‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ AND HISTORY: A LOOK BACK

By KATHRYN SHATTUCK and HUBERT MANDEVILLE UPDATED

As a chronicle of the ups and downs of fictional British aristocrats and servants, “Downton Abbey” weaves a surprising amount of authentic historical context into its plots. Here is an episode-by-episode look at some of the show’s period details, and how those events have been covered in The New York Times. “Downton Abbey” returns for its fifth season on PBS on Sunday — check back each week during the new season for updates.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/31/arts/television/12312015_DowntonAbbey-timeline.html?src=me&_r=0#/#time357_10705