The story of
D-Day and the wonder drug: Penicillin
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The largest seaborne assault in history was sure to result in many casualties. But an extraordinary new medicine was on the horizon. Could it be ready by D-Day?
Stories from the collection
Discover the stories behind the collection. Learn about the people, places and events featured in our records.
Pride, in public and private
Celebrate just a few stories of LGBT+ pioneers, from flamboyant stage performers to courageous spies and unstoppable campaigners.
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Focus on
The queer Victorian origins of the word 'camp'
Did you know that the word ‘camp’ was used by members of the LGBTQ+ community as early as 1868?
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The story of
The double agent who hid D-Day from the Nazis: Elvira Chaudoir
A life of charm, high-stakes, and duplicity saw Elvira Chaudoir play a cunning role in the Allied victory at D-Day.
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The story of
Sophia Jex-Blake, pioneer of women's medicine
Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912) was a physician and campaigner who fought for women’s access to university education.
Discover all stories
Browse and explore the human stories behind The National Archives’ collection.
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The story of
Anne Lister and Ann Walker's archival legacy
NewAnne Lister and Ann Walker's romantic relationship defied societal norms of their time, as we can encounter through the archival material they left behind.
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Focus on
The Spycatcher affair
The book Spycatcher sparked one of the most controversial courtroom battles of the 1980s, bringing questions around state secrecy to a global audience.
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Record revealed
Report on the liberation of Bergen-Belsen
This report provides an eyewitness account of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the end of the Second World War.
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Record revealed
‘The Book of Negroes’: Black refugees who fought in the American Revolution
This volume offers a glimpse of the numerous ‘Black Loyalists’ who seized the American Revolutionary War as a chance to gain freedom from enslavement.
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Record revealed
A warning from MI5 about the Nazis
This MI5 assessment highlights some of German leader Adolf Hitler’s feelings towards the United Kingdom in 1938 – including (allegedly) using a swear word.
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Record revealed
The first American invention to obtain an English patent
These intricate 1716 drawings were submitted by Sybilla Masters in the final stage of securing a patent for machinery for 'cleaning and curing Indian corn'.
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Bringing the Bethnal Green disaster to light
The government tried to keep the details of the Bethnal Green Tube shelter disaster of 1943 private – but a court case brought the terrible story to light.
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Policing sex in public toilets in 1930s London
Records from the 1930s describe attempts to police sexual activities between men in public toilets – and officers’ thoughts on when to enforce the rules.
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The story of
Sophia Duleep Singh
Sophia Duleep Singh (1876–1948) was an Indian princess and a formidable figure in the women's suffrage movement.
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The libellous letters of the Chevalier d’Eon
Pre-trial statements from this 1776 dispute between the Chevalier d’Eon and Charles de Morande provide intricate details about these two French spies.
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The story of
Anthony Blunt's confession
Security Service files paint a vivid picture of what happened when Anthony Blunt – then employed in the royal household – admitted spying for the Soviet Union.
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Queer connections: The policing of gay personal adverts in the 1960s
Records in our collection show how same-sex personal adverts published in the 1960s become part of a high-profile legal battle.