Culture

The glitzy pianist, who famously hid his sexuality, was dismissed as a "vulgar joke" in his lifetime. But a new play gets to the truth of who he was, in private as well as in public.

Known as the "apostle to the apostles”, the controversial and multifaceted saint Mary Magdalene is shrouded in mythology and mystery. What do these artworks reveal about her?

In 1893, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of killing her father and stepmother. It became one of the US's most infamous unsolved mysteries – and the subject of a new Netflix drama.

It was one of the finest pieces of art ever bought by the Met. But it had come from an Italian grave robber. In 1975, the BBC investigated the global trade in stolen antiquities.

In 1978, Georgi Markov was killed with a poison-tipped umbrella. The following year, his widow and elder brother told the BBC how they were warned about the murder plot months before.

In 1972, pioneering journalist and activist Gloria Steinem – who has died at the age of 92 – co-founded the groundbreaking publication Ms Magazine.

In August 1966, a US astronomy professor shared his astonishing findings with the BBC. He believed that the Neolithic stone circle was built to predict eclipses.

In 1911, a US professor claimed he found the secret mountain stronghold of the last Incan king. 53 years later, a new explorer proved him wrong – and the BBC followed in his footsteps.