Witness
BBC World Service
Earliest Episode in PodcastRE - 2015-02-04
Most Recent Episode in PodcastRE - 2019-02-07
1020 - Episodes
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
Disney Goes to Europe
2019-02-07
The first Disney theme park in Europe took years of negotiations to get off the ground.
The Soweto Uprising
2019-02-06
A former schoolgirl remembers the demonstration that sparked an uprising in South Africa.
The Capture of Che Guevara
2019-02-05
How the Marxist revolutionary was captured and killed in Bolivia.
The Death of Hitler
2019-02-04
A first-hand account of Hitler from one of his secretaries who was there at the very end
Women and the Iranian Revolution
2019-01-31
Many women supported Iran's 1979 Revolution but some later became disillusioned
Iran Hostage Rescue Mission
2019-01-31
The US sent special forces to try to rescue hostages from their Embassy in Tehran in 1980
Iran Hostage Crisis
2019-01-30
Barry Rosen was one of the Americans held hostage for 444 days in Tehran.
Ayatollah Khomeini Returns From Exile
2019-01-29
In February 1979 an Islamic revolution began when Iran's exiled religious leader returned
Musicians of the Iranian Revolution
2019-01-28
How Iran's state employed musicians started recording revolutionary songs.
The Publisher Who Tried to Change the World
2019-01-25
Virago Press opened as a feminist publisher in 1972 to promote women's writing
Vatican II: Reforming the Catholic Church
Publication Date: 2019-01-23
Pope John XXIII wanted to modernise the Catholic Church, reforms took place in the 1960s.
The Carry On Films
Publication Date: 2019-01-22
The British comic film franchise which found fans around the world
India's First Call Centre
Publication Date: 2019-01-21
In the late 1990s a businessman started a new industry in India
The Case of Dr Crippen
Publication Date: 2019-01-18
How one of the most notorious murderers in Edwardian London was captured
The Thames Whale
Publication Date: 2019-01-17
In January 2006, millions of Londoners were entranced by the appearance of a whale.
Strikers In Saris
Publication Date: 2019-01-16
South Asian women led a strike against poor working conditions in a British factory.
Mexico's Miracle Water
Publication Date: 2019-01-15
Thousands of people flocked to the village of Tlacote hoping to be cured by magical water
Judy Garland's Final Shows
Publication Date: 2019-01-14
The world famous singer's final performances were in London in January 1969
'Fat is a Feminist Issue'
Publication Date: 2019-01-10
Susie Orbach's book led people to rethink body-image from a feminist perspective
Diary of Life in a Favela
Publication Date: 2019-01-10
The poor black single mother who stunned Brazil with a book about her life in 1960.
When Stalin Rounded Up Soviet Doctors
Publication Date: 2019-01-09
Hundreds of Soviet doctors were imprisoned or shot in the last year of Stalin's rule.
Fidel Castro Takes Havana
Publication Date: 2019-01-08
The end of the US-backed dictator and the start of communist rule in Cuba in January 1959
The Doomsday Seed Vault
Publication Date: 2019-01-07
In 2008, the first global seed vault was opened to safeguard the world's crops
Vikings in North America
Publication Date: 2019-01-04
The Canadian discovery that proved Vikings had crossed the Atlantic 1000 years ago
Ceausescu's 'House of the People'
Publication Date: 2019-01-03
The vast building that symbolised the excesses of Romania's brutal former dictator
Barbara Cartland - Queen of Romance
Publication Date: 2019-01-02
The romantic fiction writer is thought to have sold hundreds of millions of books
Brazil's Marijuana Summer
Publication Date: 2019-01-01
In 1987 thousands of tin cans full of marijuana washed up on the beaches in Rio.
Rebels Rout The Army In El Salvador
Publication Date: 2018-12-31
The storming of the El Paraiso base by Marxist rebels in December 1983.
When Animals Go To War
Publication Date: 2018-12-28
In December 1943, a British charity created gallantry medals for animals serving in war.
Trautonium: A Revolution in Electronic Music
Publication Date: 2018-12-27
Meet the trautonium, the early electronic instrument promoted by the Nazis.
The Soviet Afghan War Begins
Publication Date: 2018-12-26
The world held its breath in December 1979 as Soviet troops poured into Afghanistan
UFO Sightings: The Rendlesham Forest Incident
Publication Date: 2018-12-24
At Christmas 1980 strange objects and lights were seen over a military base in England.
Scotland's Stone of Destiny
Publication Date: 2018-12-24
On Christmas Eve 1950 four students took the 'Stone of Destiny' from Westminster Abbey
Stopping The 'Shoe Bomber'
Publication Date: 2018-12-21
How a passenger helped subdue shoe-bomber Richard Reid on an American Airlines flight.
The Woman Who Wrote Mary Poppins
Publication Date: 2018-12-20
Writer PL Travers created a children's classic when she invented a magical nanny.
Hacking The First Computer Password
Publication Date: 2018-12-19
Scientists at MIT in the 1960s had to share computer time - but some people wanted more.
Theatre in the Sahara
Publication Date: 2018-12-18
Theatre director Peter Brook led a troupe of actors across the Sahara desert in 1972
China and Japan at War
Publication Date: 2018-12-17
Japanese troops reached the Chinese city of Nanjing in December 1937.
The US Apologises for Wartime Internment
Publication Date: 2018-12-17
Japanese Americans win an apology and compensation for World War II internment.
Englandspiel: The Deadly WW2 Spy Game
Publication Date: 2018-12-13
How Britain sent dozens of Dutch agents to their deaths in Nazi-occupied Netherlands
Cicely Saunders And The Modern Hospice Movement
Publication Date: 2018-12-12
The British woman who revolutionised the treatment of dying patients around the world.
Apollo 8
Publication Date: 2018-12-12
How the first mission to orbit the Moon captured the world's imagination in December 1968
When China Joined the WTO
Publication Date: 2018-12-11
China had to open up its strict communist system to join the World Trade Organisation
Angela Merkel's Rise to Power
Publication Date: 2018-12-07
Angela Merkel rose to power in German politics after the fall of her mentor, Helmut Kohl.
Adopted By The Man Who Killed My Family
Publication Date: 2018-12-06
Ramiro Osorio Cristales was five when his family was massacred by the Guatemalan army.
The Armenian Earthquake
Publication Date: 2018-12-05
A catastrophic earthquake hit northern Armenia on December 7th 1988, hear from a survivor
The Coronation of Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Publication Date: 2018-12-04
On 4 December 1977 Jean-Bédel Bokassa was crowned Emperor of the Central African Republic
Berlin's Rubble Women
Publication Date: 2018-12-03
At the end of WW2 much of Germany's capital had been destroyed. Women helped clear it up.
Norway's EU referendum
Publication Date: 2018-11-30
In November 1994, Norwegians voted in a referendum not to join the European Union
The Discovery of Dinosaur Eggs
Publication Date: 2018-11-29
The fossil find in 1923 in Mongolia helped to prove that dinosaurs hatched their young.
The Man Who Inspired Britain's First Aids Charity
Publication Date: 2018-11-28
In 1982, Terrence Higgins became the first known British victim of HIV/AIDS.
The Antarctic Whale Hunters
Publication Date: 2018-11-27
Memories of the bloody Antarctic industry which left whales on the brink of extinction.
The Destruction Of Iraq's Marshlands
Publication Date: 2018-11-26
When Iraq's marshes became a hiding place for rebels, Saddam Hussein destroyed them.
The USSR Opens Up to the West
Publication Date: 2018-11-23
Four years after Stalin's death, Moscow threw a festival for 30,000 foreign students.
The Last Days of Yasser Arafat
Publication Date: 2018-11-22
The Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in November 2004
The Story Behind The Man Who Shot JFK
Publication Date: 2018-11-21
What did Lee Harvey Oswald do for two years in the Soviet city of Minsk?
The 'Braceros', America's Mexican Guest Workers
Publication Date: 2018-11-20
How hundreds of thousands of Mexicans were hired to work legally in US farms.
The Funeral of the Duke of Wellington
Publication Date: 2018-11-19
Recorded memories of the funeral in 1852 of the Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon.
Britain's Little Blue Disability Car
Publication Date: 2018-11-16
For decades disabled people in the UK were offered tiny, three-wheeled, turquoise cars
Japanese Murders in Brazil
Publication Date: 2018-11-15
Fanatics killed Japanese immigrants who accepted that Japan had surrendered in WW2.
The Shah in Exile
Publication Date: 2018-11-13
Iranians stormed the US embassy in Iran in November 79 after America allowed in the Shah
Jewish in Imperial Russia
Publication Date: 2018-11-13
A young woman's rare account of Jewish life in imperial Russia.
How The Brazilian Dictatorship Made My Father Disappear
Publication Date: 2018-11-12
Writer Marcelo Rubens Paiva remembers the day his father was taken by the military.
WW1: Revolution in Germany
Publication Date: 2018-11-08
Eyewitness accounts of the collapse of Germany in the final weeks of war in November 1918
Women Nurses during World War One
Publication Date: 2018-11-07
Thousands of women volunteered for war work during WW1. Hear archive from one of them.
African Troops during World War One
Publication Date: 2018-11-06
Thousands of East Africans were conscripted to fight for Britain and Germany during WW1
The Battle of Passchendaele
Publication Date: 2018-11-05
It was one of the battles which symbolised the horror and futility of WW1
My Kristallnacht Story
Publication Date: 2018-11-02
Nora Krug investigated Nazi attacks in her hometown in Germany on 9 November 1938
Why I Slapped the German Chancellor
Publication Date: 2018-11-01
In November 1968 a young activist hit Germany's leader to draw attention to his Nazi past
Princess Margaret And The War Hero
Publication Date: 2018-10-31
How a love affair between the Queen's sister and Captain Peter Townsend gripped Britain.
Life With America's Black Panthers
Publication Date: 2018-10-30
Memories of the radical African American leader, Eldridge Cleaver.
The KGB's Whistleblower
Publication Date: 2018-10-29
KGB defector Vasili Mitrokhin's top secret archive was smuggled to Britain in 1992
The Day Nigeria Struck Oil
Publication Date: 2018-10-26
An eyewitness account of a discovery that changed Nigerian history
When Russia's Richest Man Was Jailed
Publication Date: 2018-10-25
Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested in 2003
The Arrest in London of Augusto Pinochet
Publication Date: 2018-10-23
The former ruler of Chile, Augusto Pinochet was arrested in London in October 1998
Desmond Tutu Wins the Nobel Peace Prize
Publication Date: 2018-10-22
Apartheid South Africa's outspoken critic Bishop Desmond Tutu wins the Nobel Peace Prize
When Belgium Banned Coca-Cola
Publication Date: 2018-10-19
When Belgian teenagers got sick they blamed Coca-Cola but the truth was more mysterious
The Pergau Dam Affair
Publication Date: 2018-10-18
In 1993 news broke about development aid linked to a British arms deal.
Brazil's Hidden War in the Amazon
Publication Date: 2018-10-17
How a small guerrilla group tried to start a revolution in the Brazilian jungle.
The 1973 Oil Crisis
Publication Date: 2018-10-16
In October 1973 an Arab oil embargo caused prices to rocket.
Fighting Mount Etna
Publication Date: 2018-10-15
How the Italian authorities diverted the stream of molten lava from the Etna volcano.
Archbishop Oscar Romero
Publication Date: 2018-10-12
Murdered while head of the Roman Catholic church in El Salvador, he is being made a saint
Austria at War
Publication Date: 2018-10-11
The story of a young Austrian woman who survived World War Two and the allied occupation
The Nazi Black Book
Publication Date: 2018-10-10
During WW2 Germany listed the people it wanted to arrest should Britain fall to the Nazis
Anti-traveller Riots in Sweden
Publication Date: 2018-10-09
In 1948 violence broke out against Romany-speaking traveller people in Sweden
Reform of the House of Lords
Publication Date: 2018-10-08
How Britain's Labour government tried to kick the aristocrats out of Parliament
Howl: The Poem That Revolutionised US Writing
Publication Date: 2018-10-05
How Allan Ginsberg's reading in San Francisco in 1955 started the "Beat Generation".
The Soviet Union's Fashion Revolutionary
Publication Date: 2018-10-04
Slava Zaitsev created the first high fashion collections in the USSR.
The Invention of Artificial Skin
Publication Date: 2018-10-03
How a chemist and a surgeon found a way of helping burns to heal.
The Street Battle That Rocked Brazil
Publication Date: 2018-10-02
For two days in 1968 students from the left and the right clashed in São Paulo.
Racial Equality in Britain - Learie Constantine
Publication Date: 2018-10-01
The former West Indies cricketer took a London hotel to court in 1943
The Bridge Which United Sweden and Denmark
Publication Date: 2018-09-28
The bridge which connected neighbours across the water and inspired a TV hit worldwide.
Fighting in the Iran-Iraq War
Publication Date: 2018-09-27
The war lasted for 8 years and is thought to have left over a million people dead.
The Creation of the Cervical Cancer Vaccine
Publication Date: 2018-09-26
The scientific breakthrough that saved the lives of thousands of women
Isadora Duncan - Dance Pioneer
Publication Date: 2018-09-25
Sometimes called the 'Mother of Modern Dance'
The South African Army In Lesotho
Publication Date: 2018-09-24
South Africa sent 600 soldiers into Lesotho to quell political unrest in September 1998
Brazil's Nuclear Accident
Publication Date: 2018-09-21
Hundreds of people were contaminated when a disused radiotherapy machine was scrapped.
The Arnhem Parachute Drop
Publication Date: 2018-09-20
In 'Operation Market Garden' thousands of Allied troops parachuted into Nazi-held Holland
The Battle of Algiers
Publication Date: 2018-09-20
The film that tells the true story of the Algerians' fight for their capital Algiers
The Biggest Parachute Drop Of WW2
Publication Date: 2018-09-19
In 'Operation Market Garden' thousands of Allied troops parachuted into Nazi-held Holland
The Cuban Five
Publication Date: 2018-09-18
The case of five Cuban spies arrested in Miami in September 1998
The Fifteen Guinea Special
Publication Date: 2018-09-17
The train signaled the end of the steam age on Britain's main-line rail network in 1968
The Truth About Crop Circles
Publication Date: 2018-09-14
Thought to be left by UFOs the phenomena was resolved when two men came forward in 1991.
How I Survived a Fire on a Plane
Publication Date: 2018-09-13
One young man was the only passenger to survive a fire on a plane - find out how.
The Killing of Steve Biko
Publication Date: 2018-09-12
The brutal death in custody of the anti-Apartheid activist in September 1977.
Appeasement
Publication Date: 2018-09-11
In September 1938 Neville Chamberlain tried to negotiate with Hitler over Czechoslovakia.
The Ship that Dumped America's Waste
Publication Date: 2018-09-10
How campaigners fought to stop the 'Khian Sea' from off-loading tons of US waste abroad
WWI: The Hundred Days Offensive
Publication Date: 2018-09-07
First-hand accounts of the Allied offensive that finally brought the bloody war to an end
From Leningrad to St Petersburg
Publication Date: 2018-09-06
In a hugely symbolic act Leningrad returned to its historic name of St Petersburg in 1991
Living Under Gaddafi
Publication Date: 2018-09-05
A military coup in Libya in September 1969 brought Muammar Gaddafi to power.
The Battle for Brick Lane
Publication Date: 2018-09-04
In 1978 the racist murder of a young Bengali galvanised an immigrant community in London.
The First MRI Scan
Publication Date: 2018-09-03
Dr Raymond Damadian attempted the first magnetic resonance scan of a human body.
Surviving the "Death Railway"
Publication Date: 2018-08-31
A prisoner of war describes the deadly conditions building the bridge over the River Kwai
The Mine Disaster That Devastated Post-War Italy
Publication Date: 2018-08-30
How an accident at Marcinelle in Belgium killed more than 100 Italian migrant workers.
The Lake Nyos Disaster
Publication Date: 2018-08-29
The mysterious death of villagers and livestock in north-western Cameroon
Hitler's League Of German Girls
Publication Date: 2018-08-28
An elderly German recalls her years as a leader in the Hitler Youth for girls.
Benidorm
Publication Date: 2018-08-27
The story of the mayor who created one of the world's biggest holiday resorts.
Hitler's Architect
Publication Date: 2018-08-24
Albert Speer was Hitler's architect. We talk to a journalist who interviewed him.
Baba of Karo
Publication Date: 2018-08-23
The groundbreaking autobiography of a woman who grew up in 19th century Nigeria
USSR Wages War on Alcohol
Publication Date: 2018-08-22
Sales of alcohol in the USSR were limited in 1985 in a bid to fight drunkenness.
Prague Spring
Publication Date: 2018-08-21
The student who appealed for the world's help when Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia
The Gladbeck Hostage Crisis
Publication Date: 2018-08-20
A bank robbery, a three-day car chase and a journalist who got too close to the story.
The Invention of Instant Noodles
Publication Date: 2018-08-17
The creation in 1958 of a new product that would revolutionise mealtimes worldwide.
When TV Came To South Africa
Publication Date: 2018-08-16
Apartheid South Africa finally launched the country's first TV service in 1976.
Photographing Martin Luther King and His Family
Publication Date: 2018-08-14
Moneta Sleet, the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism.
Vera Brittain: Anti-Bombing Campaigner
Publication Date: 2018-08-13
During WW2 the feminist and writer Vera Brittain spoke out against the bombing of Germany
When Buckingham Palace Opened Its Doors
Publication Date: 2018-08-11
Queen Elizabeth II first opened her home to the paying public on August 7th 1993.
Israel's Secret Peace Envoy
Publication Date: 2018-08-09
In August 1994 Yitzhak Rabin became the first Israeli leader to visit Jordan
When Buckingham Palace Opened Its Doors
Publication Date: 2018-08-07
Queen Elizabeth II first opened her home to the paying public on August 7th 1993.
The Azeri-Armenian Village Swap
Publication Date: 2018-08-06
How two villages, Armenian and Azeri, managed to avoid ethnic violence by swapping homes
The First CIA Coup in Latin America
Publication Date: 2018-08-03
Guatemala's president was ousted from power by army officers backed by the CIA in 1954.
The Search for Iran's Nuclear Programme
Publication Date: 2018-08-02
In 2003 Iran agreed to let the IAEA into the country to inspect its nuclear facilities.
The Retirement Home For Dancing Bears
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
The Bulgarian sanctuary that cares for bears once forced to dance.
Shambo The Sacred Bull
Publication Date: 2018-07-31
How a bull's health led to a stand-off between monks and the Welsh government in 2007.
WW1: Britain's Conscientious Objectors
Publication Date: 2018-07-30
Thousands went to prison for refusing to join Britain's war effort.
Women At West Point
Publication Date: 2018-07-27
In July 1976, female cadets were admitted to the US Military Academy for the first time.
Winston Churchill's Election Defeat
Publication Date: 2018-07-26
In July l945 Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill was ousted in a general election
The Whitewashing of Zimbabwe's Ancient History
Publication Date: 2018-07-24
The contentious history of the ruined city of Great Zimbabwe - finally revealed.
The Kitchen Debate
Publication Date: 2018-07-24
When two Cold War leaders argued about living standards in their countries.
South Korea's Summer Of Terror
Publication Date: 2018-07-23
How thousands of suspected communist sympathisers were killed in South Korea in 1950.
A Vet Remembers The Hyde Park Bombing
Publication Date: 2018-07-20
Two IRA bombs in London parks killed 11 military personnel and 7 horses on 20th July 1982
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Publication Date: 2018-07-19
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed in July 1968
The Bombing of the King David Hotel
Publication Date: 2018-07-18
The attack by an armed Jewish group on British HQ in Palestine that left 91 dead.
The Virgin Lands Campaign
Publication Date: 2018-07-17
To fight food shortages in the 1950s the USSR embarked on a major agricultural project
The Killing of the Russian Tsar
Publication Date: 2018-07-16
The Russian Tsar and his family were shot in a cellar in Yekaterinburg on 17 July 1918
Italy's 'Ghost Shipwreck'
Publication Date: 2018-07-13
How journalists located the wreck of a boat that capsized killing nearly 300 migrants
The Spiegel Affair
Publication Date: 2018-07-12
How a magazine article about West Germany's defence strategy led to a government crisis.
Smiling Buddha: India's First Nuclear Test
Publication Date: 2018-07-11
How India secretly developed and exploded its first atomic device in 1974
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Publication Date: 2018-07-10
Published in 1958 the Nigerian writer's first novel revolutionised African fiction.
Robert Mapplethorpe - Photographer
Publication Date: 2018-07-09
The artist famous for his explicit male nudes was at the height of his fame in 1988.
Kosovo: 'Madeleine's War'
Publication Date: 2018-07-05
Ex US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on why she argued for Nato action in Kosovo
Playgrounds Made of Junk
Publication Date: 2018-07-05
Post-war Britain saw a rise in "adventure playgrounds" born out of bomb-sites
The Toilet
Publication Date: 2018-07-04
The controversial art installation which upset Russians but is now seen as a masterpiece
Flight 655: When The US Shot Down An Airliner
Publication Date: 2018-07-03
All 290 on board were killed when a US warship downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988
The Search For Deep Throat
Publication Date: 2018-07-02
In July 2005, the most famous informant in American history Deep Throat revealed himself
The President and the Gun Lobby
Publication Date: 2018-06-29
Former President George Bush Senior's public row with the National Rifle Association.
Whiskey On The Rocks
Publication Date: 2018-06-28
The Cold War stand-off when a Soviet submarine was stranded on a Swedish rock.
The SARS Emergency
Publication Date: 2018-06-27
Early 2003 saw a medical emergency sweep across the world.
Veronica Guerin - Dying for the Story
Publication Date: 2018-06-26
The Irish journalist murdered for her work exposing drug barons in the 1990s
Veronica Guerin - Dying For The Story
Publication Date: 2018-06-26
The Irish journalist murdered for her work exposing drug barons in the 1990s.
The King of Lampedusa
Publication Date: 2018-06-25
How 4,000 Italian troops surrendered to a young Jewish pilot from London, during WW2.
How the World Woke Up to Global Warming
Publication Date: 2018-06-22
James Hansen got US politicians to listen to his warnings about climate change in 1988.
Demoted For Being Gay
Publication Date: 2018-06-21
When the Israeli Army punished Colonel Uzi Even for being gay, he fought back.
Wittenoom: An Australian Tragedy
Publication Date: 2018-06-20
How a town built around an asbestos mine made its residents fatally ill.
Bata the Shoemaker's Revolution
Publication Date: 2018-06-19
Bata, a Czech company, pioneered assembly line shoemaking
The Battered Child
Publication Date: 2018-06-18
The American doctor who forced the medical profession to face up to child abuse.
The Death of Kim Il-sung
Publication Date: 2018-06-15
The founding father of communist North Korea died in July 1994.
The Unified Korean Table Tennis Team
Publication Date: 2018-06-14
How ping pong brought together athletes from bitter rivals North and South Korea.
The GI Who Chose China
Publication Date: 2018-06-13
After the Korean war ended a few American prisoners chose to try life under communism.
The Beginning of the Korean War
Publication Date: 2018-06-12
North Korean communist troops invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950.
Korea Divided
Publication Date: 2018-06-11
The Korean peninsula was split between North and South at the end of World War Two.
The Execution of Adolf Eichmann
Publication Date: 2018-06-08
Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was executed in the early hours of June 1st 1962
The Death of General Sani Abacha
Publication Date: 2018-06-07
Nigeria's military ruler died suddenly in June 1998.
The 1968 Belgrade Student Revolt
Publication Date: 2018-06-06
In June 1968, students in Belgrade rebelled against Yugoslavia's 'market socialism'
The Assassinaton Attempt that Sparked a Middle East War
Publication Date: 2018-06-05
In 1982, a Palestinian gunman attacked the Israeli ambassador to London, Shlomo Argov
Couch to 5K
Publication Date: 2018-06-04
The birth of the running programme that got millions off their sofas and out jogging
Lyuba the Baby Mammoth
Publication Date: 2018-06-01
How a herdsman found the perfectly preserved body of a 42,000-year-old baby mammoth.
Isaac Asimov and Science Fiction
Publication Date: 2018-05-31
The American writer and scientist considered one of the greats of Science Fiction.
Free Health Care For All
Publication Date: 2018-05-30
In 1948 Britain launched the National Health Service, NHS
The Thalidomide Trial
Publication Date: 2018-05-29
Executives of the German company that made the drug Thalidomide went on trial in May 1968
The First Bicycle Sharing Scheme
Publication Date: 2018-05-28
In the mid 1960s a Dutch engineer came up with a scheme to share bikes and cut pollution.
The BBC at Caversham
Publication Date: 2018-05-25
For 75 years the BBC ran a monitoring service based in an English stately home.
Shoah the Film
Publication Date: 2018-05-24
Shoah, Claude Lanzmann's epic nine-hour film on the Holocaust was released in spring 1985
Lesbian Protest on BBC News
Publication Date: 2018-05-23
On 23 May 1988 a group of lesbian activists invaded a BBC TV news studio as it was on air
Pakistan's Theatre Revolution
Publication Date: 2018-05-22
The launch of Ajoka, the group which pioneered theatre for social change in Pakistan.
President Suharto Resigns
Publication Date: 2018-05-21
On May 21st 1998 the president of Indonesia resigned after 31 years in power.
Defusing Nuclear Bombs: The Goldsboro 'Broken Arrow'
Publication Date: 2018-05-18
How Lt. Jack ReVelle disarmed two thermonuclear bombs which crashed in North Carolina.
Look Back in Anger
Publication Date: 2018-05-17
The play Look Back in Anger changed British theatre when it was staged in 1956
May 1968 Paris Riots
Publication Date: 2018-05-16
A riot policeman's view of the violence which swept through France in 1968.
The First Montessori Nursery
Publication Date: 2018-05-15
In 1907 Italian doctor, Maria Montessori, radically changed the way young children learn.
The Dambusters Raid
Publication Date: 2018-05-12
The famous British raid on German dams during World War Two.
The Walker Spy Ring
Publication Date: 2018-05-11
In 1985 members of the US spy ring were arrested for selling Navy secrets to the USSR.
The First Foetal Surgery
Publication Date: 2018-05-10
On the 10th May 1981 a baby was born after a successful operation while in the womb.
The Last King of Bulgaria
Publication Date: 2018-05-09
Bulgaria's former King Simeon II wins the country’s parliamentary election in 2001.
Africa United
Publication Date: 2018-05-08
How 32 newly-independent nations came together to plan the future of their continent.
The First Diagnosis of Autism
Publication Date: 2018-05-07
The condition was first described in 1943 by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner in the USA
When Margaret Thatcher Came to Power
Publication Date: 2018-05-04
The British politician was the first woman elected to lead a Western European country.
WW2: Prisoner on the High Seas
Publication Date: 2018-05-03
A surprise attack, a ship lost, a crew captured - memories of a merchant navy veteran
Takeshi's Castle
Publication Date: 2018-05-02
A new sort of game show started on Japanese TV in May 1986.
The Children's Crusade
Publication Date: 2018-05-01
Thousands of black children protested on the streets of Birmingham Alabama in May 1963.
A New Approach to Shakespeare
Publication Date: 2018-04-30
The Royal Shakespeare Company opened in Britain in 1961 and changed theatre forever.
Pablo Picasso
Publication Date: 2018-04-27
The great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso died in April 1973; hear from someone who knew him
Scottish Prison Experiment
Publication Date: 2018-04-26
A special unit in a Glasgow jail began offering art therapy to violent prisoners in 1973.
The Oslo Peace Talks
Publication Date: 2018-04-25
How secret negotiations in Norway led to an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Swimming The Bering Strait
Publication Date: 2018-04-24
How an American swimmer crossed the "Ice Curtain" between the USA and the Soviet Union.
World War One: The Red Baron
Publication Date: 2018-04-23
Veterans remember the famous German air ace who was killed in April 1918
Earth Day
Publication Date: 2018-04-20
In 1970, 20 million Americans came out to demonstrate for a sustainable environment.
The Last Keeper of the Light
Publication Date: 2018-04-19
The island of Skellig Michael has lighthouses, and a striking role in Star Wars films.
Rebuilding the Site of the Twin Towers
Publication Date: 2018-04-17
How a team of architects were given the responsibility to repair New York's skyline.
World War One: Germany's Spring Offensive 1918
Publication Date: 2018-04-16
Germany launched a huge offensive on the Western Front in a last gamble to win the war.
Bonus Podcast: Death in Ice Valley
Publication Date: 2018-04-15
A special preview of the brand new podcast Death in Ice Valley
The Shooting of Rudi Dutschke
Publication Date: 2018-04-13
The German student leader was shot in April 1968, leading to protests in West Berlin.
The Soviet Spy Scandal
Publication Date: 2018-04-12
In 1971 during the Cold War, the UK expelled 90 Soviet diplomats suspected of spying.
The Zimbabwe Massacres
Publication Date: 2018-04-10
Robert Mugabe sent troops to put down opposition supporters in western Zimbabwe in 1983.
The First Frozen Embryo Baby
Publication Date: 2018-04-10
Zoe Leyland was born in Australia on April 11th 1984 after her mother's IVF treatment.
Woodfall Films
Publication Date: 2018-04-09
The film company which changed British cinema.
The Emergency Rescue Committee
Publication Date: 2018-04-06
The Emergency Rescue Committee helped save intellectuals and artists from the Nazis
Vietnam War: The Battle for Hue
Publication Date: 2018-04-06
Communist forces overran the key city in 1968 triggering one of the war's biggest battles
2001 A Space Odyssey
Publication Date: 2018-04-05
Actor Keir Dullea recalls starring in Stanley Kubrick's ground-breaking sci-fi movie
Russia's Bitter Taste of Capitalism
Publication Date: 2018-04-04
Chaos and hardship hit Russia with the rapid market reforms in early 1992.
The UNAbomber
Publication Date: 2018-04-03
On April 3rd 1996 one of the 'most wanted' men in the USA was arrested.
The Invention of Semtex
Publication Date: 2018-04-02
The Czech plastic explosive that was once undetectable to security services
The Good Friday Agreement
Publication Date: 2018-03-30
The deal which brought peace to Northern Ireland after decades of violence.
Mapping the Ocean's Secrets
Publication Date: 2018-03-29
Marie Tharp's discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge proved the theory of plate tectonics
An Oasis Of Peace
Publication Date: 2018-03-28
The story of Wahat al-Salam, Neve Shalom where Jews and Arabs live side by side in peace.
Sarajevo: Singing for Peace
Publication Date: 2018-03-27
How a multi-faith choir brought together survivors of the Bosnian civil war.
First Women on the London Stock Exchange
Publication Date: 2018-03-26
The women who broke tradition shocking London's top-hatted stockbrokers.
Who Killed Luis Colosio?
Publication Date: 2018-03-23
The murder of a presidential candidate that shocked Mexico.
The Skull Valley Sheep Kill
Publication Date: 2018-03-22
Did a nerve agent kill 6,000 sheep close to a US military testing site in 1968?
Radiocarbon Dating of the Turin Shroud
Publication Date: 2018-03-22
In 1988 scientists performed a carbon dating test on the Shroud of Turin.
A Brief History of Time
Publication Date: 2018-03-21
Physicist Stephen Hawking's best-seller, A Brief History of Time, was published in 1988
Elvis in the US Army
Publication Date: 2018-03-20
How the 'King' of Rock'n'Roll became a GI in 1958 and served during the Cold War
Latvia's Controversial Waffen-SS Fighters
Publication Date: 2018-03-16
In 1998 Latvian Waffen-SS veterans marched to remember a battle against the Soviets.
Tancredo Neves - Doomed Hero of Brazilian Democracy
Publication Date: 2018-03-15
How the politician who led Brazil to democracy died before taking office as president.
The Battle of the Airwaves in Latin America
Publication Date: 2018-03-14
How the BBC began Spanish and Portuguese broadcasts to fight the Nazis in the Americas
Surviving The My Lai Massacre
Publication Date: 2018-03-13
One of the worse US military atrocities took place during the Vietnam war.
The Moscow Show Trials
Publication Date: 2018-03-12
An eyewitness account of Stalin's purge of top Soviet leaders during the Great Terror.
Changing the Alphabet in Azerbaijan
Publication Date: 2018-03-09
After independence Azerbaijan changed from Russian Cyrillic script to Latin letters.
Marie Stopes: Birth Control Pioneer
Publication Date: 2018-03-08
The first birth control clinic in Britain was opened in London in 1921 by Dr Marie Stopes
The Life and Thought of Hannah Arendt
Publication Date: 2018-03-07
The life and thought of the leading 20th-century political thinker, Hannah Arendt
Deaf Rights Protest
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Students at the world's first deaf-only University demand a deaf college President.
World War One: Russia at War
Publication Date: 2018-03-02
How Russia's disastrous war on the Eastern Front became a catalyst for revolution
China's Barefoot Doctors
Publication Date: 2018-03-01
How China's barefoot doctor scheme revolutionised rural healthcare.
M*A*S*H
Publication Date: 2018-02-28
The last episode of the iconic TV series broadcasts to record audiences across the US.
The Killing of Olof Palme
Publication Date: 2018-02-27
The Swedish Prime Minister was shot dead on a Stockholm street on February 28th 1986.
The Angel of the North
Publication Date: 2018-02-26
The huge steel sculpture that has become an icon for the north-east of England.
The Last Smallpox Outbreak
Publication Date: 2018-02-23
In India in 1974 thousands of people died in the world's last major smallpox epidemic
David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest
Publication Date: 2018-02-22
One of the biggest novels of the late twentieth century was published in February 1996.
The Boy in the Bubble
Publication Date: 2018-02-20
David Vetter was born with a disease which meant he lived inside a plastic bubble
Jimmy Swaggart's Fall From Grace
Publication Date: 2018-02-20
How one of America's most successful televangelists was caught with a prostitute
Ghana Must Go
Publication Date: 2018-02-19
Over a million African migrants, most of them Ghanaian, had to leave Nigeria in 1983
The Furies Collective: Lesbian Separatists
Publication Date: 2018-02-15
A group of US feminists set up a commune to live entirely without men in 1971.
Leonardo's Lost Notebooks
Publication Date: 2018-02-14
In 1967 two long-lost notebooks of the artist Leonardo da Vinci were discovered in Spain
Women's Rights In Iran
Publication Date: 2018-02-13
Iran's first ever Minister for Women's Affairs was appointed in 1975.
Hull's 'Headscarf Revolutionaries'
Publication Date: 2018-02-12
The British fishermen's wives who fought for better safety standards in their industry
The Bombing Of Korean Flight 858
Publication Date: 2018-02-09
In 1987, 115 people died in an attack ordered by North Korea to disrupt the Olympic Games
Spying On South Africa's Nuclear Bomb
Publication Date: 2018-02-07
Renfrew Christie was jailed and tortured for passing details of the bomb to the ANC
The Munich Air Disaster
Publication Date: 2018-02-07
The 1958 plane crash that killed eight of Manchester United's famous "Busby Babes" team.
Women in Britain get the right to vote
Publication Date: 2018-02-06
On 6th February 1918, women in Britain were given the right to vote for the first time
Bringing Nazi Leader Klaus Barbie To Justice
Publication Date: 2018-02-05
The extradition to France of the man known as 'the butcher of Lyon'
Banning The Belt
Publication Date: 2018-02-02
How two Scottish mothers forced the UK government to end corporal punishment in schools
The Roots of the Rohingya Crisis
Publication Date: 2018-02-01
The complex history behind the world's fastest growing refugee crisis.
Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive
Publication Date: 2018-01-31
How a surprise attack became a turning point in the Vietnam war
The Bloody Sunday Shootings
Publication Date: 2018-01-30
Tony Doherty recalls the murder of his father by British troops in Northern Ireland
The "Godfather of Gospel Music"
Publication Date: 2018-01-28
Thomas A Dorsey is credited with developing Gospel music into a global phenomenon.
The Invention of the Lego Brick
Publication Date: 2018-01-26
How one of the world's most popular toys was invented in a small Danish town in 1958
The Vege-Burger
Publication Date: 2018-01-25
How one of the mainstays of vegetarian cuisine was launched in 1982
Salvador Dali
Publication Date: 2018-01-24
The life and times of the great surrealist artist, Salvador Dali
The Capture of the USS Pueblo
Publication Date: 2018-01-23
A US spy ship was caught by North Korean forces in the Sea of Japan on 23 January 1968.
Francis Bacon's Studio
Publication Date: 2018-01-22
How an influential painter's studio was moved in its entirety from London to Ireland.
My 10-Year Battle to Adopt in Guatemala
Publication Date: 2018-01-19
How Guatemala's changes in law scuppered Ruth Sheehan's attempt to adopt a baby boy
The Writer With Cerebral Palsy Who Made History
Publication Date: 2018-01-18
Christopher Nolan became the first severely disabled person to win the Whitbread prize.
Eisenhower's Farewell Address
Publication Date: 2018-01-17
American president Dwight Eisenhower's great farewell address
South Africa's Truth And Reconciliation Commission
Publication Date: 2018-01-15
After Apartheid, South Africans tried to come to terms with their brutal past.
How British Women Helped Win World War One
Publication Date: 2018-01-15
For the first time women were encouraged to join the workforce to help win the war
Reaching out After World War Two
Publication Date: 2018-01-12
German children were invited to stay in the English town of Reading after WW2 had ended
When France Said 'Non' To Britain Joining Europe
Publication Date: 2018-01-11
In 1963 France stopped Britain from joining the European Economic Community, now the EU.
The Algerian Massacres
Publication Date: 2018-01-10
The story of one atrocity in Algeria's battle with radical Islamists in the 1990s
The First iPhone
Publication Date: 2018-01-09
The touchscreen smartphone changed mobile technology for ever.
The Boy Who Stayed Awake For Eleven Days
Publication Date: 2018-01-08
California high school student Randy Gardner set a world record in 1964.
Iran Student Protests 1999
Publication Date: 2018-01-05
A young man became an unwitting symbol of the anti-government protests
I Hijacked A Plane To Save My Children
Publication Date: 2018-01-04
How one woman fled Brazil's military dictatorship with her kids on a hijacked plane.
Spelling Bee - The Children's Competition that Grips America
Publication Date: 2018-01-02
The first child of South Asian background to become America's Spelling Bee champion.
Boris Yeltsin's Surprise Resignation
Publication Date: 2018-01-01
On New Year's Eve 1999 the Russian President went on TV and said he was leaving office.
"Spend, Spend, Spend" - The Miner's Wife Who Won Big
Publication Date: 2017-12-27
How Viv Nicholson became a celebrity in Britain after winning the football pools in 1961.
The First Kwanzaa
Publication Date: 2017-12-26
The African-American winter holiday was invented in Los Angeles in 1966.
Trivial Pursuit
Publication Date: 2017-12-25
The game has become a holiday tradition with families around the world.
To Kill A Mockingbird
Publication Date: 2017-12-22
One of the most successful American films of all time was released at Christmas 1962.
BR Ambedkar
Publication Date: 2017-12-21
The Indian independence leader and campaigner for Dalit rights died in December 1956.
The Exam That Changed China
Publication Date: 2017-12-20
The return of university entrance exams showed the Cultural Revolution had really ended.
The Development of WiFi
Publication Date: 2017-12-19
Australian scientists were central to the invention of WiFi.
Somalia's Islamic Courts Union
Publication Date: 2017-12-18
How the Islamic movement brought a brief moment of peace to Mogadishu after years of war
The Disappearance of Harold Holt
Publication Date: 2017-12-15
The Australian Prime Minister went for a swim on December 17th 1967 - and never came back
Otis Redding
Publication Date: 2017-12-14
The great soul singer who was killed in a plane crash in December 1967
The Great London Smog
Publication Date: 2017-12-14
Thousands died as a thick polluted fog engulfed London in 1952
The Unsung Hero of Heart Surgery
Publication Date: 2017-12-13
The African-American lab technician whose surgery helped save millions of babies..
Hypnotising Saddam's Son
Publication Date: 2017-12-11
How an American hypnotist went to Iraq to treat Uday, the eldest son of Saddam Hussein.
Art in Revolutionary Russia
Publication Date: 2017-12-08
Avant-garde art flourished in Russia after the 1917 revolution but was later suppressed
The Discovery of Whale Song
Publication Date: 2017-12-07
Whales were being hunted to extinction until a biologist realised they could sing.
Finland Wins Independence From Russia
Publication Date: 2017-12-06
In December 1917 Finland became an independent country for the first time.
Britain's withdrawal from South Yemen
Publication Date: 2017-12-05
In 1967 Britain's departure from Aden leads to the creation of an independent South Yemen
Mount Rushmore
Publication Date: 2017-12-04
Construction on one of America's most famous monuments started in 1927.
Science City in Siberia
Publication Date: 2017-12-01
Thousands of scientists moved to deepest Siberia to dedicate their lives to research.
The Poisoning of Litvinenko
Publication Date: 2017-11-29
Former colonel in the Russian secret service Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London.
The Prestige Oil Disaster in Spain
Publication Date: 2017-11-29
How thousands of volunteers cleaned up after a huge environmental disaster in 2002
The Audacious Plot to Kill a Colonel
Publication Date: 2017-11-28
How El Salvador's leftist rebels led a top army officer into a deadly trap
The Case of Alger Hiss
Publication Date: 2017-11-27
The conviction of diplomat Alger Hiss was one of America's most notorious spy cases
The Exile of Wolf Biermann
Publication Date: 2017-11-24
East Germany's most famous singer-songwriter was exiled to the West in November 1976.
Toy Story - The First Digitally-Animated Feature Film
Publication Date: 2017-11-23
It was a box-office hit and a revolution in the world of animated films.
The Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem
Publication Date: 2017-11-22
The president of South Vietnam was overthrown and murdered in a coup in November 1963.
The Man Who Prosecuted Charles Manson
Publication Date: 2017-11-21
Charles Manson's followers murdered 9 people on his orders. But how to prove his guilt?
The Siege of Mecca
Publication Date: 2017-11-20
In 1979 Islamic militants took over the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam
Botswana's Diamonds
Publication Date: 2017-11-17
Huge diamond deposits were first discovered in the Kalahari desert in Botswana in 1967
The 'Disappeared' of Lebanon
Publication Date: 2017-11-16
Searching for the thousands who went missing during Lebanon's brutal civil war.
The Windmill Theatre
Publication Date: 2017-11-15
A British national institution closed in 1964.
The British Love Affair with Curry
Publication Date: 2017-11-14
Indian restaurants first became popular in the UK in the 1950s.
The Exploding Whale
Publication Date: 2017-11-13
The story behind one of the most famous viral videos ever.
World War One: Ordinary Lives
Publication Date: 2017-11-10
Recordings of two people who felt the cost of war both on the battlefield and at home
Laika the Space Dog
Publication Date: 2017-11-08
The Russian street dog was the first living creature to orbit the Earth.
The Russian Revolution: The Bolsheviks Take Control
Publication Date: 2017-11-07
Eyewitness accounts of the Russian Revolution of 7 November 1917
Osama Bin Laden's Last Interview
Publication Date: 2017-11-05
Osama bin Laden spoke to journalist Hamid Mir as US-led forces closed in after 9/11.
The Naked Ape
Publication Date: 2017-11-03
The book that revolutionised the way we look at human behaviour.
The Case That Saved Sex on the Internet
Publication Date: 2017-11-02
In 1997 the US Supreme Court ruled against censoring sex on the internet.
Oscar Niemeyer's Forgotten Masterpiece
Publication Date: 2017-11-01
In the Lebanese city of Tripoli there is an exceptional architectural site.
Martin Luther's 95 Theses
Publication Date: 2017-10-31
How German monk Martin Luther started a religious revolution
The Murder of Brazil's Leading Journalist
Publication Date: 2017-10-30
Journalist Vladimir Herzog was killed in detention by the secret police in October 1975.
A Literary Love Affair
Publication Date: 2017-10-27
How Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir met and fell in love in Paris in October 1929
The Death of Dele Giwa
Publication Date: 2017-10-26
An eyewitness to the assassination of the famous Nigerian journalist Dele Giwa in 1986
The Fake IDs That Saved Jewish Lives
Publication Date: 2017-10-25
How tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews escaped the Nazis by using false papers.
Private Eye
Publication Date: 2017-10-24
A new satirical magazine called Private Eye was published in London in October 1961.
Romania's Abortion Ban
Publication Date: 2017-10-23
Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu made abortion illegal in October 1966.
The 43 Group: Battling British Fascism
Publication Date: 2017-10-20
How British Jewish ex-servicemen fought fascists on the streets of Britain after WW2
The Mysterious Death of Samora Machel
Publication Date: 2017-10-19
The socialist leader of Mozambique was killed in a plane crash and many were suspicious.
Moscow Theatre Siege
Publication Date: 2017-10-18
Svetlana Gubareva recalls her ordeal when Chechen rebels seized a Moscow theatre in 2002.
The Death of JG Farrell
Publication Date: 2017-10-17
The writer drowned off the south-west coast of Ireland in 1979.
Cuban Missile Crisis: the Governments
Publication Date: 2017-10-16
In October 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis took the world to the brink of nuclear war
Testifying Against OJ Simpson
Publication Date: 2017-10-11
Ron Shipp was a close friend of OJ Simpson's but decided to testify against him in court.
Saving Italy's Art During WW2
Publication Date: 2017-10-11
Italy's great works of art were threatened by bombing and looting during World War Two.
Lluis Companys - Martyr of Catalan Nationalism
Publication Date: 2017-10-10
The Catalan leader who was executed by a Spanish fascist firing squad in October 1940.
The Death of Che Guevara
Publication Date: 2017-10-09
Felix Rodriguez recalls his part in the killing of the Marxist revolutionary in Oct 1967.
The Gay Killing That Changed American Law
Publication Date: 2017-10-06
The Matthew Shepard murder shocked Americans and helped reform US hate crime law.
The first black American at Ole Miss
Publication Date: 2017-10-05
In 1962 the first black American was enrolled at Mississippi University amid riots
Israel Withdraws From Gaza
Publication Date: 2017-10-04
One woman's account of life on the front-line of Israel's occupation of Gaza.
The Raising of the Mary Rose
Publication Date: 2017-10-03
King Henry VIII's favourite warship sank in a naval battle in 1545.
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
Publication Date: 2017-10-02
Shortly before the Islamic revolution in Iran, a very modern museum opened in the capital
The Sudden Death of Pope John Paul I
Publication Date: 2017-09-28
Just 33 days into his reign, Pope John Paul I died unexpectedly in September 1978.
A Bitter Divorce: When Guinea said "No" to France
Publication Date: 2017-09-28
How Guinea became the first French West African colony to declare independence in 1958.
Walking the Great Wall of China
Publication Date: 2017-09-26
It took 508 days to complete the first expedition along the entire length of the wall.
Britain's Land Girls
Publication Date: 2017-09-26
Thousands of women and girls worked on farms throughout WW2 to produce much needed food.
Steve Biko: Black Consciousness Leader
Publication Date: 2017-09-25
The activist had died in South African police custody. He was buried on September 25 1977
The Cross Border Horse Race
Publication Date: 2017-09-22
A showdown on the American/Mexican border on September 14th 1958.
Roselle - The 9/11 Guide Dog
Publication Date: 2017-09-21
The inspiring story of how a Labrador led her blind master out of the World Trade Center.
Australia's Rabbit Plague
Publication Date: 2017-09-20
Rabbits infested huge swathes of the Australian countryside in the 1940s and 1950s.
Shark Attack Survivor
Publication Date: 2017-09-18
When Rodney Fox survived the jaws of a Great White Shark it inspired him to study them.
The Transatlantic Locust Plague
Publication Date: 2017-09-18
Millions of African locusts invaded the Caribbean having flown 5,000 kilometres non-stop.
Sabra and Shatila - A Massacre in Lebanon
Publication Date: 2017-09-15
A doctor working in Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon recalls the massacre there
The German Schoolboy Arrested for Writing a Letter
Publication Date: 2017-09-14
Karl-Heinz Borchardt was arrested at the age of 18 by East German secret police.
The Hippydilly Squat
Publication Date: 2017-09-13
A group of hippies occupied a sixty-room mansion in central London in September 1969.
The Collapse of Northern Rock
Publication Date: 2017-09-12
Panicked run on bank signals the start of the financial crisis in the UK
Nok Terracottas: Nigeria's Ancient Treasure
Publication Date: 2017-09-11
When West African tin miners unearthed evidence of a lost civilization
France's Last Guillotine
Publication Date: 2017-09-08
The last man to be executed by guillotine in France was a Tunisian, Hamida Djandoubi.
BBC Proms: Audience Member Rescues Concert
Publication Date: 2017-09-06
When the principal singer collapsed, a member of the audience took over his role.
Biosphere 2: Building A New World
Publication Date: 2017-09-06
Eight scientists sealed themselves inside a giant greenhouse for an ambitious experiment.
The Fairy Photos
Publication Date: 2017-09-05
How two girls' photos convinced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that fairies exist.
Jamaica's Worst Train Accident
Publication Date: 2017-09-04
A survivor recalls the Kendal train crash in September 1957 when more than 200 died.
The Funeral of Princess Diana
Publication Date: 2017-09-01
Diana's brother Earl Spencer remembers the emotional speech he made at her funeral.
The Birth of eBay
Publication Date: 2017-08-30
The online auction site first went live in 1995.
George Orwell and Animal Farm
Publication Date: 2017-08-29
Animal Farm was an allegory about the dangers of Soviet communism and of Joseph Stalin.
The Revolutionary Head Scan
Publication Date: 2017-08-28
The summer of 1983 saw a major breakthrough in the treatment of facial deformities.
Notting Hill Race Riot
Publication Date: 2017-08-25
The racial disturbances in west London which shocked Britain in 1958.
The Rostock-Lichtenhagen Riots
Publication Date: 2017-08-24
A home for asylum seekers was set on fire in the German city of Rostock in August 1992
Medicine In World War One
Publication Date: 2017-08-23
Veterans tell the story of how medical care dealt with the horrors of WW1
The Discovery of Botox
Publication Date: 2017-08-22
How an ophthalmologist and a dermatologist discovered that a toxin could stop wrinkles
The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials
Publication Date: 2017-08-21
A German court put Nazi war criminals on trial 20 years after the end of World War Two
Rabindranath Tagore
Publication Date: 2017-08-18
The "Bard of Bengal" died on August the 7th 1941.
The Division of Cyprus
Publication Date: 2017-08-17
In August 1974, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus for a second time cutting the island in two
The Buenos Aires Herald
Publication Date: 2017-08-16
The English-language newspaper was credited with standing up to Argentina's dictatorship.
Nike and the Sweatshop Problem
Publication Date: 2017-08-15
In the 1990s Nike got a bad name after being linked to sweatshops in Asia.
Germany's Nudists
Publication Date: 2017-08-14
How East Germans went naked on the beaches despite official communist party disapproval.
Reagan's Bombing Joke
Publication Date: 2017-08-11
"We begin bombing in five minutes" said the US President in 1984. But he was only joking
Florence Nightingale
Publication Date: 2017-08-10
The "lady with the lamp" died on August 13th 1910.
The Calcutta Killings of 1946
Publication Date: 2017-08-09
Exactly a year before Indian independence there were deadly riots in the city of Calcutta
The Murder of Naji al-Ali
Publication Date: 2017-08-08
The acclaimed Palestinian cartoonist was gunned down in London in 1987
Discovering The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Publication Date: 2017-08-07
Charles Moore recalls how he came across the world's largest floating rubbish dump.
The Camp David Summit
Publication Date: 2017-08-04
In 2000 the US led a major effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
China's Crackdown on Falun Gong
Publication Date: 2017-08-03
In July 1999, the Chinese government banned the spiritual movement Falun Gong
The Birth of the Water Baby
Publication Date: 2017-08-02
In 1977 a state hospital near Paris began quietly changing the way women gave birth.
Surviving the "Auschwitz of the Balkans"
Publication Date: 2017-08-01
Croatian fascists killed Serbs, Jews and Roma people in Jasenovac camp during WW2.
The Death of Evita
Publication Date: 2017-07-31
Remembering Argentina's controversial First Lady Eva Peron, who died on July 26 1952.
Pioneer North Sea Divers
Publication Date: 2017-07-28
In the 1970s, deep sea divers were at the sharp end of the North Sea oil boom
Chiang Kai Shek: The Man Who Lost China
Publication Date: 2017-07-27
The Chinese civil war remembered by the Nationalist leader's former chief aide.
When Homosexuality Was a Crime
Publication Date: 2017-07-26
Hear one man's story of living in fear before 1967 when Britain legalised homosexuality
Khrushchev's Soviet Housing Programme
Publication Date: 2017-07-25
In the 1960s, many Soviet families moved to a flat of their own for the first time.
The Welsh Language Act
Publication Date: 2017-07-24
In July 1967 there was a breakthrough for the Welsh language.
US Psychological Warfare in Vietnam
Publication Date: 2017-07-21
How American military PSYOP teams waged war in Vietnam in the 1960s
The Bonus Army
Publication Date: 2017-07-20
In summer 1932, thousands of American First World War veterans marched on Washington
The Killing of Gianni Versace
Publication Date: 2017-07-19
In July 1997 the Italian fashion designer was shot on the steps of his Florida mansion.
Nintendo's Family Computer
Publication Date: 2017-07-18
The home gaming console was a breakthrough in the world of computer games.
The Mont Blanc Tunnel
Publication Date: 2017-07-17
In July 1965 an 11-km tunnel dug deep beneath the Alps was opened to traffic
The Oka Crisis
Publication Date: 2017-07-14
Indigenous Canadians spent the summer of 1990 in a stand off with police.
Castlemorton Common: Britain's Biggest Illegal Rave
Publication Date: 2017-07-13
In the summer of 1992 thousands of ravers and New Age travellers gathered for a festival.
The Rudolf Nureyev Phenomenon
Publication Date: 2017-07-12
In 1961, one of the world's best ballet dancers, Rudolf Nureyev, defected from the USSR.
The Imprisonment of Irina Ratushinskaya
Publication Date: 2017-07-11
The dissident poet was sentenced to 7 years in a Soviet labour camp.
The Birth of UKIP
Publication Date: 2017-07-10
It was in 1993 that academic Dr Alan Sked started an anti-EU political party.
The First Tamil Suicide Bombing
Publication Date: 2017-07-07
In July 1987 Tamil separatist rebels attacked a Sri Lankan army camp.
The Staffordshire Hoard
Publication Date: 2017-07-06
In 2009, a metal detectorist found the largest ever hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver
No Sex in the USSR
Publication Date: 2017-07-05
Why a Russian woman blurted out "We have no sex in the USSR" on international TV.
Around the World in a Balloon
Publication Date: 2017-07-04
In 2002 Steve Fossett succeeded in flying solo around the world in a hot air balloon.
The Roswell Incident
Publication Date: 2017-07-03
It was probably the most famous ever story of an alien spacecraft - on earth
Euro Disney
Publication Date: 2017-06-29
In 1992 Disney opened its first theme park in Europe.
The Disputed Resort of Taba
Publication Date: 2017-06-29
Israel and Egypt both laid claim for years to the Red Sea resort of Taba
Lonely Planet
Publication Date: 2017-06-28
The travel guide that helped tourists make their way around the world on a budget.
The Hippie Trail
Publication Date: 2017-06-27
In the 1960s and 70s, thousands of westerners travelled to India by overland bus.
The First Budget Flights Across the Atlantic
Publication Date: 2017-06-26
How a small Icelandic company broke the mould in air travel in the 1950s.
Italy's Shame: The Massacre in Ethiopia
Publication Date: 2017-06-23
In 1937 Italian forces occupying Addis Ababa murdered thousands of Ethiopian civilians
The Killing of Vincent Chin
Publication Date: 2017-06-22
The movement sparked by the brutal murder of a Chinese-American by 2 white men.
Persecution of Christians In the Korean War
Publication Date: 2017-06-21
In 1950, tens of thousands of Christians were persecuted during the Korean War.
Body Worlds Exhibition
Publication Date: 2017-06-19
In 1995 Tokyo University staged the first exhibition to feature plastinated human corpses
Italy's 'State-within-a-State'
Publication Date: 2017-06-19
In 1982 Italian banker Roberto Calvi was found dead in London in mysterious circumstances
The Sinking of the Lancastria
Publication Date: 2017-06-16
We hear from one of the last survivors of a forgotten World War Two disaster
Algeria's Berbers
Publication Date: 2017-06-15
In June 2001 hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated for Berber rights in Algiers.
The Woman Who Stopped Equal Rights in America
Publication Date: 2017-06-14
In June 1982 Phyllis Schlafly defeated a law to guarantee gender equality in the US.
The Montserrat Volcano
Publication Date: 2017-06-12
In June 1997 a devastating eruption took place on the Caribbean island of Montserrat
The Six Day War - A Jordanian View
Publication Date: 2017-06-08
Captain Nabih El Suhaimat fought to defend East Jerusalem from the Israelis
The Six Day War - An Israeli View
Publication Date: 2017-06-07
In 1967, Israel captured the whole of Jerusalem on the third day of the Six Day War
The Killing of Robert Kennedy
Publication Date: 2017-06-06
The Democrat Senator and Presidential hopeful died on June 6th 1968 after being shot.
Escape From Slavery
Publication Date: 2017-06-05
The story of the Pakistani boy forced into bonded labour at the age of four.
America's First Female Rabbi
Publication Date: 2017-06-02
In June 1972 Sally Priesand became the first woman to be ordained as a rabbi in the USA.
Rock Concert for Chernobyl
Publication Date: 2017-06-01
In May 1986, a small group of musicians staged the first charity rock concert in the USSR
Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy
Publication Date: 2017-06-01
Actor Barbara Leigh-Hunt on her role in one of the most controversial Hitchcock movies
India's "Mr Sanitation"
Publication Date: 2017-05-30
In 1968 Dr Bindeshwar Pathak began his mission to improve toilet facilities for the poor.
Operation Lifeline: Canada's Refugee Revolution
Publication Date: 2017-05-29
In 1979 Canadians began a revolutionary scheme to aid thousands of Indochinese refugees
Pakistan's First Nuclear Test
Publication Date: 2017-05-26
In May 1998 Pakistan responded to an Indian nuclear test with an explosion of its own
The Killing of Poet Roque Dalton
Publication Date: 2017-05-25
In May 1975 one of Latin America's leading young poets was shot dead in El Salvador.
When Irish Pubs Saved the Economy
Publication Date: 2017-05-24
When Ireland's banks went on strike in 1970, people cashed their cheques in pubs.
The Roma Victims of the Holocaust
Publication Date: 2017-05-23
In 1942, the fascist government of Romania deported its Roma citizens to Transdniestria
Teresa Teng
Publication Date: 2017-05-22
The Taiwanese pop singer who became a superstar in communist China
The Death of Neda Agha Soltan
Publication Date: 2017-05-19
The young woman, killed at a protest in 2009, who became a symbol for opposition in Iran
Alexander Hamilton
Publication Date: 2017-05-18
A Broadway musical has made an 18th century American politician famous once more.
Brown vs The Board of Education
Publication Date: 2017-05-17
In 1954 the US Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional.
Weight Watchers
Publication Date: 2017-05-16
How a New York housewife started a worldwide weight loss business in May 1963.
The George Wallace Assassination Attempt
Publication Date: 2017-05-15
How one of America's most controversial politicians was shot while running for president.
The Trial of Maurice Papon
Publication Date: 2017-05-12
French minister Maurice Papon went on trial for helping the Nazis to deport French Jews
Wine Shock: 'The Judgement of Paris'
Publication Date: 2017-05-11
In 1976, unknown Californian wines beat top French wines in a blind wine tasting in Paris
Americans told 'Eat Less' to Live Longer
Publication Date: 2017-05-10
In 1977 a US government body first warned Americans that their diet was killing them.
The Soviet James Bond
Publication Date: 2017-05-09
In 1973, the most successful TV spy series ever to be broadcast in the USSR, went on air.
Shenzhen - Special Economic Zone
Publication Date: 2017-05-08
In May 1980 Communist China allowed capitalist activity for the first time.
The Invention of Liposuction
Publication Date: 2017-05-05
It was a father and son team of Italian cosmetic surgeons who created liposuction.
Ulrike Meinhof
Publication Date: 2017-05-05
In May 1976 the German left-wing extremist Ulrike Meinhof killed herself in prison.
The French Army Mutiny of 1917
Publication Date: 2017-05-05
After enduring years of slaughter during WW1, French army units finally mutinied
Civil War in Tajikistan
Publication Date: 2017-05-04
In 1992, shortly after the collapse of the USSR, a civil war erupted in Tajikistan.
Magnum Photos
Publication Date: 2017-05-03
The legendary photographic cooperative, Magnum, was founded 70 years ago
Searching For Argentina's Disappeared
Publication Date: 2017-04-28
How the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo challenged Argentina's military rulers.
Bosnia: Rape as a Weapon of War
Publication Date: 2017-04-26
During the Bosnian war of the early 1990's, thousands of women were raped.
When the Syrian Army Withdrew from Lebanon
Publication Date: 2017-04-26
On April 26th 2005, Syrian forces finally pulled out of Lebanon after almost 30 years.
Revolutionary Psychiatrist RD Laing
Publication Date: 2017-04-25
The man who changed the way people thought about mental illness.
Bulgaria's "Revival Process"
Publication Date: 2017-04-24
Bulgaria's brutal policy of forced assimilation against its Turkish minority in the 1980s
The Suzuki Violin Method
Publication Date: 2017-04-21
In post-WW2 Japan, Shinichi Suzuki developed a new method of teaching the violin.
The Hubble Space Telescope
Publication Date: 2017-04-20
When it began sending images back to Nasa they were out of focus - Mike Weiss fixed it
Charlie Chaplin Returns to America from Exile
Publication Date: 2017-04-19
Eugene Chaplin remembers his famous father's love-hate relationship with the USA
The World Festival of Black Arts
Publication Date: 2017-04-18
In April 1966 thousands of African artists and performers gathered in Senegal
How Peru Mistook Missionaries For Drug Traffickers
Publication Date: 2017-04-17
Hear from the American who survived being shot down in his plane over the Amazon jungle
The Takeover of NTV in Russia
Publication Date: 2017-04-14
NTV was the only nationwide independent TV channel in Russia. It was taken over in 2001.
America's 504 Disability Rights Protests
Publication Date: 2017-04-13
In April 1977, US disabled activists occupied a government building for nearly a month.
UK Sikhs Fight For Religious Rights
Publication Date: 2017-04-12
In 1969 Sikh bus drivers in Wolverhampton won the right to wear turbans on duty.
The Katyn Massacre
Publication Date: 2017-04-11
Tens of thousands of Polish officers were executed in the USSR during World War 2.
Ethiopia's Red Terror
Publication Date: 2017-04-10
In the 1970s Ethiopia's military regime launched a brutal campaign of repression
Egypt's Facebook Girl
Publication Date: 2017-04-07
Israa Abd El Fattah was one of the first Egyptian activists to use Facebook for protests.
The USA Enters World War One
Publication Date: 2017-04-06
America declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917
Princess Diana's Handshake with Aids Patient
Publication Date: 2017-04-05
In April 1987 Princess Diana opened the UK's first purpose built HIV Aids unit
The Nagorno-Karabakh war
Publication Date: 2017-04-04
One man whose family were made refugees during the Nagorno-Karabakh war tells their story
The Jane Fonda Workout
Publication Date: 2017-04-03
In April 1982 the film star Jane Fonda launched her first workout video.
The Collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf
Publication Date: 2017-03-31
Glaciologist Pedro Svarka recalls the massive ice shelf tumbling into the Antarctic seas.
Teletubbies
Publication Date: 2017-03-30
In March 1997 the BBC launched one of the most successful children's TV programmes ever.
Anthrax Leak in the Soviet Union
Publication Date: 2017-03-29
In 1979, an outbreak of anthrax poisoning caused dozens of deaths in the Soviet Union.
The Flavr Savr Tomato - The World's First Genetically Engineered Food
Publication Date: 2017-03-28
In 1994 the world's first genetically engineered food went on sale. It was a tomato.
The Murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero
Publication Date: 2017-03-27
The outspoken cleric from El Salvador killed at the altar by a right-wing death squad.
The Death of King Faisal
Publication Date: 2017-03-24
King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was assassinated by his nephew in March 1975
Ayn Rand
Publication Date: 2017-03-23
The Russian-American philosopher whose novels praising capitalism sold in the millions.
Mass Deportations From Soviet Estonia
Publication Date: 2017-03-22
In 1949, Moscow arranged the deportation of tens of thousands of Estonians to Siberia.
Submarine Warfare in WW1
Publication Date: 2017-03-21
The underwater vessels were first used widely in the First World War
An Assassination in Colombia
Publication Date: 2017-03-20
The murder of left-wing opposition politician Bernardo Jaramillo in March 1990.
Kolkata Sex Workers.
Publication Date: 2017-03-17
In March 2001 thousands of Indian prostitutes united to fight for their rights.
The Germans Occupy Prague
Publication Date: 2017-03-16
In March 1939, German troops occupied Prague; hear the story of one young boy who escaped
The Russian Empire in Colour
Publication Date: 2017-03-15
Photographer Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii took the first colour photographs of Russia
The First Russian Revolution of 1917
Publication Date: 2017-03-14
In March 1917 Tsar Nicholas II abdicated ending centuries of autocratic rule in Russia
The Aids Patient Zero Myth
Publication Date: 2017-03-13
How one man was mistakenly identified as the "Patient Zero" of the Aids epidemic
The Hanafi Hostage Siege in Washington DC
Publication Date: 2017-03-10
In March 1977 a group of American Muslims took over 100 people hostage in the US.
Georgia O'Keeffe
Publication Date: 2017-03-09
One of the world's most famous female artists died in March 1986.
Mexico Slashes Car Use
Publication Date: 2017-03-08
How Mexico City's bold plan helped reduce dangerously high pollution levels.
Kuwaiti Women Secure the Vote
Publication Date: 2017-03-07
In 2005 an unprecedented protest by Kuwaiti women won a historic change
WW1: The Two Women of Pervyse
Publication Date: 2017-03-06
The story of two British nurses who set up a first aid station on the Western Front
The Decapitation of the Little Mermaid
Publication Date: 2017-03-03
In 1998 someone vandalised the most famous statue in Denmark.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Publication Date: 2017-03-03
America's longest-serving First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt
The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
Publication Date: 2017-03-02
Cells taken from an African American woman in 1951 revolutionised medical science
Mother Teresa - The Nun Who Became A Saint
Publication Date: 2017-02-28
In March 1997 Mother Teresa retired from her charity work in India.
Obesity
Publication Date: 2017-02-28
In 1997 obesity was first recognised as a global problem by the World Health Organisation
The Origin of Nollywood
Publication Date: 2017-02-27
The story of the 1992 film which launched Nigeria's hugely successful movie industry
Bulgarian Nurses on Trial in Libya
Publication Date: 2017-02-23
Valya Chervenyashka was accused of mass murder and tortured in a Libyan jail.
The German American Bund
Publication Date: 2017-02-22
In the 1930s, American Nazi sympathisers held rallies and summer camps across the US.
The Lost Manuscript of Huckleberry Finn
Publication Date: 2017-02-21
In 1990, the manuscript of Mark Twain's classic novel was found in an attic in Hollywood.
The Trial of Slobodan Milosevic
Publication Date: 2017-02-18
The former Serbian President went on trial for war crimes in 2002. Hear from his lawyers.
The Silver Ring Thing
Publication Date: 2017-02-17
In 1995 a US campaign started encouraging teenagers not to have sex before marriage
Uganda's War on Homosexuality
Publication Date: 2017-02-15
In 2006 a Ugandan newspaper began printing the names of professionals believed to be gay.
Italy votes for divorce
Publication Date: 2017-02-15
In May 1974, Italians defied the Catholic Church and voted overwhelmingly for divorce.
The Birth of Speed Dating
Publication Date: 2017-02-14
In 1998, a Los Angeles rabbi came up with a new way for single people to meet each other.
The Conman Who Married His Victims
Publication Date: 2017-02-13
When Giovanni Vigliotto went on trial he said he'd married more than a hundred women.
Sanctuary Cities in the USA
Publication Date: 2017-02-10
How American cities like San Francisco became safe havens for undocumented immigrants
The True Story of Whisky Galore
Publication Date: 2017-02-09
How a ship laden with bottles of whisky was wrecked off the Scottish Hebrides
Kenya's Hit Record: Jambo Bwana
Publication Date: 2017-02-08
The story of a 1980 Kenyan pop song which became an unlikely global hit.
The Killer Whale that Killed
Publication Date: 2017-02-06
In February 1991, the captive orca, Tilikum, drowned his trainer, Keltie Byrne in Canada.
Rosalind Franklin DNA Pioneer
Publication Date: 2017-02-06
The scientist produced an x-ray photograph in 1951 that helped show the structure of DNA
1995 Peru-Ecuador Border War
Publication Date: 2017-02-03
A former Peruvian army officer recalls the last war between Latin American neighbours.
The End of Apartheid
Publication Date: 2017-02-02
In February 1990 the South African president announced the dismantling of apartheid
Battle of Mogadishu: Black Hawk Down
Publication Date: 2017-02-01
In 1993, US forces launched a disastrous raid against the Somali warlord, General Aideed
Crossing Antarctica Alone
Publication Date: 2017-01-31
Norwegian polar explorer Borge Ousland was the first person to cross Antarctica alone.
Sexual Harassment in India
Publication Date: 2017-01-30
The first time a case of sexual harassment came to court in India.
Desert Island Discs at 75
Publication Date: 2017-01-27
The story of the BBC's longest-running radio programme.
The 'Aboriginal Tent Embassy'
Publication Date: 2017-01-26
On 26 January 1972 four Aboriginal men began a protest about land rights in Australia
Roald Dahl's Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
Publication Date: 2017-01-25
Roald Dahl's book, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, was published in January 1964
The Atocha Lawyers Massacre in Spain
Publication Date: 2017-01-24
In early 1977 far-right gunmen killed five people at a law firm in Atocha Street, Madrid
Microwave Ovens
Publication Date: 2017-01-23
Microwave ovens for domestic kitchens first became widely available in 1967.
Dungeons and Dragons
Publication Date: 2017-01-20
The fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons launched in January 1974.
Roots - The TV Series
Publication Date: 2017-01-19
The epic mini-series about slavery in the USA hit TV screens in January 1977
Dadaab: The World's Largest Refugee Camp
Publication Date: 2017-01-18
How one young woman fled war in Somalia to grow up in Kenya's massive refugee camp
The Murder of Journalist Hrant Dink
Publication Date: 2017-01-17
The Turkish Armenian journalist was shot dead in January 2007 in front of his office.
The End of El Salvador's Civil War
Publication Date: 2017-01-16
A former Salvadoran guerrilla fighter talks about her experience of war and peace.
US Presidential Transitions
Publication Date: 2017-01-13
What exactly goes on during the months between election and inauguration?
Princess Diana's Minefield Walk
Publication Date: 2017-01-12
How Britain's most famous Royal brought the danger landmines to the world's attention.
Death in the Amazon
Publication Date: 2017-01-11
Auca tribesmen killed five American missionaries in the jungle in January 1956.
Chicago's Police Torture
Publication Date: 2017-01-11
A victim of abuse at the hands of the Chicago police tells his story.
The Zimmermann Telegram
Publication Date: 2017-01-10
How British code-breakers exposed a German plot against the United States in 1917
Turkey's Headscarf Row
Publication Date: 2017-01-09
In 1999 a Turkish woman MP appeared in parliament wearing a headscarf. It caused uproar.
Albania's Economic Chaos
Publication Date: 2017-01-05
How the collapse of 'pyramid' investment schemes caused riots in Albania in 1977
Charter 77
Publication Date: 2017-01-04
In January 1977 an opposition movement began in Soviet-era Czechoslovakia.
Vietnam War: The Cu Chi Tunnels
Publication Date: 2017-01-03
A Vietnamese war veteran on life in the Viet Cong's tunnel network in South Vietnam
Russia's 'Dog Man'
Publication Date: 2016-12-30
How conceptual artist Oleg Kulik posed as a dog, attacking passers-by in Moscow.
The Launch of Vogue Russia
Publication Date: 2016-12-28
Aliona Doletskaya remembers starting post Soviet-Russia's biggest glossy fashion magazine
The Nuclear Legacy
Publication Date: 2016-12-28
The story of how the world was made safe from the former Soviet Union's nuclear legacy
Georgia In Crisis
Publication Date: 2016-12-27
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Georgia found itself on the verge of civil war.
The Break-Up of the Soviet Union
Publication Date: 2016-12-26
Hear from two of the key players who brought to an end over 70 years of communism
Apollo 8
Publication Date: 2016-12-23
How the first mission around the Moon captured the world's imagination at Christmas 1968
Samuel Beckett
Publication Date: 2016-12-22
The great Irish playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett died on 22nd December 1989
Turkey-Greece Island Dispute
Publication Date: 2016-12-21
How Greece and Turkey almost came to war over a tiny rocky island in the Aegean sea.
Derek Jarman
Publication Date: 2016-12-20
The experimental film-maker made his first feature film 'Sebastiane' in 1976.
Death of an Anarchist
Publication Date: 2016-12-19
Giuseppe Pinelli was an Italian anarchist who died in police custody - but why?
The First Latin American 'Telenovela'
Publication Date: 2016-12-16
Brazil's Vida Alves starred in the first ever Latin American soap opera in December 1951.
Cot Death
Publication Date: 2016-12-15
The 'Back to Sleep' campaign was launched in 1991 to prevent babies dying in their cots
The Hindu 'Milk Miracle'
Publication Date: 2016-12-14
Millions of Hindus were gripped by reports of their God, Ganesha, 'drinking' milk.
Sara Ginaite Lithuanian Jewish Partisan
Publication Date: 2016-12-13
A young Jewish woman escaped from the Kaunas Ghetto in Lithuania to fight the Nazis.
Yoyes - Woman leader of ETA
Publication Date: 2016-12-12
The life and tragic death of the first woman leader of the Basque separatist group ETA.
Fighting for Rural Women in South Africa
Publication Date: 2016-12-09
Sizani Ngubane set up the Rural Women's Movement in South Africa in the 1990s
Recreating Down Syndrome in Mice
Publication Date: 2016-12-08
Scientist Elizabeth Fisher created a new strain of mouse to help understand Down Syndrome
Wangari Maathai Wins Nobel Prize
Publication Date: 2016-12-07
In 2004, the Kenyan ecologist became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize
Soviet Woman Bomber Pilot
Publication Date: 2016-12-06
Yelena Malyutina was a Soviet female bomber pilot who fought in WW2.
Colombia's 'Lost City'
Publication Date: 2016-12-05
In 1976, archaeologists found the ruins of a huge indigenous settlement hidden in forest
Digging up the Truth
Publication Date: 2016-12-05
Mercedes Doretti has spent her life uncovering mass graves around the world.
Bob Marley Survives Assassination Attempt
Publication Date: 2016-12-02
In December 1976 gunmen tried to kill the legendary reggae singer at his home in Jamaica.
India's City of the Future: Chandigarh
Publication Date: 2016-11-30
World famous architect Le Corbusier built a city to revive Indian pride after Partition.
Car Safety and Ralph Nader
Publication Date: 2016-11-29
In the early 1960s there were virtually no laws covering car safety in the USA.
The Assassination of the Mirabal Sisters
Publication Date: 2016-11-27
3 sisters in the Dominican Republic were beaten to death on the orders of the dictator
The 1948 French Miners' Strike
Publication Date: 2016-11-25
How coal miners in France went from post-war heroes to pariahs
The Silk Letters Movement
Publication Date: 2016-11-24
In 1916 the authorities in India uncovered plans to overthrow British rule
Saving Orphaned African Elephants
Publication Date: 2016-11-23
How a Kenyan woman, Dame Daphne Sheldrick, first raised orphaned baby African elephants
Plane spotters arrested in Greece
Publication Date: 2016-11-22
In Nov 2001 a group of British tourists was arrested in Greece and charged with spying.
The Musical Cabaret
Publication Date: 2016-11-21
Director Hal Prince remembers the hit musical opening on Broadway in November 1966
Smuggling Endangered Birds
Publication Date: 2016-11-18
In Nov 1996 leading ornithologist Tony Silva was convicted of smuggling endangered birds.
The Madagascar Palace Fire
Publication Date: 2016-11-17
In 1995 one of Madagascar's most historic sites was destroyed by fire
East Timor Massacre
Publication Date: 2016-11-16
In November 1991 Indonesian troops opened fire on independence activists in Dili.
The Burning of the Satanic Verses
Publication Date: 2016-11-15
The publication of Salman Rushdie's book outraged many Muslims around the world
The James Bond Theme Tune
Publication Date: 2016-11-13
In 1962 Monty Norman wrote the music for the first James Bond film, Dr No.
Kurdish Singer Ahmet Kaya
Publication Date: 2016-11-11
The widow of the famous folk singer recalls the night that changed her husband's life.
Rolling Stone Magazine
Publication Date: 2016-11-10
Writer and musician Michael Lydon recalls the birth of an iconic magazine.
The First Loebner Prize
Publication Date: 2016-11-07
On 8 November 1991, a competition which judged artificial intelligence was held.
The Pitcairn Sex Abuse Trial
Publication Date: 2016-11-07
In 2004 a child sex abuse trial on a remote island in the Pacific shocked the world.
War Photographer, Dickey Chapelle
Publication Date: 2016-11-04
Photographer Dickey Chapelle was the first woman war reporter to be killed in Vietnam
Octavio Paz
Publication Date: 2016-11-03
In October 1990 the Mexican poet and essayist was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution
Publication Date: 2016-11-02
A former communist Red Guard recalls his role in China's Cultural Revolution.
A Black GI in China
Publication Date: 2016-11-01
How an African American soldier captured in the Korean war, decided to settle in China
Harry Houdini
Publication Date: 2016-10-31
How a performance in London made the reputation of the world's greatest escape artist
The Abduction of Mehdi Ben Barka
Publication Date: 2016-10-28
In 1965 French agents helped kidnap and disappear the Moroccan dissident in Paris
The Big Bang
Publication Date: 2016-10-27
In 1986 London's Stock Exchange underwent one of the biggest shake-ups in its history.
The Hungarian Uprising
Publication Date: 2016-10-26
In October 1956 Hungarians took to the streets of Budapest to protest at Soviet rule.
Shell Shock
Publication Date: 2016-10-25
Veterans talk about their experience of 'shell shock' in recordings from the BBC archive
Marvel Comics and 'The Fantastic Four'
Publication Date: 2016-10-24
In 1961 a new generation of comic-book super heroes was launched in the US
The Aberfan Disaster
Publication Date: 2016-10-21
On 21st October 1966, tragedy struck a village in Wales when a landslide crushed a school
Marcel Duchamp and His Fountain
Publication Date: 2016-10-20
The story of the great French conceptualist artist Marcel Duchamp and his art
The Mau Mau Rebellion
Publication Date: 2016-10-18
During the 1950s in Kenya, rebels known as the Mau Mau were fighting a bitter battle against colonial rule. Thousands of rebels were taken captive an...
Father Charles Coughlin - America's First Radio Priest
Publication Date: 2016-10-17
In the 1930s, a controversial Catholic priest called Father Charles Coughlin had a weekly radio programme with millions of listeners in the United Sta...
Bugging the US Embassy in Moscow
Publication Date: 2016-10-16
In the mid 1980s the US discovered that the Soviets had hidden listening devices deep inside the walls of its new embassy building in Moscow, while it...
The Hoover Free Flights Promotion
Publication Date: 2016-10-13
In 1992 the vacuum cleaner manufacturer Hoover began offering free flights to British customers with every appliance they bought. The promotional cam...
The Last Day of Lebanon's Civil War
Publication Date: 2016-10-12
On October 13th 1990, the Syrian airforce forced their most outspoken opponent in Lebanon, General Michel Aoun, to take refuge in the French embassy i...
Chile Votes Against Pinochet
Publication Date: 2016-10-11
In October 1988 Chile held an unprecedented referendum on whether the country's ruler, General Augusto Pinochet, should remain in power. A majority of...
The Spanish Influenza Pandemic
Publication Date: 2016-10-10
In 1918, more than fifty million people died in an outbreak of flu, which spread all over the world in the wake of the first World War. We hear eye-wi...
Irina Ratushinskaya
Publication Date: 2016-10-09
On 9 October 1986 the dissident poet was released from a prison camp on the eve of a US-Soviet nuclear summit between Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Rea...
Good Vibrations
Publication Date: 2016-10-06
In October 1966, California pop group the Beach Boys released their "pocket symphony" Good Vibrations. It's regularly named as one of the best pop s...
Exposing Child Abuse in the Catholic Church
Publication Date: 2016-10-05
In 1994, a TV programme broadcast in Northern Ireland lifted the lid on child sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Rape help lines in Belfast and in the ...
Thai University Massacre
Publication Date: 2016-10-04
On October 6th 1976 Thai security forces opened fire on student demonstrators in Bangkok. Dozens of students were killed and thousands were arrested....
The Poisoned Painkiller
Publication Date: 2016-10-03
In October 1982 seven people in the US died after taking, Tylenol, a painkiller which had been deliberately contaminated with cyanide. Claire Bowes ha...
The Founding of Mensa
Publication Date: 2016-10-02
In 1946, Roland Berrill and Lancelot Ware were travelling on a train when they sparked up a conversation about intelligence testing. That chance encou...
Sir Stanley Spencer
Publication Date: 2016-09-29
In 1926 Stanley Spencer, one of the most admired British painters of the twentieth century, began work on an ambitious project in the village of Burgh...
The Mayak Nuclear Disaster
Publication Date: 2016-09-28
On September 29th 1957 there was a major accident at a secret nuclear facility in the Soviet Union. Dozens of workers died and a huge cloud of radioac...
The Attica Prison Rebellion
Publication Date: 2016-09-27
In 1971 inmates at Attica maximum security facility in New York State rioted and seized control of the jail, taking guards hostage. When negotiations ...
South Africa's 1985 State of Emergency
Publication Date: 2016-09-26
In the dying years of the Apartheid regime, the white minority government in South Africa was desperate to keep control as people took to the streets ...
Outback Internment
Publication Date: 2016-09-25
During WWII some Germans and Austrians classed as 'enemy aliens' by the British were sent halfway across the world to be interned in prison camps in t...
The Curious Story of Mary Toft
Publication Date: 2016-09-22
In September 1726, a Surrey woman called Mary Toft claimed to be giving birth to rabbits. The case became a sensation which gripped Georgian England -...
The First Legal 'Physician-Assisted Suicide'
Publication Date: 2016-09-21
On September 22nd 1996, an Australian doctor called Phillip Nitschke, helped cancer sufferer Bob Dent, to die. He had connected a computer to a syrin...
Domestic Violence in Brazil
Publication Date: 2016-09-20
In September 2006 ground-breaking legislation came into effect in Brazil that for the first time recognised different forms of domestic violence. The ...
Voting Against the War on Terror
Publication Date: 2016-09-19
Just three days after the 9/11 attacks on America, Congress gave the President the power to order military action against any person, organisation or ...
The West Australian Gold Rush
Publication Date: 2016-09-18
On 17 September 1892 gold was discovered in Coolgardie in Western Australia. It was not the first find but it was the biggest, and the one which began...
The Capture of Abimael Guzman
Publication Date: 2016-09-15
In September 1992 security forces in Peru tracked down and arrested the leader of the Maoist rebels, Sendero Luminoso, or Shining Path. Abimael Guzman...
The First Tanks
Publication Date: 2016-09-14
September 15th, 1916 was the date that tanks were first used in warfare. They were driven by British soldiers fighting against German troops during t...
Anthrax Attacks
Publication Date: 2016-09-13
One week after the 9/11 attacks, a series of letters were sent to journalists and politicians in the USA. They contained the deadly biological agent A...
The Great Fire of Smyrna
Publication Date: 2016-09-12
Smyrna on Turkey's Aegean coast was one of the richest cities in the Ottoman Empire. It had a diverse mix of peoples and religions - Greeks, Turks, Ar...
The Lascaux Caves
Publication Date: 2016-09-11
On September 12th 1940 a group of French schoolboys discovered the Lascaux caves with their palaeolithic cave paintings in the Vézère Valley in south-...
Estonia's Bootleg Vodka Poisoning
Publication Date: 2016-09-08
In September 2001, 68 people died after a massive outbreak of alcohol poisoning in Parnu, Estonia. Rachael Gillman has been speaking to Dr. Raido Paas...
How Europe Won Over The British Left
Publication Date: 2016-09-07
In September 1988, Jacques Delors, the President of the European Commission convinced British trade unionists to support Europe. For years many on th...
Star Trek - The Early Years
Publication Date: 2016-09-06
On 8 September 1966 the cult American science fiction series first went on air. It was not an immediate hit with audiences. Herb Solow, the original p...
Remembering Chairman Mao
Publication Date: 2016-09-05
On September 9th 1976 the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong died. American Sidney Rittenberg first met him in the 1940s and he spent decades living...
Italy's Partisan Fighters
Publication Date: 2016-09-04
In September 1943, Partisan fighters in Italy began organising in large numbers to help the Allies defeat Nazi Germany and rid their country of the re...
The Day Sweden Turned Right
Publication Date: 2016-09-01
On September 3rd 1967 all Swedish drivers had to change the habits of decades, and swap to driving on the right-hand side of the road. It brought the...
The Mexican American War
Publication Date: 2016-08-31
In September 1847 American soldiers marched triumphantly into Mexico City. It was the end of a bloody conflict between the two nations, but the start ...
The Last Case of Smallpox in the UK
Publication Date: 2016-08-30
In the summer of 1978 a British woman, Janet Parker, became the last known victim of the deadly virus smallpox. Professor Alasdair Geddes describes di...
The Fall of Bukhara
Publication Date: 2016-08-29
In 1920, the Communist Red Army bombed the old city of Bukhara and took over the Central Asian kingdom. This was the end of an important centre of Isl...
Burning Man
Publication Date: 2016-08-28
This week more than seventy thousand people are gathering in the middle of the desert in Nevada for Burning Man - part festival, part counter-culture ...
Fania All Stars - Legends of Salsa
Publication Date: 2016-08-25
In August 1973, a Latin music supergroup called Fania All Stars played a historic concert at New York's Yankee Stadium. It helped spread the sound of ...
Helmand Convoy
Publication Date: 2016-08-24
In August 2008 a massive military convoy set off across the desert in Helmand carrying a gigantic turbine for a hydro electric power station. Eight y...
The Dance Theatre of Harlem
Publication Date: 2016-08-23
In August 1969, Arthur Mitchell founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem - the first classical ballet company to focus on black dancers. Virginia Johnson, ...
The Stockholm Syndrome
Publication Date: 2016-08-22
In August 1973 Kristin Enmark and three colleagues were taken hostage during a bank siege in Stockholm, Sweden. Kristin came to trust one of the kidna...
The "Don't Die of Ignorance" Aids Campaign
Publication Date: 2016-08-21
In 1986 the British government launched the world's first ever public health campaign on Hiv Aids. It was highly controversial and faced considerable ...
John Muir and America's Wild Places
Publication Date: 2016-08-18
In August 1916, the US Congress created the National Park Service to protect America's finest landscapes and encourage people to visit them. One of th...
Conflict over a Tree in the DMZ
Publication Date: 2016-08-17
On August 18 1976 an American platoon was sent into the DMZ between North and South Korea, to trim a tree that was obscuring the view of a manned chec...
Studio Ghibli - Japanese Animation
Publication Date: 2016-08-16
In August 1986 the first Studio Ghibli film hit the cinema screens. It would go on to bring Japanese animation to a world audience. Hirokatsu Kihara ...
Bibles in US Schools
Publication Date: 2016-08-15
In 1963 a third of schools in the US had to change their rules on Bible reading after a Supreme Court decision. It all began when a teenager refused t...
The murder of Federico Garcia Lorca
Publication Date: 2016-08-14
In August 1936, the great poet and dramatist, Federico Garcia Lorca, was murdered by a fascist death squad at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. ...
The Kray Gang
Publication Date: 2016-08-11
In August 1982 the notorious London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray were allowed out of prison for their mother's funeral. Though the Kray twins were...
Fleeing Deportation to the USSR
Publication Date: 2016-08-10
At the end of WW2, hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens who had ended up outside the USSR, escaped forced repatriation by the Red Army. Dina Newma...
The Nairobi Embassy Bombing
Publication Date: 2016-08-09
In 1998, al-Qaeda killed over 200 people in a co-ordinated attack on two US embassies in East Africa. It was one of the first major bombings carried o...
The Excavation of Masada
Publication Date: 2016-08-08
In August 1963, work started on the excavation of one of Israel's most important archaeological sites - Masada by the Dead Sea, site of a famous mass ...
The Twin Towers High-Wire Walk
Publication Date: 2016-08-07
On August 7 1974, New Yorkers woke to the amazing sight of a figure walking on a cable strung between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre. H...
American Air Traffic Controllers' Strike
Publication Date: 2016-08-04
In August 1981 over 11,000 air traffic controllers were fired after two days on strike.
Lebanon's Baalbek Festival
Publication Date: 2016-08-03
The Middle East's oldest arts festival, in Baalbek in Lebanon, started 60 years ago
The Reclusive JD Salinger
Publication Date: 2016-08-02
It's 65 years since JD Salinger's classic novel The Catcher in the Rye was published
Jacqueline Du Pre
Publication Date: 2016-08-01
Jacqueline Du Pre makes one of the most famous classical recordings of the 20th Century
The University of Texas Shooting
Publication Date: 2016-07-31
In August 1966 14 people were shot dead in America's first mass shooting at a university
Spying for America in Russia
Publication Date: 2016-07-28
The story of Russian spy Alexandr Ogorodnik and his CIA handler, Marti Peterson.
The Tangshan Earthquake
Publication Date: 2016-07-27
In 1976, one of the deadliest earthquakes in history hit the city of Tangshan in China
Meeting Picasso
Publication Date: 2016-07-26
In the summer of 1951 art historian John Richardson met Pablo Picasso for the first time.
The First CIA Coup in Latin America
Publication Date: 2016-07-25
In 1954 CIA-backed officers overthrew Guatemala's elected government.
Race Riots in Liverpool
Publication Date: 2016-07-24
In 1981 police used CS gas for the first time in mainland Britain to control race riots
The Beilis Case: an Anti-Jewish Trial
Publication Date: 2016-07-21
In 1913, a Russian Jew, Mendel Beilis, was falsely accused of a murder.
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Publication Date: 2016-07-20
In 1958 the Nigerian writer published his first book, revolutionising African literature.
The Death of Bruce Lee
Publication Date: 2016-07-19
The film star and martial arts legend died suddenly in Hong Kong in 1973.
Medicare
Publication Date: 2016-07-17
In July 1966, the US government health insurance programme Medicare came into force.
Dutch Elm Disease
Publication Date: 2016-07-14
In the 1970s Dutch Elm disease killed millions of Elm trees in England, France and the US
1916: Central Asia Rebels Against the Russian Empire
Publication Date: 2016-07-13
In 1916, Muslims in Central Asia rose up against Russian imperial rule.
Child refugees from the Spanish Civil War
Publication Date: 2016-07-12
In 1937, Britain took in 4000 Basque children at the height of fighting in northern Spain
The Nestle Boycott
Publication Date: 2016-07-11
In July 1977 US campaigners launched a boycott against Nestle over the sale of baby milk.
The Mumbai Train Bombings
Publication Date: 2016-07-10
In July 2006, seven coordinated explosions tore through packed commuter trains in Mumbai.
War in Slovenia
Publication Date: 2016-07-07
In 1991, Yugoslav army tanks moved into Slovenia to try to stop it becoming independent
Executions in Cuba
Publication Date: 2016-07-06
In July 1989 four Cuban army officers were convicted of drug trafficking and executed.
The Sale of London Bridge
Publication Date: 2016-07-05
In July of 1967 London Bridge put up for sale. American Robert P McCulloch bought it
Denmark's 2nd EU Referendum
Publication Date: 2016-07-04
In 1993 Denmark held a 2nd referendum on greater EU integration after the 1st vote failed
Born on the Fourth of July
Publication Date: 2016-07-03
Ron Kovic is a former US Marine turned peace activist whose story became a Hollywood film
Ukraine's Wartime Ultra-Nationalists
Publication Date: 2016-06-29
In 1941, far-right Ukrainians declared independence, hoping for Hitler's support.
The Great Plague
Publication Date: 2016-06-28
In the summer of 1665, London was gripped by one of the worst epidemics in its history
The Cuyahoga River Fire
Publication Date: 2016-06-27
In June 1969 the heavily polluted Cuyahoga River, in Ohio in the USA, caught fire
Forced Sterilisation in Peru
Publication Date: 2016-06-26
In the 1990s more than 280,000 women were sterilised in Peru, many against their will.
The Khobar Towers Bombing - Saudi Arabia
Publication Date: 2016-06-23
On June 25th 1996 a huge truck bomb was planted at a US housing complex in Saudi Arabia.
The Bobbitt Story
Publication Date: 2016-06-22
On 23 June 1993 a young wife cut off her husband's penis in a frenzied attack
Space Crash
Publication Date: 2016-06-21
Michael Foale was on board the Mir space station when a resupply vessel crashed into it.
Black in the USSR
Publication Date: 2016-06-19
Robert Robinson, a black American engineer, spent 43 years in the USSR against his will.
The Fall of Paris
Publication Date: 2016-06-16
In June 1940, most of the residents of Paris fled as German soldiers occupied the city
Smoking and Lung Cancer
Publication Date: 2016-06-15
It was not until the 1950s that the link was proven between cigarettes and lung cancer
The Eruption of Mount Pinatubo
Publication Date: 2016-06-14
In 1991 one of the largest volcanic eruptions of recent times occurred in the Philippines
Moral Majority
Publication Date: 2016-06-13
In June 1979 the Moral Majority was launched and changed the course of American politics
When TV Came to Bhutan
Publication Date: 2016-06-12
In June 1999 the tiny Himalayan kingdom broadcast its first TV programme
The Battle for Mixed Race Marriage in the US
Publication Date: 2016-06-09
How a white man and a black woman won the right to marry in America in the 1960s
Iraq's Secret Nuclear Programme
Publication Date: 2016-06-08
In 1981 Israel destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor; it began Iraq's secret nuclear programme
Restoring 'The Last Supper'
Publication Date: 2016-06-07
In 1999 Italian art experts completed an ambitious restoration of da Vinci's masterpiece.
Ritalin
Publication Date: 2016-06-06
The drug Ritalin was developed in the 1940s - it's now used to treat ADHD.
The Arrest of James Earl Ray
Publication Date: 2016-06-05
How the man convicted for killing Martin Luther King was detained in London in June 1968.
Date Rape
Publication Date: 2016-06-02
In 1991 Katie Koestner went public with her experience of date rape and divided America.
Tanzania's Ujamaa policy
Publication Date: 2016-06-01
In the late 1960s Tanzania experimented with a new form of socialism called Ujamaa.
Concordski Plane Crash
Publication Date: 2016-05-31
In June 1973 Russia's supersonic rival to Concorde crashed at the Paris Air Show
Karakoram Highway
Publication Date: 2016-05-30
In 1979 the Karakoram Highway between Pakistan and China was opened to the public
The Assassination of Trujillo
Publication Date: 2016-05-29
On May 30th 1961 Rafael Trujillo, the dictator in the Dominican Republic, was shot dead.
The Thalidomide Trial
Publication Date: 2016-05-26
In May 1968, executives of the German company that made the drug thalidomide go on trial
Yeltsin And The Chechen Rebels
Publication Date: 2016-05-25
In 1996, a Chechen rebel delegation negotiated peace with Russia's President Yeltsin.
The Israeli Airlift of Ethiopian Jews
Publication Date: 2016-05-24
In 1991 14000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel during Operation Solomon
Hands Across America
Publication Date: 2016-05-23
The day millions of Americans formed a human chain to try to end poverty and homelessness
The Execution of Anne Boleyn
Publication Date: 2016-05-22
In May 1536 the Queen of England was executed on the orders of her husband, Henry VIII
Kia Ora: Maori Rights Breakthrough in New Zealand
Publication Date: 2016-05-19
Telephone operator Naida Glavish became known for saying good morning to callers in Maori
Dien Bien Phu
Publication Date: 2016-05-18
The French surrender at the siege of Dien Bien Phu ended their colonial rule of Vietnam
Marcus Garvey
Publication Date: 2016-05-16
In 1916 Marcus Garvey arrived in the US urging black people to unite in a new nation.
Citizen Kane
Publication Date: 2016-05-15
Archive interviews with Orson Welles about one of the greatest films of all time
The Pope in Syria - 2001
Publication Date: 2016-05-11
In May 2001 Pope John Paul the Second made a historic visit to Syria
Kim Philby: The Third Man
Publication Date: 2016-05-10
In May 1988, the death was announced in Moscow of the English spy Kim Philby.
Escape from the South Atlantic
Publication Date: 2016-05-09
In the spring of 1982 Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falkland Islands.
The Imaginary War Heroes
Publication Date: 2016-05-08
During World War Two, Soviet propaganda promoted a heroic feat that never happened.
Hitler's Nuclear Programme
Publication Date: 2016-05-05
Nazi Germany had a nuclear programme, which could have given Hitler an atomic bomb
The Belfast Blitz
Publication Date: 2016-05-04
In 1941, Belfast in Northern Ireland was devastated by German bombing
Ernest Hemingway in Cuba
Publication Date: 2016-05-03
Alberto Ramos remembers his time working for the great American novelist in Cuba.
U2 Spy Plane
Publication Date: 2016-05-02
In May 1960 Gary Powers was taken captive by the Soviets when his spy plane was shot down
The Salem Witches
Publication Date: 2016-05-01
In 1692 nineteen men and women were convicted of witchcraft and executed in America.
The Creation of the Mini
Publication Date: 2016-04-28
In 1959 the British Motoring Corporation unveiled a very small new family car - the Mini
The McCarthy Era
Publication Date: 2016-04-27
In spring 1950, an American academic was wrongly named as the main Soviet agent in the US
The Funeral of Charles Darwin
Publication Date: 2016-04-26
The great English naturalist Charles Darwin is buried at Westminster Abbey in April 1882
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Publication Date: 2016-04-25
In April 1986 a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine
Yves Saint Laurent and Morocco
Publication Date: 2016-04-24
In 1966 the great French fashion designer went to Morocco for the first time
Shakespeare's Jubilee
Publication Date: 2016-04-21
How actor David Garrick organised the first national celebration of Shakespeare in 1769
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Publication Date: 2016-04-20
An industrial disaster in New York in 1911 led to huge social reforms.
Fighting for Castro at the Bay of Pigs
Publication Date: 2016-04-19
A member of Cuba's communist militia recalls battling US-backed invaders in April 1961
The Harrier in the Falklands War
Publication Date: 2016-04-18
A Harrier pilot remembers the air battle over the Falklands in 1982
Haile Selassie In Jamaica
Publication Date: 2016-04-17
On 21 April 1966 Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia arrived in Jamaica
The Spanish Republic
Publication Date: 2016-04-14
How writers and artists campaigned to bring culture to every corner of 1930s Spain
Executed for Being Too Capitalist
Publication Date: 2016-04-13
In 1961, in Soviet Central Asia, 21 managers were executed for using capitalist methods.
The Amritsar Massacre of 1919
Publication Date: 2016-04-12
On 13 April 1919, the British Indian Army fired on an unarmed crowd, killing hundreds
The First Starbucks
Publication Date: 2016-04-11
In 1971 the first Starbucks coffee shop opened in Seattle.
Angela Merkel
Publication Date: 2016-04-10
On April 10 2000, Angela Merkel became the first woman to lead a German political party.
A Japanese Royal Wedding
Publication Date: 2016-04-07
In a change to tradition Japan's Crown Prince Akihito married a non-royal, in April 1959.
The Ogaden War
Publication Date: 2016-04-06
In 1977 Somalia invaded Ethiopia in an attempt to take control of disputed territory.
Mallory on Everest
Publication Date: 2016-04-05
In 1999 the body of legendary British mountaineer, George Mallory, was found on Everest.
Romania's Orphans
Publication Date: 2016-04-04
In 1989 news began to emerge of terrible conditions in Romania's orphanages.
The Execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Publication Date: 2016-04-03
On April 4th 1979 Pakistan's first democratically elected Prime Minister was hanged.
The Yodogo Hijacking
Publication Date: 2016-03-31
In March 1970, Japanese left-wing extremists hijacked a plane with samurai swords.
Pakistan Ban on Alcohol
Publication Date: 2016-03-30
In the spring of 1977 the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto introduced a ban on alcohol
The Attempt on Ronald Reagan's Life
Publication Date: 2016-03-29
On March 30th 1981 a man tried to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan.
The Harold Wilson Plot
Publication Date: 2016-03-28
In March 1976, the British prime minister Harold Wilson unexpectedly resigned. Why?
Virginia Woolf
Publication Date: 2016-03-27
On March 28th 1941 the British novelist Virginia Woolf took her own life.
The Easter Rising
Publication Date: 2016-03-24
How Irish rebels tried to start a revolution against British rule at Easter 1916.
Iraqi Shia Uprising - 1991
Publication Date: 2016-03-23
At the end of the First Gulf War thousands of Iraqis rose up against Saddam Hussein
The Fall of Emperor Tewodros II
Publication Date: 2016-03-22
In 1868 Tewodros II of Ethiopia prepared to make a last stand against the British army.
Viagra
Publication Date: 2016-03-21
In 1998 a new 'wonder' drug was approved for use in the United States
Namibian Independence
Publication Date: 2016-03-20
In March 1990, Namibia became independent from South African rule.
The Tunnellers of WW1
Publication Date: 2016-03-17
Archive recordings of the tunnellers who fought underground in WW1
Vietnam-China Border War 1979
Publication Date: 2016-03-16
Former communist allies China and Vietnam fought a short but bloody war in 1979.
Mad Cow Disease and CJD
Publication Date: 2016-03-15
How a disease affecting cattle was transferred to the human population in Britain.
The Kasztner Affair
Publication Date: 2016-03-14
In March 1957, an Israeli political scandal ended in an assassination.
Radiocarbon Dating of the Turin Shroud
Publication Date: 2016-03-13
In 1988 scientists performed a carbon dating test on the Shroud of Turin.
The Original Revolutionary Feminist
Publication Date: 2016-03-10
Alexandra Kollontai was the leading Marxist feminist in Communist Russia.
The Release of the Birmingham Six
Publication Date: 2016-03-09
In March 1991, six men were freed ending one of Britain's worst miscarriages of justice
Tenerife Air Disaster
Publication Date: 2016-03-08
In March 1977 the worst accident in the history of civil aviation took place in Tenerife.
Spinsters' Rights
Publication Date: 2016-03-07
Millions of women were left single after the men they would have married died in WW1.
Poisoned in Kosovo
Publication Date: 2016-03-06
How Roma Gypsies, who fled ethnic violence in 1999, were settled in a camp on toxic land
Condemned as a Spy in the USSR
Publication Date: 2016-03-03
Flora Leipman, a British Jew, falsely condemned as a spy, was sent to a labour camp
Marie Stopes: Birth Control Pioneer
Publication Date: 2016-03-02
In March 1921, Marie Stopes opened Britain's first birth control clinic in London
The Buddhas of Bamiyan
Publication Date: 2016-03-01
In March 2001 the Taliban destroyed huge ancient statues of Buddha in Afghanistan
The Polaroid Instant Camera
Publication Date: 2016-02-29
In February 1947 Edwin Land unveiled his new invention, the first ever instant camera.
The Siege of Sarajevo
Publication Date: 2016-02-28
Twenty years ago the siege of Sarajevo ended, the longest siege in modern history
The Foxcatcher Story
Publication Date: 2016-02-25
In 1996 an American multi-millionaire murdered one of the wrestlers he was sponsoring
The Caracazo Protests
Publication Date: 2016-02-24
In February 1989 new austerity measures sparked days of violent protests in Venezuela
Philippines People Power Revolution
Publication Date: 2016-02-23
In 1986, Filipinos took to the streets to overthrow the regime of Ferdinand Marcos
The Back to Africa Movement
Publication Date: 2016-02-22
In the late 1800s thousands of African-Americans tried to emigrate to escape violence
The Death of Jonas Savimbi
Publication Date: 2016-02-21
In February 2002 the controversial Angolan rebel leader was killed by government forces
The UK’s Foot-and-Mouth Epidemic
Publication Date: 2016-02-18
In 2001 an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease devastated the British farming industry
The Battle of Verdun
Publication Date: 2016-02-17
In 1916, French and German armies began one of the most devastating battles of WW1
Christian Dior's New Look
Publication Date: 2016-02-16
In February 1947, French designer Christian Dior transformed post-war fashion.
The Attempt to Kill Khaled Meshaal
Publication Date: 2016-02-15
In 1997 Israeli secret agents tried to assassinate a Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal.
Seven Years In Tibet
Publication Date: 2016-02-14
The Austrian mountaineer who lived in the forbidden land of Tibet in the 1940s and 50s.
Black Sabbath
Publication Date: 2016-02-11
On Friday 13 February 1970, heavy metal band Black Sabbath released their first album
Britain's Secret Code-Breakers
Publication Date: 2016-02-10
Witness talks to one of Britain's secret army of World War Two code-breakers
Pakistan's Women Only Police Station
Publication Date: 2016-02-09
In 1994 Pakistan opened the country's first all-female police station
The Arab Spring and Syria
Publication Date: 2016-02-08
The story of the first protests against the Assad regime in 2011
The Last of the Red Hot Mamas
Publication Date: 2016-02-07
The larger than life vaudeville star - Sophie Tucker - died on February 9th 1966.
Prozac
Publication Date: 2016-02-04
In the spring of 1988 a new kind of anti-depressant went on the market.
Afghanistan's National Museum
Publication Date: 2016-02-03
Since 1989 the treasures in Afghanistan's National Museum have been at risk.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Publication Date: 2016-02-02
In 1938, the first animated feature film was released, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The ‘Abscam’ Corruption Investigation
Publication Date: 2016-02-01
The FBI sting operation that ensnared corrupt politicians using a fictitious Arab sheikh.
Spanish Embassy Killings
Publication Date: 2016-01-31
In January 1980, 37 people died as police stormed Spain's embassy in Guatemala
The First Batman TV Series
Publication Date: 2016-01-28
In January 1966 Batman and Robin appeared on the small screen for the first time
Sharia Returns to Nigeria
Publication Date: 2016-01-27
In 2000, Zamfara became the first Nigerian state to implement full Sharia law
The Challenger Disaster
Publication Date: 2016-01-26
On 28 January 1986 The Challenger space shuttle launch went horribly wrong
The First Fleet Lands in Australia
Publication Date: 2016-01-25
Britain established a penal colony in Australia.In January 1788
The Wapping Dispute
Publication Date: 2016-01-24
In January 1986 newspaper owner Rupert Murdoch took on the British print unions.
The Funeral of Jan Palach
Publication Date: 2016-01-21
Hundreds of thousands of people mourned the student activist in Prague in January 1969.
The Poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko
Publication Date: 2016-01-20
In 2004, a Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was mysteriously poisoned
The Soldier Who Never Surrendered
Publication Date: 2016-01-19
In 1972 a Japanese soldier was found hiding in the jungle on the Pacific island of Guam.
Mexico's Tequila Crisis
Publication Date: 2016-01-18
In January 1995 Mexico was forced to seek a multi-billion dollar bailout from the US
The Adventures of Tintin
Publication Date: 2016-01-17
One of the most famous cartoon characters in history was born in January 1929 - Tintin.
Nigeria's First Coup
Publication Date: 2016-01-14
In 1966 a small group of Nigerian army officers launched the country's first ever coup
The Freedom Tower in Tehran
Publication Date: 2016-01-13
Hossein Amanat was the young architect employed to build a tower for Iranian royalty.
The First Alzheimer's Patient
Publication Date: 2016-01-12
The tragic case that led to the discovery of Alzheimer's disease.
Russia's Forbidden Art
Publication Date: 2016-01-11
The Russian painter who created a world-famous collection of forbidden Soviet art
A Mass Shooting in America
Publication Date: 2016-01-10
In October 2006 a man killed five Amish schoolgirls and injured five more in Pennsylvania
Chairman Mao's Little Red Book
Publication Date: 2016-01-06
How the thoughts of China's communist leader became an unexpected global best-seller
Fidel Castro Takes Havana
Publication Date: 2016-01-05
In Jan 1959 leftist revolutionaries ended decades of rule by Cuba's US-backed dictator
The Eames Chair
Publication Date: 2016-01-04
In 1956, Charles and Ray Eames launched the Eames Chair.
The start of the Open University
Publication Date: 2016-01-03
A new university in Britain offers a radically different approach to higher education.
Vietnamese Boat People Arrive in Britain
Publication Date: 2015-12-31
Some of the first Vietnamese refugees arrive in Britain after a dramatic rescue at sea.
The Millennium Bug
Publication Date: 2015-12-30
How the world waited for a potential global computer meltdown on New Year's Eve 1999
The Poster Boy for the Communist System
Publication Date: 2015-12-29
In 1935, Alexei Stakhanov, a coal miner, became a Soviet celebrity.
Rasputin
Publication Date: 2015-12-28
In 1916, the infamous holy man Grigori Raspuin, was murdered by Russian aristocrats
The Donner Party
Publication Date: 2015-12-27
In 1846, a group of US pioneers were trapped in the mountains over the winter.
The Beagle 2 Mission to Mars
Publication Date: 2015-12-24
On Christmas Day 2003, a British space craft was due to land on Mars to look for life
It's a Wonderful Life
Publication Date: 2015-12-23
A former Hollywood child star remembers filming the classic Christmas movie in 1946.
Michael Jackson's Thriller
Publication Date: 2015-12-22
In 1982 the world's best selling album was released
Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita
Publication Date: 2015-12-21
One of the 20th Century's most scandalous books was published in 1955
The Death of General Patton
Publication Date: 2015-12-20
America's legendary military commander, General George Patton, died in December 1945
India Disability Rights
Publication Date: 2015-12-17
In 1995 the first disability rights legislation was passed by India's parliament.
Star Wars: C3PO's Story
Publication Date: 2015-12-16
The actor behind the galaxy's most famous protocol droid remembers the first Star Wars
The Rubik's Cube
Publication Date: 2015-12-15
In 1974, Ernő Rubik invented the world's best selling puzzle: the Rubik's Cube
A Pakistani View of the Bangladesh War of Independence
Publication Date: 2015-12-14
The story of a Pakistani soldier caught up in the Bangladesh liberation war.
The 1960 Coup Against Haile Selassie
Publication Date: 2015-12-13
How Ethiopia's Emperor was almost overthrown in a bloody coup
The Velvet Underground
Publication Date: 2015-12-10
The seminal alternative rock band play their first gig at a high school in New Jersey.
The KKK and the Killing of Viola Liuzzo
Publication Date: 2015-12-09
In 1965, three KKK members were convicted of conspiring to kill a civil rights activist
The Battle of Tora Bora
Publication Date: 2015-12-08
After the Taliban lost control of Afghanistan in 2001 the hunt for Osama bin Laden began.
WW1: The Siege of Kut, Iraq
Publication Date: 2015-12-07
Thousands of British and Indian troops spent five months trapped in Kut, Iraq in WW1
Gays and Lesbians and the British Miners' Strike
Publication Date: 2015-12-06
In 1984 a group of lesbians and gay men organised to support striking coal-miners.
Cuban Fighters in Angola
Publication Date: 2015-12-03
Thousands of Cuban troops fought with Angola's Marxist government forces in the civil war
The First Heart Transplant
Publication Date: 2015-12-02
On 3 December 1967, two brothers carried out the first heart transplant operation
Surviving Pearl Harbor
Publication Date: 2015-12-01
How one US Navy mechanic made it through the surprise Japanese attack on his Pacific base
The Bari Raid 1943
Publication Date: 2015-11-30
How a devastating air raid on Bari during WW2 led to the deadly release of mustard gas
Nigeria's "War Against Indiscipline"
Publication Date: 2015-11-29
In 1984 General Buhari's military regime launched an unusual campaign to clean up Nigeria
Surviving Ravensbruck
Publication Date: 2015-11-26
The story of a survivor of Ravensbruck, the Nazis' concentration camp for women
Britain's Palestine Patrols
Publication Date: 2015-11-25
How the Royal Navy stopped Jewish refugee ships trying to reach Palestine in the 1940s.
Cuba's 'Special Period'
Publication Date: 2015-11-24
In the 1990s the Cuban economy came close to collapse after Soviet aid dried up
The DB Cooper Mystery
Publication Date: 2015-11-22
In November 1971 a hijacker parachuted from a US plane with a $200,000 ransom
Attack on the US Embassy in Islamabad
Publication Date: 2015-11-19
In late November 1979 a mob set fire to the US Embassy in Islamabad
The CIA's Cultural War: how the CIA secretly funded the magazine Encounter
Publication Date: 2015-11-18
How the CIA secretly funded the hugely influential cultural magazine Encounter.
Fear of Flying: The Best Selling Book About Sex, Creativity And Love
Publication Date: 2015-11-17
Erica Jong, a feminist author from New York, talks about her novel on female sexuality
Fire: Bollywood Explores Lesbian Love
Publication Date: 2015-11-16
Indian film star Shabana Azmi recalls playing a lesbian in the controversial film, Fire
Kenya’s Torture Chambers
Publication Date: 2015-11-15
In 1986 the Kenyan government began a programme of secretly torturing suspected opponents
The Fall of the Taliban
Publication Date: 2015-11-12
On 13 November 2001, the Taliban administration collapsed in Afghanistan
East Timor Massacre
Publication Date: 2015-11-11
In November 1991 Indonesian troops opened fire on independence activists in East Timor
Romany: Pioneer Wildlife Broadcaster
Publication Date: 2015-11-10
Romany of the BBC was a pioneer naturalist broadcaster of Roma Gypsy origin
India Anti-Sikh Riots
Publication Date: 2015-11-09
Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, India was gripped by anti-Sikh riots
The Amman Bombings
Publication Date: 2015-11-08
On 9 November 2005, nearly 60 people were killed in Jordan's worst terror attack
The Russian Revolution: A Bolshevik Coup
Publication Date: 2015-11-05
Alexander Kerensky, overthrown by Lenin in 1917, comments on the Russian Revolution
The Battle of El Alamein
Publication Date: 2015-11-04
In 1942, the Allies launched an offensive in Egypt that helped shape the course of WW2
The Green March
Publication Date: 2015-11-03
In November 1975 a huge crowd of Moroccans marched into a Spanish colony in the desert
Britain's Executioner - Albert Pierrepoint
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Archive interviews with Britain's most famous hangman, who executed more than 400 people.
The Jarrow Crusade
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
In 1936 men from the North of England marched to London to protest at mass unemployment.
A Jewish Homeland in Siberia
Publication Date: 2015-10-29
In 1930 the USSR created a Jewish Region in Siberia, a homeland for Soviet Jews
The Great Depression: One Man's Story
Publication Date: 2015-10-28
Hear one man's story of growing up in England in the Great Depression of the 1930s
The First Lady of Cuban Ballet
Publication Date: 2015-10-27
World-famous prima ballerina Alicia Alonso talks about founding Cuba's National Ballet
The Nuclear Spy Alan Nunn May
Publication Date: 2015-10-26
In 1945 the English physicist was exposed as a nuclear spy for the Soviet Union.
The birth of the United Nations
Publication Date: 2015-10-25
In October 1945, the United Nations was born, in the hope of preventing future wars
Iceland's Women Strike
Publication Date: 2015-10-22
In October 1975, 90% of all women in Iceland took part in a massive nationwide protest.
Sri Lanka Killings
Publication Date: 2015-10-21
In 1995 during Sri Lanka's brutal civil war Tamil rebels attacked a Sinhalese village.
The Disappearing Sea
Publication Date: 2015-10-20
In October 1990, Professor Denys Brunsden of King's College, London, was one of the first Western scientists to confirm the shrinking of the Aral Sea....
The Controversial 'God of Vengeance'
Publication Date: 2015-10-19
In 1923 the entire cast of a Yiddish play was arrested in New York and charged with staging an immoral performance. Written by the celebrated Polish-J...
Mass Graves in Hue, Vietnam
Publication Date: 2015-10-18
In 1968, US troops in South Vietnam discovered the victims of a Communist offensive in the old imperial capital, Hue. Much of the city had been overru...
The October Crisis in Canada
Publication Date: 2015-10-15
When French-speaking separatists in the Canadian province of Quebec turned violent, Canada's government called the army onto the streets. Prime Minist...
Satyajit Ray: Working with India’s Cinematic Master
Publication Date: 2015-10-14
Bengali film director Satyajit Ray has been described as one of the most influential directors in world cinema, with acclaimed US director Martin Scor...
Danish Jews Escape the Holocaust
Publication Date: 2015-10-13
In October 1943, at the height of World War Two, most of the Jews in Denmark evaded Nazi plans to send them to death camps. They were warned about a p...
The White Russians in Shanghai
Publication Date: 2015-10-12
A Russian refugee, Olga Rossi-Hawkes, speaks to Dina Newman about life in Shanghai after her family fled the Russian revolution in 1917. (Photo: Av...
The Death of Edith Cavell
Publication Date: 2015-10-11
On 12 October 1915 a British nurse was executed by German troops during World War One. Her death made her a propaganda icon for Britain and its allie...
The Moors Murders
Publication Date: 2015-10-08
in 1965, Britain was shocked by a series of child murders. The children had been killed by a young couple, Ian Brady and his girlfriend Myra Hindley. ...
Pakistan Earthquake 2005
Publication Date: 2015-10-07
On 8 October 2005 a massive earthquake hit Pakistani-administered Kashmir. It left 87,000 people dead and more than four million homeless. Tariq Naqq...
The Assassination of Anwar Sadat
Publication Date: 2015-10-06
In October 1981, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt was assassinated as he attended a military parade in Cairo. His widow Jehan, who was there, remembers ...
Austrian Wine Scandal
Publication Date: 2015-10-05
In 1985 government scientists discovered anti-freeze in bottles of fine Austrian wine. No one died, or fell ill from drinking the poisoned wine, but t...
Barbary Pirates and the White Slave Trade
Publication Date: 2015-10-04
Between the 16th and 19th Centuries, hundreds of thousands of Europeans were captured by pirates known as the Barbary corsairs. Many spent the rest of...
The Death of Rock Hudson
Publication Date: 2015-10-01
In October 1985 the Hollywood superstar became the most high profile celebrity to acknowledge he was suffering from Aids. Fellow actor Angie Dickinson...
Danish Cartoons
Publication Date: 2015-09-30
In the autumn of 2005 a Danish newspaper published 12 images of the Prophet Muhammad. The pictures shocked local muslims, and went on to cause outrage...
Buena Vista Social Club
Publication Date: 2015-09-29
In 1996 a group of veteran musicians made an album that changed the image of Cuban music for ever. Some of the artists had come out of retirement for...
The Birth of Karaoke
Publication Date: 2015-09-28
Daisuke Inoue was playing in a band in Kobe Japan in 1971 when he invented the Karaoke machine. He came up with the idea for a customer who wanted to ...
Kabul Musicians' Quarter
Publication Date: 2015-09-27
The area which had housed Afghanistan's traditional musicians for generations was destroyed during factional fighting in 1992. Ustad Ghulam Hossain, m...
The Plastic People of the Universe
Publication Date: 2015-09-24
In the 1970s, the psychedelic Czech rock band played an unexpected role in the resistance to communist rule. Their imprisonment by the authorities pro...
Jacques Brel
Publication Date: 2015-09-24
In 1966 the Belgian singer-songwriter suddenly announced on stage that he was going to stop performing. At the time, he was world famous, having sold...
DJ Kool Herc and the Birth of Hip Hop
Publication Date: 2015-09-22
In 1973 a Bronx DJ, known as Kool Herc, held a block party which would help change American music for ever. Hear DJ Kool Herc's story of that first ...
The Origins of Ska Music
Publication Date: 2015-09-21
Jamaica’s musicians have had a profound impact on modern music. It’s best known for Reggae, but before that came Ska. Many of the early Ska stars came...
The Leningrad Symphony
Publication Date: 2015-09-18
In an act of defiance during World War Two, starving musicians in the besieged city of Leningrad performed Shostakovich's new Seventh Symphony. The pi...
The First Glastonbury Festival
Publication Date: 2015-09-17
We hear from farmer Michael Eavis, who began the Glastonbury music festival in 1970 and whose family still runs it today. (Photo: The first Glaston...
Musicians of the Iranian Revolution
Publication Date: 2015-09-16
In September 1978 in the heat of Iran's revolution, the country's top musicians decided to join the popular uprising. After the massacre of demonstrat...
Miriam Makeba
Publication Date: 2015-09-15
The story of the great South African singer who spent 30 years in exile. She was invited to the United States in 1959 and became an overnight star, bu...
Willie Nelson's Farm Aid
Publication Date: 2015-09-14
In 1985 a benefit concert was held for farmers living in one of the world's richest countries, the US. The money went toward preventing suicides and h...
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Publication Date: 2015-09-11
The story of how the Pakistani Qawali singer became an international music sensation. Photo: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan performing in California in 1993 (...
The Monkees
Publication Date: 2015-09-10
The Monkees were the world's first 'manufactured' boy band - created especially for a TV show. Hear from the man who directed that show - Bruce Kessl...
Umm Kulthum
Publication Date: 2015-09-09
When the great Egyptian singer died in 1975, millions attended her funeral in Cairo. Her stepson has been talking to Witness about that day, and about...
Noel Coward Plays Vegas
Publication Date: 2015-09-08
In the 1950s, the quintessentially English singer, actor and playwright, Noel Coward, was invited to do a show in Las Vegas, which was then controlled...
The King of Highlife
Publication Date: 2015-09-07
Ghanaian musician E.T Mensah took Africa by storm in the 1950s with a new style of dance band Highlife music. For many, it was the soundtrack to a new...
Beatlemania
Publication Date: 2015-09-04
On 7 February 1964, British pop group The Beatles were met by hysterical crowds when their plane landed in the USA. Judith Kristen was one of the thou...
The Heyday of Somali Music
Publication Date: 2015-09-03
The fall and rise of Maryam Mursal, who was one of the superstars of Somali music in the 1970s. Musicians were employed by Siad Barre's socialist stat...
Russia's First DJ
Publication Date: 2015-09-02
Russia's first radio DJ, Seva Novgorodsev, went on air on the BBC Russian Service in 1977, at the height of the Cold War. Over the years, his pop musi...
The Auschwitz Cellist
Publication Date: 2015-08-29
In 1943, the cellist, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. She expected to be killed in the gas chambers, but survive...
Hurricane Katrina
Publication Date: 2015-08-28
In August 2005 a massive hurricane hit the city of New Orleans in the USA. It flooded the area resulting in widespread death and destruction. Dave C...
The Guinness Book of Records
Publication Date: 2015-08-27
It's sixty years since the first edition of one of the world's best-selling books was published. Compiled by the McWhirter brothers, the idea for the ...
Latinos Protest Against Vietnam
Publication Date: 2015-08-26
In August 1970, tens of thousands of Mexican-Americans took part in a march against the Vietnam War known as the Chicano Moratorium. The protest in Lo...
The Assassination of Benigno Aquino
Publication Date: 2015-08-25
On August 21 1983, the opposition leader, Benigno Aquino, was shot dead in the Philippines. He was killed at Manila airport, minutes after returnin...
Mass Executions in Iran
Publication Date: 2015-08-24
In the summer of 1988 thousands of political prisoners were suddenly executed in Iran. The killings, ordered by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini,...
A Bizarre Poisoning Plot in Oregon
Publication Date: 2015-08-21
In 1984, a clash between a religious commune in the US state of Oregon and locals residents resulted in the mass food poisoning of a town. Witness spe...
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Publication Date: 2015-08-20
In August 1915 the celebrated Scottish architect was arrested on suspicion of being a German spy. We hear how the man who designed the Glasgow School ...
The Assassination of Leon Trotsky
Publication Date: 2015-08-19
In August 1940 the exiled Russian revolutionary, Leon Trotsky, was killed in Mexico City, stabbed in the head with an ice-pick. Trotsky's grandson,...
The Dieppe Raid
Publication Date: 2015-08-18
In the early hours of 19th August 1942, a convoy of Allied ships approached the port of Dieppe carrying more than 6,000 troops. The mainly Canadian fo...
The Tolpuddle Martyrs
Publication Date: 2015-08-17
In the 1830s, many farmworkers in rural England were living in desperate poverty. Conditions were particularly harsh in the village of Tolpuddle where...
Korea Divided
Publication Date: 2015-08-14
After the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Korea is split along the 38th parallel, with Soviet forces in the north and the US military in the south....
Child Prisoners of the Japanese
Publication Date: 2015-08-13
In August 1945 Japan surrendered to the Americans and World War Two finally came to an end. Within days, prisoners held by the Japanese in China bega...
The Man Who Published Harry Potter
Publication Date: 2015-08-12
In 1996, after many rejections, author JK Rowling at last finds a publisher for her first Harry Potter novel. Witness talks to editor, Barry Cunningha...
Devil's Island
Publication Date: 2015-08-11
A convict's experience of Devil's Island, the notorious French penal colony in South America, which closed in 1953. Thousands of inmates died from dis...
The World's Most Valuable T-Rex
Publication Date: 2015-08-10
Peter Larson, president of the Black Hills Institute in South Dakota, tells Witness how his team discovered Sue the T-Rex, the most complete T-Rex fos...
The Great Iraqi Defection
Publication Date: 2015-08-07
In 1995 two of the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's son-in-laws defected to Jordan. What secrets did they bring with them? Witness talks to former chief...
Singapore Independence
Publication Date: 2015-08-06
On 9 August 1965 Singapore announced it had left the Federation of Malaysia and become an independent sovereign state. Explaining the separation at a ...
The Bombing of Hiroshima
Publication Date: 2015-08-05
On 6 August 1945 an American bomber dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Tens of thousands of people were killed immediately. Wit...
The Plot to Kill Iranian Writers
Publication Date: 2015-08-04
In August 1996, a group of Iranian writers were invited to a literary event in neighbouring Armenia. They boarded a bus to take them to Yerevan - but ...
Afghanistan's First Coup
Publication Date: 2015-08-03
In July 1973 the King's cousin, in Afghanistan, staged a coup against him. It brought to an end centuries of monarchy and for the first time establish...
First Cochlear Implant
Publication Date: 2015-08-03
In August 1978 an Australian doctor successfully fitted a multi-channel cochlear implant to a patient. It was a breakthrough moment for deaf people a...
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
Publication Date: 2015-07-30
In August 1960 the controversial Oscar-nominated psychological thriller was released. Witness presents archive recordings of its director, Alfred Hitc...
First Inter-racial Kiss on TV
Publication Date: 2015-07-29
In July 1964, a white actor and a black actress, kissed, live, on a British TV show. The show was called Emergency Ward 10. The actress was Joan Hoole...
Scouts in the Warsaw Uprising
Publication Date: 2015-07-28
On 1 August 1944, the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi occupation of Poland began. Hundreds of thousands of people died during the fighting and Poland...
Chilean Students Set on Fire
Publication Date: 2015-07-27
Seven former soldiers have been arrested in Chile for the burning to death of a student, Rodrigo Rojas, during protests against the rule of Gen. Augus...
Britain's Landslide 1945 Election
Publication Date: 2015-07-24
In July 1945 Labour won a surprise victory, defeating Britain's war-time leader Winston Churchill. The victorious government introduced radical change...
The Tulia Drug Bust
Publication Date: 2015-07-23
In July 1999, around a 10th of the black population in the Texas town of Tulia was arrested on drug charges. The only evidence was the word of an unde...
Tehran's Red Light District
Publication Date: 2015-07-22
In July 1979 Iran's new Islamic government closed down Tehran's red-light district, and demolished all the buildings. Around 1500 prostitutes were wor...
CIA Mind Control Experiments
Publication Date: 2015-07-20
In the 1950s the CIA started attempting to brainwash psychiatric patients. They wanted to develop methods which could be used against enemies in the ...
Ghiggia: Uruguay’s World Cup Hero
Publication Date: 2015-07-20
In 1950, Brazil hosted the World Cup and were the overwhelming favourites to win the tournament at the last match at the Maracana Stadium. But, in a d...
The Manhattan Project
Publication Date: 2015-07-17
On 16 July 1945 the first ever nuclear weapon was detonated by scientists in the USA. The secret initiative to develop the atomic bomb was nicknamed ...
Poison Gas in WW1
Publication Date: 2015-07-15
From the BBC archives, soldiers recount their experiences of poison gas attacks on the Western Front during World War One. Poison gas was first used a...
Marie Curie
Publication Date: 2015-07-14
The first person to win two Nobel prizes for her pioneering research into radioactivity. Working with her husband, Pierre, Marie Curie identified two ...
The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis
Publication Date: 2015-07-13
In the last days of World War II, an American warship, the USS Indianapolis, was torpedoed in the Pacific. For days, no one came to the survivors' res...
The Death of MKO Abiola
Publication Date: 2015-07-10
The Nigerian opposition leader died suddenly just days before his expected release from prison in July 1998. MKO Abiola appeared to have won Nigeria's...
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Publication Date: 2015-07-09
In 1967 the best-selling Latin American novel by the Colombian, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, was first published. It was immediately acclaimed as a literar...
Tamil Doctors and the Sri Lankan War
Publication Date: 2015-07-08
In July 2009, a group of doctors in Sri Lanka said they had overestimated the number of dead and injured in the Tamil enclave in the final days of the...
Escape from the KGB
Publication Date: 2015-07-07
In July 1985, Oleg Gordievsky, a high-ranking Soviet spy defected to the UK. He had been acting as a double agent for years, but realising he was abou...
The Death of General Sani Abacha
Publication Date: 2015-07-07
Nigeria's military ruler, General Sani Abacha, died suddenly of an apparent heart attack in 1998. We hear from his personal doctor, Professor Sadiq Su...
German Re-Armament
Publication Date: 2015-07-03
In the 1930s Hitler began to rebuild Germany's armed forces. When WW1 ended Germany had been banned from having an air force under the Treaty of Versa...
The Filming of Jaws
Publication Date: 2015-07-02
In June 1975 the legendary movie about a man-eating shark was released. It would go on to become a summer blockbuster - terrifying swimmers the world ...
Red Cross Visits Nazi Concentration Camp
Publication Date: 2015-07-02
In June 1944 the International Red Cross was allowed by the Nazis into the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The Nazis tried to use the visit to proj...
The Berlin Love Parade
Publication Date: 2015-07-01
On 1 July 1989, a group of dancers set off down a Berlin shopping street on a demonstration for 'peace, love and pancakes'. It was the first Berlin L...
Helen Keller
Publication Date: 2015-06-30
On 27 June 1880, Helen Keller was born in Alabama, US. A childhood illness left her deaf and blind, but she still learned to speak - writing a number ...
Save the Whale
Publication Date: 2015-06-26
On 27 June 1975 Greenpeace activists launched their first direct action against whalers. Hear from Rex Wayler, one of the activists who tried to stop ...
James Salter: Writer and Pilot
Publication Date: 2015-06-24
The acclaimed American author died on 19 June 2015 - aged 90. As a young man, before he became a writer, he was a jet fighter pilot during the Korean ...
Communist Yugoslavia breaks with the USSR
Publication Date: 2015-06-24
In June 1948 Marshal Tito turned his back on his former ally, the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. It was a dramatic turn of events in post-war Europe. ...
Air India Flight 182
Publication Date: 2015-06-23
On 23 June1985 a passenger plane on its way from Canada to Delhi was blown out of the sky by Sikh extremists. There were 329 people killed in the atta...
Britain's First Black Woman MP
Publication Date: 2015-06-22
In 1987 Diane Abbott became the first black woman elected to the British Parliament. The daughter of first generation immigrants she was one of only f...
The Six Day War: a Jewish Story
Publication Date: 2015-06-19
In June 1967, the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbours led to mobs attacking Jewish property and houses in several Arab capitals, and ma...
Iran's Cultural Revolution
Publication Date: 2015-06-18
In the spring and summer of 1980 the Islamic hardliners in Iran shut down all the universities to drive out secular and moderate groups. The universit...
Inter-racial Marriage in South Africa
Publication Date: 2015-06-16
In South Africa in June 1985, the ban on marriage between people of different ethnic backgrounds was finally lifted. Suzanne Le Clerc and Protas Madla...
Flying to Freedom
Publication Date: 2015-06-15
In June 1970 a group of mainly Jewish dissidents, and two teenage children, hatched an audacious plan to take over a small 12-seater plane in the Sovi...
The Six Day War: a Palestinian Story
Publication Date: 2015-06-12
In June 1967 Israel and its Arab neighbours embarked on a war that within six days had changed the shape of the Middle East and whose consequences are...
The Death of Walter Rodney
Publication Date: 2015-06-11
In June 1980, the Guyanese opposition leader and academic, Dr Walter Rodney, was killed in a bomb explosion. He was one of the leaders of a movement t...
Denmark's Inuit Experiment
Publication Date: 2015-06-10
In June 1951 a group of 22 Inuit children were sent from Greenland to Denmark to be re-educated as 'little Danes'. The hope was that they would help c...
Refugee Boat Tragedy
Publication Date: 2015-06-09
In June 1988 a US Navy ship came across a boat full of Vietnamese refugees drifting in the South China Sea. What happened next would help define the ...
Women's Institute at 100
Publication Date: 2015-06-08
We look back at 100 years of the WI, a British organisation set up to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in prod...
Britain's Referendum on Europe
Publication Date: 2015-06-05
On 5th June 1975 Britain held its first referendum on whether it should remain a member of the European Economic Community or Common Market.
The Eichmann Tapes
Publication Date: 2015-06-04
The Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann recorded hours of interview about his involvement in the Holocaust, before his capture in 1960 by Israeli agents....
The Death of Ayatollah Khomeini
Publication Date: 2015-06-03
On 3 June 1989 the man who had lead Iran's revolution and established the Islamic Republic, died. Hear from two people who were at the Ayatollah's fu...
The Golden Gate Bridge
Publication Date: 2015-06-02
In early June 1937 San Francisco was celebrating a feat of engineering - the opening of the world's longest suspension bridge over the Golden Gate Str...
The Burning of the Jaffna Public Library
Publication Date: 2015-06-01
On June 1st 1981, the public library in the Sri Lankan city of Jaffna was set on fire. The library was a symbol of Tamil cultural heritage, and the fi...
The Heysel Stadium Disaster
Publication Date: 2015-05-29
The European Cup Final on 29 May 1985 was supposed to be a celebration of football – a contest between two of Europe’s best teams - Liverpool and Juve...
The Welsh in Patagonia
Publication Date: 2015-05-28
On 28 May 1865 around 150 Welsh emigrants set sail for Patagonia to establish a Welsh colony. (Photo: Farm in Patagonia 1893. Credit: Image courtes...
Protect and Survive
Publication Date: 2015-05-27
In May 1980 the British government published a booklet about how to survive nuclear war. The booklet, Protect and Survive, provoked public incredulity...
Dorothy Mulkey - US Fair Housing Campaigner
Publication Date: 2015-05-25
In 1967, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling which effectively outlawed discrimination in the American housing market. The case was brought by Doroth...
Italy in World War One
Publication Date: 2015-05-24
In May 1915, Italy entered WW1 on the side of the Allies, fighting against the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany. Their war was not fought on the We...
Archbishop Romero of San Salvador
Publication Date: 2015-05-21
Journalist Milagro Granados recalls the murder of the outspoken Salvadoran cleric, who was shot dead while saying mass at the altar by a right-wing de...
Bob Marley's Funeral
Publication Date: 2015-05-20
On 21 May 1981 the legendary reggae singer was buried in Jamaica. Hundreds of thousands of people had turned out to pay their respects. His friend and...
A Coup in Fiji
Publication Date: 2015-05-19
In May 2000, a group of ethnic Fijian gunmen broke into parliament and declared a coup. Led by charismatic failed businessman George Speight, they too...
Lawrence of Arabia
Publication Date: 2015-05-18
On 19 May 1935, the death was announced of the English soldier, adventurer and writer, TE Lawrence, who was known to the world as Lawrence of Arabia. ...
The Elephant Man
Publication Date: 2015-05-17
The story of Joseph Merrick, a hugely deformed man who became a celebrity in Victorian Britain. Photo: Historical artwork of Joseph Merrick (Scienc...
The Building of Kariba Dam
Publication Date: 2015-05-14
In May 1960 the massive Kariba hydro-electric dam on Africa's Zambezi river was opened. About 60,000 people lost their homes to what is still the worl...
Kermit the Frog
Publication Date: 2015-05-13
It is 60 years since the frog puppet first appeared on an American children's TV show. His creator Jim Henson became famous, and Kermit became the st...
The Andijan Massacre
Publication Date: 2015-05-12
On 13 May 2005 hundreds of demonstrators were killed by soldiers in the Uzbek town of Andijan. Hear from Monica Whitlock who was the BBC correspondent...
The Church of the Nativity siege
Publication Date: 2015-05-11
On May 10th 2002, one of the most dramatic sieges of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, finally came to an ...
India's Billionth Baby
Publication Date: 2015-05-10
On May 11th 2000 a baby girl born in Delhi was designated as India's billionth citizen. There was huge media attention following her birth - but what ...
VE Day
Publication Date: 2015-05-07
On 8 May 1945, hundreds of thousands of Londoners took to the streets to celebrate the end of World War II in Europe. BBC correspondents captured the ...
The Sinking of the Lusitania
Publication Date: 2015-05-06
In 1915, the passenger liner RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland and 1,200 people lost their lives. The liner had be...
Aden's Independence Struggle
Publication Date: 2015-05-05
In the early 1960s, the British colony of Aden – today part of Yemen – was on the brink of a fierce struggle for independence. Witness hears from Assi...
Chemical Weapons Tests at Porton Down
Publication Date: 2015-05-04
In May 1953, British airman Ronald Maddison died after taking part in a nerve gas test at government research base Porton Down. His death would be cov...
The Iranian Embassy Siege
Publication Date: 2015-05-03
In May 1980 British special forces stormed Iran's embassy in London to end a siege. The hostage-takers were an Iranian separatist group. Hear from som...
US Evacuation from Saigon
Publication Date: 2015-04-30
The last remaining US forces pulled out of Vietnam on April 30th 1975 as communist North Vietnamese troops took control of the country. Hear from two...
The Man Who Removed His Own Appendix
Publication Date: 2015-04-29
In April 1961, Russian doctor Leonid Rogozov developed appendicitis while working in Antarctica. The only solution was to operate on himself. Witness ...
President de Gaulle resigns
Publication Date: 2015-04-28
On 28th April 1969, the general who had dominated French politics for almost 30 years, Charles de Gaulle, resigned as president. With the help of de G...
The Jane Fonda Workout
Publication Date: 2015-04-27
In April 1982, film star Jane Fonda launched her first workout video - encouraging millions of women to "go for the burn". She spoke to the BBC in 2...
The Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout
Publication Date: 2015-04-26
In April 1932, hundreds of walkers organised a mass trespass on a mountain in the English Peak District called Kinder Scout. The trespass was a major ...
The Iran Hostage Rescue Mission
Publication Date: 2015-04-23
On 24 April 1980, the US launched Operation Eagle Claw - a daring but ultimately disastrous attempt to free dozens of hostages held captive in the US ...
The Hunt for Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction
Publication Date: 2015-04-22
In April 1991 United Nations weapons inspectors were allowed into Iraq to search for Saddam Hussein's WMDs. Swedish diplomat Rolf Ekeus was in charge...
NATO bombs Serbian TV
Publication Date: 2015-04-21
In April 1999 Nato bombed the Serbian state TV station in Belgrade, killing 16 people. It was part of a military campaign to force Serbia to withdraw ...
The Death of Einstein
Publication Date: 2015-04-20
The Nobel prize winning physicist and father of the theory of relativity, Albert Einstein, died on 18th April 1955. Witness talks to the son of one of...
Carousel - The Musical
Publication Date: 2015-04-19
In April 1945 one of the most successful musicals of all time premiered on Broadway. Carousel, by Rodgers and Hammerstein was a huge hit and Jean Dar...
Oklahoma City Bombing
Publication Date: 2015-04-16
On April 19 1995 a huge truck bomb killed 168 people in a government building in the USA. There were 19 children among the dead. Dr David Tuggle was...
Joe Orton
Publication Date: 2015-04-15
In 1965 the young working class playwright burst onto the British theatre scene. But within 2 years he was dead - killed by his lover. Hear from Joe...
Bloods and Crips truce
Publication Date: 2015-04-14
In April 1992, the main black street gangs in Los Angeles started a historic truce. Aqeela Sherrills took part in peace negotiations in the Watts dist...
Train puts Letchworth Garden City on the Map
Publication Date: 2015-04-13
On April 15th 1905 a passenger train from London pulled into the world's first Garden City, Letchworth, putting it firmly on the map. The city was the...
The Khmer Rouge take power
Publication Date: 2015-04-12
In April 1975 the four-year rule of the brutal Khmer Rouge began in Cambodia. Up to two million people are thought to have died - many summarily execu...
Glenn Gould Retires
Publication Date: 2015-04-09
On 10 April 1964, the famously eccentric concert pianist Glenn Gould retired from live performance at the age of 31. One of the most celebrated pianis...
The ‘Death of a Princess’ film
Publication Date: 2015-04-08
The story of one of the most controversial British television films ever made. In April 1980, British television channel ITV screened ‘Death of a Prin...
India's State of Emergency
Publication Date: 2015-04-07
In 1975, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency to avoid a challenge to her political authority. Civil rights were suspende...
The Fall of Idi Amin
Publication Date: 2015-04-06
In 1979 Tanzanian troops invaded Uganda and ousted its brutal dictator. His downfall marked the end of a six month conflict between the two countries...
The Marshall Plan
Publication Date: 2015-04-02
On April 3 1948 US President Truman signed into law a plan to spend millions of dollars on rebuilding post-war Europe. The Marshall Plan was meant to ...
Tenerife Air Crash
Publication Date: 2015-04-01
In 1977 the worst air accident in history took place in Tenerife when two jumbo jets collided on a runway. Hear from Robert Bragg the co-pilot of the...
1943 Bengal Famine
Publication Date: 2015-03-31
In 1943, during the Second World War, famine struck Bengal in British-run India following the Japanese occupation of neighbouring Burma. No one knows ...
Unearthing the Terracotta Army
Publication Date: 2015-03-30
Discovered by chance by farmers digging a well, the secrets of the Qin Dynasty revealed after 2,000 years. We hear from the lead archaeologist respons...
Ireland Smoking Ban
Publication Date: 2015-03-29
In March 2004 Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. Many publicans feared it would hit their business hard. ...
The Beeching Report
Publication Date: 2015-03-25
In March 1963, the British government published the Beeching Report – a plan to radically cut the country’s railway network. Thousands of stations wer...
The John and Yoko Bed-in
Publication Date: 2015-03-24
In March 1969 John Lennon of the Beatles and his new wife, Yoko Ono, staged a bed-in for peace in the Amsterdam Hilton, lying in bed for six days and ...
A Cure for Tuberculosis
Publication Date: 2015-03-23
Professor Denny Mitchison was a pioneer in the search for a cure for tuberculosis. It was once one of the biggest killers in the world. Up until the 1...
The Invention of the Black Box
Publication Date: 2015-03-22
The story of the Black Box flight recorder and the man behind it, an inventive Australian fuels scientist, David Warren. (Photo: Scientist David Wa...
Algeria's War of Independence
Publication Date: 2015-03-19
In March 1962, France signed a ceasefire with Algerian nationalists ending one of the most bitter struggles against colonial rule of the 20th Century....
Escape from East Berlin
Publication Date: 2015-03-18
How a young West German student helped East Berliners escape Communism at the height of the Cold War. Volker Heinz worked with a Syrian diplomat to sm...
Golda Meir
Publication Date: 2015-03-17
In March 1969, Golda Meir became Israel's first female prime minister. Witness speaks to her great-niece Alice Golembo. (Photo: Golda Meir. Credit...
The Biggest Art Heist in US History
Publication Date: 2015-03-16
In 1990, thieves in police uniform bluffed their way into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston stealing 13 works of art worth an estimated $5...
British Theatre Trial
Publication Date: 2015-03-15
In 1982 a British director found himself in a court battle over sex and nudity on stage. Michael Bogdanov had directed 'The Romans in Britain' which d...
Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy
Publication Date: 2015-03-12
In the late 1960s, JFK's widow had a secret romance with the Greek shipping magnate who was then the world's richest man. Witness speaks to Nico Masto...
Suite Francaise
Publication Date: 2015-03-11
As the film of the best-selling book by Irene Nemirovksy, Suite Francaise, is released in cinemas this week, Witness hears the extraordinary story of ...
Kosovo Killings
Publication Date: 2015-03-10
When Serb forces attacked the family home of Kosovo liberation fighter Adem Jashari, in March 1998, more than 50 people were killed. Many of those who...
The Mysterious Death of an MP in Kenya
Publication Date: 2015-03-09
Kenyan MP Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, considered a possible future president, disappeared in mysterious circumstances in March 1975. His widow, Terry, tell...
Alexander McQueen
Publication Date: 2015-03-08
In 1995, the London designer, Alexander McQueen, shocked the fashion world with a collection that featured kilts, low-slung trousers and acres of nake...
The German Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Publication Date: 2015-03-05
On the morning of 15 March 1939, Hitler sent his troops into Czechoslovakia. From the BBC archives, we hear the account of a British newspaper journal...
Stalin's Interpreter
Publication Date: 2015-03-04
Josef Stalin died on 5 March 1953. Valentin Berezhkov was his translator - at the Russian leader's side for negotiations with Hitler, Roosevelt and Ch...