History news in Portugal

Murtosa municipality marks 100 years of autonomy

The municipality of Murtosa celebrates its centenary as an independent administrative entity.

Now Canal29 Oct

In this 2,600-year-old cemetery, the living changed, but did they respect the dead?

Construction works in Mértola led to the excavation of Iron Age and Roman graves. These are time capsules that speak of a cosmopolitan city in a period of transition that deserves further study.

Portugal: medieval consummation or multisecular formation?

The best celebration must be less about the party and more about understanding, for the sake of healthy patriotism.

The train is needed. Tua gained a dam but lost its railway

A series of serious accidents led to the permanent closure of the Tua Line in August 2008. Despite submerging 16 kilometres of the century-old track, the construction of the Foz Tua Dam opened the possibility for trains to circulate again on the Brunheda-Mirandela section. This compensation has not materialized since then. On the day marking 170 years of railways in Portugal, RTP Antena 1 recalls the case of a line that was lost in the country.

Viriato, the Lusitanian hero once again

An analysis of more aspects of the great Lusitanian-Hispanic hero, venerated on both sides of the border, with a statue in Zamora.

I always thought nothing worthwhile remained of Gonçalvismo. I was wrong.

By Carlos Rodrigues.

Before the astronauts, there were the pioneering Portuguese air navigators

We are all excited by space missions, and children dream of becoming astronauts. When NASA's Artemis II completed a 10-day trip around the Moon in April, it took humans back into the vicinity of the Moon for the first time in 50 years and demonstrated the reliability of a navigation system. The roots of this success date back to a historic 1922 voyage by Portuguese aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral. This trip marked a turning point in transatlantic aviation and laid the technological foundations for future sophisticated air navigation systems. The two Portuguese pilots covered 8,383 kilometres from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a seaplane over 62 flight hours. The historic crossing took 79 days and required three seaplanes, with stops in the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and several locations in Brazil. Veteran director Fernando Vendrell tells the 'epic' story of these aviators in his film 'Beyond the Horizon – The Crossing,' which premieres in cinemas on 29 October. The film highlights the invention of the 'artificial horizon sextant' by Coutinho, a naval officer and cartographer, which revolutionised aviation. Featuring compelling performances by Miguel Damião and Gonçalo Waddington, the film is a story of courage and determination that celebrates the legacy of these pioneers.

The first automobile to drive in Portugal inspires a children's book

A new children's book draws inspiration from the history of the first car to ever travel on Portuguese roads.

Automóvel Club de Portugal | ACP27 Oct

The first automobile to drive in Portugal inspires a children's book

A new children's book is inspired by the historical arrival of the first car to be driven on Portuguese roads.

Automóvel Club de Portugal | ACP27 Oct

In 1833, a cholera epidemic led Lisbon to open the Prazeres Cemetery, where Fernando Pessoa and Amália were buried; 193 years later, it is the city’s “only open-air museum” and houses the largest private mausoleum in Europe

Lisboa Secreta27 Oct

Is a woman's place in the kitchen?

This provocative question forms the basis (and title) of a book in which researcher Guida Cândido recovers the stories of the first female authors of culinary publications in Portugal.

maxima.pt27 Oct

The harm Delors did to us

An analysis of the negative impact attributed to the policies or legacy of Jacques Delors.

First automobile in Portugal inspires children's book

The Municipality of Santiago do Cacém invited the authors of “Uma Aventura” to recreate the arrival of the “Panhard & Levassor” in the country 131 years ago for a younger audience.

Eve of change

For some reason, many people seem willing to shrug their shoulders and relativise the anti-democratic struggle we have been witnessing, simply because it is all being boiled down to a just cause.

The Figure of the Day: Pacheco Pereira has returned to the starting point

An analysis of the career and political evolution of Pacheco Pereira, highlighting his trajectory from aristocratic roots in Porto and resistance against the Estado Novo to his role as an intellectual figure in the PSD and his current opposition to the far-right. The text underscores his lifelong commitment to freedom and his willingness to return to clandestine resistance if necessary.

Pioneer of Portuguese animation finally found: The Legend of Miragaia

The short film, considered lost since its premiere, was found by chance at the Feira da Ladra flea market. Restored by the Cinemateca, it is being screened this Tuesday for the first time since 1931.

Missing the 90s? This book takes you back to the Portugal that believed in a better future

A nostalgic look at 1990s Portugal, highlighting the era's optimism and cultural landscape as explored in a new book.

RFM26 Oct

Viriato: The Lusitanian hero: history and myth – part 3

Who ordered the construction of the Cava de Viriato in Viseu? What was it before? The texts of the “unaligned” and contemporary writers.

More than one million antiquities have returned to their country of origin. Portugal returned them to Mexico

Over a million antique items have been repatriated to their home nation, with Portugal returning these pieces to Mexico.

Jornal Económico26 Oct

New book with texts from the main protagonists tells the story of the path to 'true Democracy'

Looking at 25 November 1975 as the date that put Portugal on the path to 'true' democracy, embodying the goals of the April Revolution, is the theme of a new book that brings together texts from the main protagonists of the military operation.

The splendor of commensality with Pico on the horizon

Faial Around the Table shows a facet of the life of the resident elite in Horta during the first decades of the last century, when in the middle of the ocean Faial hosted communities of different origins.

Francisco Leitão, the 'King Ghob': eccentric or insane?

Manipulation, homicide and concealment of corpses: one of the most disturbing criminal cases in recent Portuguese history.

Camilo and the writing of his time

He was imprisoned with José do Telhado and wrote his story.

The Conquest of Lisbon: a capital for a country under construction

By taking the largest and richest city in the western Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims with the help of the crusaders, D. Afonso Henriques secured a fundamental asset to have himself recognised as king.

What you really need to know about the Lisbon Ripper

Now that the Observador Podcast Plus has inspired an immersive play, we recount what you really need to know about the crimes and the investigation into the Lisbon Ripper.

Estado Novo in Santa Comba Dão: Interpretative centre inaugurated

On Friday in Santa Comba Dão, the Interpretative Centre was opened to study the 48 years of the fascist regime in Portugal. An exhibition on censorship opened the doors of the Salazar School Canteen in Vimieiro.

President thanks everyone serving in the Army

The supreme commander of the Armed Forces thanks those who currently “contribute to the defence of freedom, sovereignty and national interests, in an increasingly complex international context”