Culture

In November 1957, Soviet scientists sent Laika on a one-way voyage, making her a national hero. Nearly sixty years on, one scientist's son told the BBC about playing with her as a boy.

Colombian artist Fernando Botero's joyful paintings reimagine historic European art. What does his singular vision reveal about art history and Latin America's place in it?

A classic of the horror genre that has inspired generations, why is the message of Shelley's 19th-Century novel still overshadowed by its success, more than two centuries on?

Despite tough subject matter, Emma Cline's novel about a man with dementia choosing to end his life has been one of 2026's hits – and its exclusion from the Booker has caused outrage.

AA Milne's first Pooh book was published a century ago. Its inspiration, the author's own son, told the BBC why he took to "running away when people bring up the subject".

In October 1962, the world came to the brink of nuclear war. According to insiders who spoke to the BBC, the expertise of President John F Kennedy and his brother Robert saved the day.

The Norse made it to Canada around the year 1000, and used it as a base to explore. The BBC has delved into the "lost history" of the first Europeans to cross the Atlantic.

After a volcano erupted on tiny Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, the 264 displaced islanders told the BBC about their first taste of modern British life.