It is one of the most celebrated tales of ancient history. A vast Persian army is pitted against 300 Spartan warriors guarding a narrow pass, which they defend with every last drop of blood – inspiring their fellow Greeks to ultimate victory. Thanks in particular to the film 300, few today can be unaware of the legend of Thermopylae, but how far does it accord to the reality? As the world marks the 2,500th anniversary of the battle, Andrew Bayliss looks afresh at Sparta’s finest hour in our cover at magazine page 20.
Myths of a very diferent kind are the focus of this month Think Piece, from Richard J Evans. His new book explores the conspiracy theories that swirl around the Third Reich, and in his article he highlights some of the most pervasive – from the burning of the Reichstag to Hitler’s supposed escape to Argentina – as he seeks to explain the popular desire to create an alternative reality around Nazi Germanywich you will find on page 59.
Finally, debates have been raging in recent weeks about how we should treat the refugees who are arriving on our shores. A rather different version of these events took place in 1914, tens of thousands of Belgians sought shelter in Britain during the First World War. As Alison S Fell reveals in her piece on the Belgian refugees, the new arrivals where first welcomed with enhusiasem, but some disillusionment set in as the war dragged on. Turn to page 28 to discover more. I hope you enjoy the BBC History UK magazine November 2020 issue.

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• BBC Good Food – October 2020
• Vintage Trucks & Commercials – September-October 2020