Inside History Collection

In this series, you are taken back to the dramatic events, who have shaped world history for better or for worse. From the construction of the first cathedrals in Europe of the plague to the landing in Normandy in 1944. From the crusaders' bloody marches towards Jerusalem to the daring pilots who gave man air under his wings. Along the way, you will be enlightened in an entertaining way as to why the events took shape as they did. This series has the dramatic narrative as its focal point. You not only get an overview of history's most significant events, but also captivating human destinies, spectacular feats, and history's greatest heroes and villains brought to life.

History’s 50 greatest mysteries

World of the Templars • At the beginning of the 12th century, nine military knights formed a monastic order, which went on to win admiration throughout the Christian world. The order quickly built a powerful, wealthy empire that stretched from the Middle East to the far corners of Western Europe, but its power didn’t last. Today, 800 years after the order’s heyday, you can still find traces of the legendary warrior monks.

The man in the mask • At a time when French criminals usually ended up on the gallows, French King Louis XIV ordered one man to be put behind bars for the rest of his life. No one was allowed to know the identity of the man, who spent the next 34 years in complete isolation, his face hidden behind a mask. Soon rumours about the king’s prisoner began to spread and eventually coalesced into the myth of the man in the iron mask, whose true identity has never been resolved.

NOSTRA DAMUS • Napoleon and Hitler, the bombing of Hiroshima, the assassination of John F Kennedy, the attack on the World Trade Centre.... In 1555, the prophet Nostradamus foresaw these major events – or so his followers believe. In truth, Nostradamus’s prophecies were based on errors and wishful thinking.

On the trail of da Vinci • The Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile has mystified people for five centuries. The priceless portrait is Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous work, but it’s far from being the only thing about the Renaissance man that continues to confound and amaze academics. Engineers are still trying to solve the puzzle of the Italian inventor’s pioneering sketches of tanks and helicopters, while others continue to search for enlightenment in his 6,000-plus pages of notes – all of which were penned in mirrored writing.

KING ARTHUR The myth that united Britain • During the Middle Ages, King Arthur and his knights were hailed as historical heroes by England’s nobility, who lauded the chivalrous monarch that saved Britain from the invading hordes. However, academics today wonder whether Arthur ever existed at all.

From warlord to legendary king • Arthur began his career as an invincible army commander, holding back an invasion of bloodthirsty Vikings in sixth-century Britain. Later, he was cast as England’s most powerful king and ancestor of the British monarchy.

Mysterious brotherhoods • Conspiracy theorists continue to speculate about secret societies covertly controlling the world. Everyone from the German Illuminati to the medieval Knights Templar supposedly run the economy. The truth, however, is that such secret brotherhoods tend to be gatherings of like-minded individuals – intellectuals, insurgents or criminals depending on the society. Today, only a few of the old orders still exist.

LIGHT HOUSE of Alexandria • For 1,600 years, Alexandria’s legendary lighthouse towered over the entrance to Egypt’s largest port. Its construction was a ground-breaking achievement on a par with the building of the pyramids, but the Egyptians didn’t build it.

Riddle of the Sphinx • Whose face is on the Great Sphinx? Why does it look east? When was it carved from the...