Histoire | ARTE

Geschichte | ARTE

History | ARTE

Historia | ARTE

Storia | ARTE

The major historical events and civilisations that shaped the world

History

highlights_category

From an incredibly varied selection of 19th century postcards, the Paris of the Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) comes to life. Street-photography captured Parisians from all walks of life and conveyed the optimism and elegance of the period.

From an incredibly varied selection of 19th century postcards, the Paris of the Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) comes to life.

Late Nineteenth Century Paris

Current Highlights

collections

Collections

playlists

Playlists

highlights_subcategory

The Marchioness Casati was admired throughout Europe for her incredible parties and expensive tastes. She was an eccentric patron of the arts, and her face appears again and again in the works of all the notable painters of her day. But she would rip through her inheritance by the age of fifty and end up wondering the streets of London, going though rubbish bins.

The Lost Ones

The Marchioness Casati went from living in a palace to eking out an existence on the streets of London

Luisa Casati, the Ruined Marchioness

Prospector Jakko Isola went to the icy wilderness of northern Finland in the hope of finding gold. What he found instead was inner peace in the beauty and tranquillity of the far North. That is until he finally did uncover gold…

Prospector Jakko Isola went to the icy wilderness of northern Finland in the hope of finding gold. He found enlightenment instead.

Jaakko Isola's Search for Riches

In 1924, a woman entered the capital of Tibet after having travelled thousands of kilometres on foot. It was the first time a foreigner had crossed the border of the sacred city. This mythical feat, one of many by Alexandra David-Néel, made the reputation of this explorer, writer, anarchist, feminist and traveller.

In 1924, a woman entered the capital of Tibet after having travelled thousands of kilometres on foot. It was the first time a foreigner had crossed the border of the sacred city. 

Alexandra David-Neel: An Adventurer in Tibet

On the shores of the Red Sea he was known as the Sea Wolf.  The extraordinary story of the man who had been everything: Writer, sailor, privateer, arms and hashish dealer.

Henry de Monfreid

He was both the most adored and the most feared of the Italian aviation aces during the Great War. Addicted to risk, he joined the utopian enclave of Fiume in 1919, with commander Gabriele d'Annunzio. Guido Keller, the dandy, the eccentric, took part in the spectacular and delirious experiment of creating a dream society.

He was both the most adored and the most feared of the Italian aviation aces during the Great War and he took part in the spectacular and delirious experiment of the Free State of Fiume.

Guido Keller: The Activist Aviator

Historians explain the fascinating history of objects: Documents, materials, devices or clothes, everything has a tale to tell.

Historians reveal the fascinating history of objects: Documents, materials, devices or clothes, everything has a tale to tell.

Making History

From the first English colonisation to the latest difficult negotiations over the British-Irish border, the story of the Northern Irish conflict

A History in 7 Minutes

Northern Ireland: Colonisation to Brexit

20th Century

Civilisations

banner_1

Category Banner (HIS)

e9cce701-3d81-4cb4-b74c-61ca7ee60637

One small action can lead to big consequences. This is the story of how Anas Modamani, a Syrian refugee, had his life turned upside after he took a picture with Chancellor Angela Merkel. He went on to take Facebook to court and Germany fined the tech over a million euros.

Domino Effect (1/4)

This is the story of how a refugee taking a picture with Chancellor Angela Merkell morphed into a court case against Facebook

Anas Modamani, and a Fateful Selfie

On February 14, 2003, in the UN Security Council, Dominique de Villepin refused ratify the Iraq war. He spoke on  behalf of peace and on behalf of the Iraqi people. But his warnings were never heeded and they still ring true today.

Great Speeches that Made History

On February 14, 2003, in the UN Security Council, Dominique de Villepin refused ratify the Iraq war

Against the Iraq War - Dominique de Villepin

Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in the worst place at the worst time twice over. On August 6, 1945, he was working in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb exploded over the city. Traumatised by the apocalyptic experience, he just wanted to go back home to his family. Except home was Nagasaki. 

Tsutomu Yamaguchi was traumatised by Hiroshima, and went back home as soon as he could. Except home was Nagasaki. 

Yamaguchi, Survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Ahed Tamimi grew up in a small village in occupied Palestine, and protest was in her blood. She had grown up yelling at Israeli soldiers and demonstrating for a free Palestine. So the day that soliders showed up on her family’s property, she didn’t hesitate : she marched up to them and slapped them. Her anger would land her in prison and make her an icon of the resistance.

Domino Effect (4/4)

The viral slap that put a teenager in prison and made her a global icon

Ahed Tamimi, the Kid Activist

In the aftermath of Franco's coup d'etat in 1936, Dolores Ibarruri took to the radio waves to call for resistance. Her famous phrase - No Pasarán - became a rallying call to action and continues to be used today.

Great Speeches That Made History

In the aftermath of Franco's coup d'etat in 1936, Dolores Ibarruri took to the radio waves to call for resistance

No Pasarán! - Dolores Ibárruri

Maire Laguerre was walking home from work when she was sexually harassed by a man in the street. When she told her aggressor to get lost, he threw an ashtray at her and punched her in the face. She decided to post the video of her attack online and it went viral, eventually triggering a change in street harassment laws in France.

Domino Effect (2/4)

When Marie told her aggressor to get lost, he punched her in the face. But she refused to back down

Marie Laguerre, Street Harassment Hero

Jaakko Isola's Cursed Gold

Séraphine de Senlis is one of the most important French painters of naïve painting. She was an uneducated woman who earned a living as a cleaning lady. But one day a vision from God told her to pick up a paint brush. Entirely self-taught, from then on she painted incessantly until her mental illness took over. She died in 1942 in a mental hospital.

Séraphine de Senlis was an uneducated cleaning woman until one day a vision from God told her to start painting

Séraphine de Senlis, The Painter's Delirium

Joachim Roncin is the artist behind the iconic black and white image ‘Je Suis Charlie’. He was in the middle of an editorial meeting at Stylist when alerts started to come through: a fellow magazine, Charlie Hebdo, had been wiped out in a bloody massacre. Joachim’s image captured the pain of a nation.

Domino Effect (3/4)

Joachim Roncin was behind the iconic black and white image ‘Je Suis Charlie’ that captured a nation's pain

Joachim Roncin, the Mind Behind "Je suis Charlie"

With independence came partition, as the new nations of India and Pakistan came into being as British rule ended. But these young nations quickly came to blows and the contested region of Kashmir was stuck right in the middle.

Stories of Conflict

With independence came partition, as the news nations of India and Pakistan came into being as British rule ended. But these young nations quickly came to blows and the contested region of Kashmir was stuck right in the middle.

India vs Pakistan

For 35 years President Tito kept Yugoslavia’s diverse population living in peace. But after the fall of communism thinks started to fall apart.

Yugoslavia: War of the Exes

Yukio Mishima is one of the most important authors of his generation. In his work, he dealt with the relationship between art and the body, and his own body's inevitable decline haunted him. At the age of 45, he committed suicide by Harakiri in front of a shocked and fascinated crowd.

Yukio Mishima is one of the most important authors of his generation

Yukio Mishima: Writer Until Death

One summer day in 1963, 250,000 people marched to Capitol Hill to demand equal rights between black and white Americans. Martin Luther King, speaking at the event, orginally hadn't intended to talk about his dream. But at the very last moment, he did. And the result was legendary.

Great Speeches that Changed History

Martin Luther King, speaking at the event, orginally hadn't intended to talk about his dream. But at the very last moment, he did. And the result was legendary. 

I Have a Dream - Martin Luther King

On September 19, 1946, at the University of Zurich, Winston Churchill delivered one of his most famous speeches. He advocated for a United States of Europe and for forgiveness between France and Germany. He warned that the horrors of the past could still be repeated without fundamental change. 

Who came up with the term United States of Europe? The answer might surprise you...

Let Europe Arise! - Winston Churchill

A talented tennis player winning the US and French Opens, Gottfried von Cramm was such a champion that Hitler wanted to make him the poster boy for the Nazis. But von Cramm had other ideas.

Homosexual and anti-Nazi, von Cramm was an outstanding tennis player detested by Hitler.

Gottfried von Cramm, The Nazi Tennis Darling

From the first English colonisation to the latest difficult negotiations over the British-Irish border, the story of the Northern Irish conflict.

Ireland: Colonisation to Brexit

A coming together of nations in peaceful competition, respect and harmony? Or a ruthless geopolitical tussle for the top spot where doping becomes the norm? A history of the Olympic games in 5 minutes.

A coming together of nations in peaceful competition, respect and harmony? Or a ruthless geopolitical tussle for the top spot where doping becomes the norm? 

The Olympic Games

Most popular

041304ed-1f02-450f-8899-d6678ec34e90

In the tropical colonies, Europeans wore a white pith helmet to protect themselves from the sun. This humble piece of headwear came to symbolise colonial oppression and reinforced the separation between coloniser and colonised.

The Colonial Pith Helmet

Reporter, photographer, poet: Annemarie Schwarzenbach shone in the night sky of the 20th century, her life bright and brief. Horrified at the rise of facism and the outbreak of war, she fled to travel the world with her lover. Morphine and writing become her refuge. 

Horrified at the rise of facism and the outbreak of war, Annemarie Schwarzenbach fled to travel the world with her lover

Annemarie Schwarzenbach, Literature's Fallen Angel

He was the Mozart of the mind. One of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century, Monsieur Chouchani was an enigma. He lived as a tramp with almost no possessions. He was self-taught, spoke ten languages, and inspired love and loyalty among the greatest and the best.

One of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century, Monsieur Chouchani was an enigma

Monsieur Chouchani, the Vagabond Luminary

Victor Lustig was a brazen liar who loved the high life. In 1925, he pulled off the biggest con of all - literally. Convincing a group of industrialists that he was selling the Eiffel tower for scrap metal, he skipped town with the downpayment in his pocket. But his life of crime eventually catches up with him. 

Victor Lustig was a brazen liar who loved the high life. In 1925, he pulled off the biggest con of all - literally

Victor Lustig, the Con Artist Who Sold the Eiffel Tower

In 1930, New York was bewitched by a new sound, seemingly coming out of thin air: the theremin, invented by the Russian engineer Lev Sergeyevich Termen. He created the first electronic instrument in history, and won praise from both Lenin and Stalin. But he was a double agent, and things would turn sour fast.

There's an instrument invented in the 1930s that you can play without ever even touching it - you just pull the notes out of the air, as if by magic

Lev Sergueïevitch Termen's Magical Soviet Instrument

Forget about polar bears and their pristine icy wilderness. As the icecap melts with climate change the arctic is becoming a strategic region for maritime traffic, oil and gas.

As the icecap melts with climate change the arctic is becoming a strategic region for maritime traffic, oil and gas.

An Arctic Cold War

Turkey is often seen as a bridge between East and West. But at the moment this bridge seems unstable with war in the Middle East, a refugee crisis, and an increasingly bellicose president Erdogan. Understanding Turkey today in five minutes.

Turkey and its Neighbours

In 1929 Mussolini granted Catholicism its very own country: the tiny microstate of the Vatican City where the pope has practiced the soft power of diplomacy ever since.

Vatican: Big Diplomacy from a Micro-State

The Kurds are the most populous state group without a state. For centuries larger powers have stopped the kurds from realising their dream. What future for this mountain people?

Kurds: A Stateless People

Most recent

1a23001d-f986-4f80-8ec7-f5e1e594fa79

On 4th September 2013, Presidents François Hollande and Joachim Gauck went to the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, the site of a Nazi massacre. From the ashes of this atrocity, a partnership of peace and friendship must arise. 

On 4th September 2013, Presidents François Hollande and Joachim Gauck went to the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, the site of a Nazi massacre

Silence - Joachim Gauck and François Hollande

Gabriele fell in love with a Stasi officer and soon realised to keep him, she'd have to spy for him. But even after they broke up, she continued working for East Germany for ideological reasons, even refusing payment. She delivered thousands of documents to the East.

Female Spies Tell All

Gabriele fell in love with a Stasi officer and soon realised to keep him, she'd have to spy for him

Gabriele, the West German Stasi Mole

Geneviève is one of the first female analysts of the DST, the French counterintelligence service. In the 1970s, she spent her days cataloging Soviet diplomats present in France. It's slow, meticulous work: this is the reality of intelligence gathering. She must also balance the demands of her career with the expectations of her husband and family.

To escape life as a housewife, Geneviève becomes a spy

Geneviève: Mum, Wife, Spy

In the 1970s, Israel offered to accept Falacha Jews from Ethiopia who were facing persecution. But their government refused to let them leave. So Mossad agents set up a hotel as a cover for their underground people smuggling operation. They manage to evacuate thousands of Falacha Jews to the safety of Israel. Yola was the manager of this hotel.

The story of how Yola ran a hotel as a cover for a people smuggling operation

Yola and Hotel Mossad

Jonna Mendez and her husband Tony are CIA celebrities. In 1989, one of the CIA's best Russian moles was on the cusp of being discovered by the USSR. The Mendez couple were sent to Moscow to coordinate the extraction of the mole and his wife.

How Jonna Mendez and her husband snuck a prized asset right out from under the noses of USSR intelligence

Joanna, the CIA's Sweetheart

In 1989, the American army invaded Panama. Manuel Noriega, Panama's dictator, went into hiding. Martha, a field officer at the Military Intelligence Agency, was sent to track him down.

The story of how one fateful visit to the hair salon brought down a dictator

Martha Versus Dictator Noriega

A few days before their marriage, Ludmila's fiancé admits to her that he works for the KGB and that he's leaving to go live in Argentina under a false identity. If she wants to stay with him, she has to become a spy as well. After two years of training, she joins him in Buenos Aires, where the couple tracks down SS officials who fled to Latin America after the fall of Nazi Germany. 

How Ludmila went from bride to Nazi hunter

Ludmila, KGB Agent

Basile Zaharoff is one of the richest people of his time. The enigmatic, unscrupulous businessman led many lives. He was a tourist guide in Constantinople, artillery officer, bank clerk in Egypt and a diplomat. But most of all, he was an arms dealer who, as Europe's merchant of death, made a killing supplying both sides with the means to kill. 

Basile Zaharoff was an arms dealer who made a killing 

Basile Zaharoff, The Merchant of Death

Alma Mahler was a central figure of the Viennese art, literature and music scene in the early 20th century. She is considered a femme fatale who charmed many of the great artists of her day. But her own art - her music composition - was forbidden by Gustav Mahler, her first husband. She complied with his edict, but abandoning music for the sake of her marriage left her bitter and twisted. 

Alma Mahler's husband forbade her to compose, so she lived the rest of her life with the void music left behind

Alma Mahler, Frustrated Conductor

In 1917, a young American journalist was sent to Russia to report on the revolution. In Petrograd, John Reed witnessed as much of the turmoil as he could and kept detailed records, which eventually become his famous book Ten Days That Shook the World. But the socialist dream turned sour, and Reed's life was as brief as it was brilliant. 

John Reed's experiences of the Russian revolution eventually become his famous book Ten Days That Shook the World

John Reed, American Witness to the Russian Revolution

Leonore Heinz worked in the 1950s as a secretary at the Foreign Office in Bonn where she met the charming Heinz Sütterlin. They got married. He asked her, under the guise of being afraid of the Cold War, to smuggle documents out of her office for him to look at. She complied, suspecting nothing. But eventually the ruse was discovered: he's a KGB spy. She was devastated. 

The Foreign Office secretary Leonore Heinz unwittingly married a KGB spy and aided him in his espoinage 

Leonore Heinz, Unwitting Spy

The French naval officer Benjamin Ullmo got addicted to opium in Vietnam in the early 20th century. Back in France, he continued to indulge his addiction and to meet the demands of a lover with expensive taste. In spiralling debt, he decided to steal confidential documents to blackmail the navy with. .

Addicted to opium and overwhelmed with debt, one navy officer came up with a desperate scheme 