Welcome to Your History Hit October Roundup ✉️   Each month we'll be dishing up the latest news from the history world, along with some special anniversaries and a spotlight documentary release from History Hit.

As fans of Ernest Shackleton, we were happy to hear that the crow’s nest from his final ship, Quest, has returned to All-Hallows-by-the-Tower church in London, after taking part in centenary celebrations across the world. These took place in Athy, Ireland (Shackleton’s birthplace) and in South Georgia, where he died.   📸 State Library of New South Wales

This month, we were delighted to have none other than multi-award winning director Sir Ridley Scottjoin Dan Snow to break down the battle scenes in his new filmNapoleon, Only in Cinemas and In IMAX November 22.   Watch the unmissable interview on YouTube here.

Recently declassified spy photographs from the Cold War have unveiled 396 ancient Roman forts in Syria. Initially believed to have served as a defensive wall along Rome's Eastern Frontier, these images now depict the forts as vibrant hubs of "cultural exchange" rather than perpetual battlegrounds.   📸 Casana et al., Antiquity

Historical anniversaries this month...

On 14 October 1066, William, Duke of Normandy and the English king Harold Godwinson clashed near Hastings, in one of the most famous battles in history. Harold was killed, and the retreating Anglo-Saxons defeated. The Normans now ruled England.

On 21 October 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar took place between a British fleet under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson and a combined French and Spanish fleet. The British achieved total victory - yet lost Nelson, who died in the fierce fighting.

History Hit's Spotlight Release 🔥

In the final leg of his epic road trip across England, Dan Snow explores the Victorian Age with a visit to Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, before finishing his awesome quest in the city of York, deep inside a secret underground bunker, a time capsule for one of the darkest periods in human history..