped.
