The Friday Digest brings you the best of the week's history news gathered from the experts:
* Richard Cavendish marked the anniversary of Sherlock Holmes' most famous case, The Hound of the Baskervilles. This was first published as a book in London in March 1902 .
* As the 'Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum' exhibition opens this week, BBC News rounds up the reviews and Vanessa Baldwin, the exhibition project curator, emphasises the importance of telling the human story. Daisy Dunn looks at the relationship between past and present whilst this article looks at the items that people took as they fled.
What would you save in an emergency?
* History Today's timeline of British and English monarchs from William the Conqueror through to Elizabeth II makes for interesting reading and is a good starting point to find out more about British history.
* After the recent discovery of Richard III's remains, digging up dead monarchs seems to be the next historical trend. This week, it was Alfred the Great's turn to get exhumed...
* March 27th marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of 'The Reshaping of British Railways', better known as the Beeching report. This was one of the most controversial and explosive moments in British transport history. The withdrawal of more than 2000 stations and 250 services caused many problems and the impact of 'Beeching's axe' is still felt today. Whilst many people remain outraged, Charles Loft argues that Dr Beeching has been unfairly blamed for the decisions of politicians.
Was Beeching just a scapegoat? Let us know what you think...
* This world metro map by Mark Ovenden is giving us some brilliant ideas for future holiday locations. Which line would you most like to travel on? The Piccadilly line could be difficult to pack for, St. Petersburg and Rio de Janerio have very different climates!
* Your daily commute could be improved with the installation of a book vending machine at your local station. John Geoghegan discusses their history; the "antiquarian book randomizer" sounds like a lot of fun!