BBC Radio Podcasts from Witness History: Archive 2014

Witness History: Archive 2014

The Biggest Rock Concert Ever

Rod Stewart played to an audience of 4 million on Copacabana beach on New Year's Eve 1994

The Beginning of Reality TV

A young Dutch man won the first ever Big Brother reality TV show in December 1999

The Casa Pia Scandal in Portugal

How allegations of sexual abuse at a well-known children's home shocked Portugal

The Battle of the Bulge

The last major German attack on the Western Allies in World War II, Winter 1944

Radio Caroline

In 1964 a 'pirate' radio station began broadcasting from a ship off the coast of England

The Christmas Truce

On Christmas Eve 1914, British and German soldiers exchanged gifts and sang carols

Two Years Living up a Tree

Julia Butterfly Hill lived in an ancient redwood tree for 738 days to protect it

Nepal Peace Deal

In 2006 the Nepalese government and Maoists signed a peace accord ending 10 years of war

The Disappearance of Glenn Miller

American bandleader Glenn Miller went missing over the English Channel in December, 1944

The US Breaks Ties with Cuba

President Eisenhower broke relations with Cuba and closed the American Embassy in 1961

Goan Independence

In December 1961, Goa became the last part of India to break free of colonial rule

The Timisoara Uprising

Protests which led to the collapse of communism in Romania began on 16 December 1989

Gone With The Wind

The premiere of one of the most successful films ever made on 15 December 1939

Baboon Aids Experiment

Aids patient Jeff Getty was given a bone marrow transplant from a baboon in December 1995

The Kyoto Protocol

In December 1997, the first global treaty on greenhouse gas emissions was agreed in Kyoto

Miles Davis and Kind of Blue

Drummer Jimmy Cobb recalls playing on Kind of Blue, the most successful jazz album ever

The Hunt for BRCA2

The frantic search for one of the hereditary 'breast cancer genes'

The 'Execution' of Oliver Cromwell

In 1661 the body of the British ruler Oliver Cromwell was dug up for ritual execution

The Holiday Inn in Beirut

During the Lebanese civil war the hotel district in Beirut became a battlefield.

The Release of Terry Anderson

Journalist Terry Anderson was freed after being held hostage in Beirut

Britain's First Woman MP

On this day 100 years ago Lady Nancy Astor was elected to British parliament

The Berkeley Free Speech Movement

How California students won the right to demonstrate on university property

The Hong Kong Riots of 1967

Striking workers and students filled the streets calling for an end to British rule.

The Destruction of the Bridge at Mostar, Bosnia

The famous landmark the old Ottoman bridge was destroyed in the Balkans War in 1993

Australia's Rabbit Plague

The battle against billions of rabbits devastating the Australian countryside

Kraftwerk

In November 1974, West German band Kraftwerk released their seminal album Autobahn

The Death of Yukio Mishima

What drove the Japanese writer and film-maker Yukio Mishima to kill himself?

India's Eton

In 1935 India's Doon School opened, producing prime ministers, authors and businessmen

The Death of Quentin Crisp

The flamboyant gay author of The Naked Civil Servant died on 21 November, 1999

The Nuremberg Trials

The story of the only surviving American prosecutor at the Nuremberg war crimes trials

Saddam Hussein Trial

In November 2006 Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death in a Baghdad courtroom

President Mitterrand's Secret Second Family

In 1994, a French magazine revealed that President Mitterrand had a secret daughter

The Murder of El Salvador's Jesuits

The shocking killings that became a turning point in the Salvadorean civil war.

Botswana Diamond Discovery

Manfred Marx discovery in the Kalahari transformed Botswana's economy after independence

The Killing of Rohana Wijeweera

The death of left-wing, Sri Lankan rebel, Rohana Wijeweera in government custody in 1989

Rhodesia Declares Independence

This act by the white minority government in 1965, led to a decade of war

The Destruction of Iraq's Marshes

In the 1990s Saddam Hussein oversaw the destruction of southern Iraq's ancient marshes

Spies in Suburbia

A Soviet spy ring was uncovered operating from a London bungalow in 1961

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Hear from two East Germans who were among the first to cross on 9 November, 1989

The Disappearance of Lord Lucan

The criminal mystery as told by the son of the murdered nanny

Shoot

Performance artist Chris Burden was filmed as a friend shot him in the arm.

Freud's Interpretation of Dreams

In November 1899, Sigmund Freud published a book called The Interpretation of Dreams.

Jane Goodall and Chimpanzees

In 1960 a young Englishwoman made a discovery that changed our understanding of animals

British Forces in Afghanistan

Hear from an Afghan who worked alongside UK troops in Afghanistan.

The 1973 Oil Crisis

In October 1973, an Arab oil embargo caused world oil prices to rocket

The Assassination of Indira Gandhi

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot by her bodyguards on 31 October, 1984

New York Jewel Heist

In Oct 1964 cat-burglars carried out one of the most audacious jewel robberies ever

The October War

In 1973, the Arabs launched an attack on Israel in a war both sides claimed they'd won

The Murder that Shocked Brazil

In October 1975 the journalist Vladimir Herzog was killed by the secret police in Brazil.

Turkey and the Kurds

In 1999 the leader of Turkey's Kurdish rebel group was arrested

Ethiopia's 1984 Famine

In 1984 Ethiopia suffered one of its worst ever famines - the pictures shocked the world

The Death of Dele Giwa

In October 1986, the acclaimed Nigerian journalist, Dele Giwa, was assassinated in Lagos

The Vagina Monologues

In 1996 the play 'The Vagina Monologues was first performed in New York.

London Dock Strike of 1889

In 1889 London's despised dockers went on strike. It went on to form the labour movement

The Leipzig Demonstrations

Mass demonstrations in Leipzig triggered the collapse of communism in East Germany

The Fall of Nikita Khrushchev

In October 1964 the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was ousted in a Kremlin coup

The Band that Made The Beatles

In 1957 Lennon and McCartney performed together for the first time in The Quarrymen

Handing Over Hong Kong

The negotiations that promised 'One country two systems' when the territory changed hands

Climate Change: the Early Years

An international conference in 1985 changed the history of climate change

The Death of Che Guevara

A prominent figure in the Cuban Revolution, Guevara was captured and killed in Bolivia

The Boer War 1899-1902

The conflict between white Afrikaner settlers and the British empire in South Africa

Sabotage of Nazi Nuclear Programme

In October 1942 Norwegian commandos began a series of raids on a heavy water plant

Willie Nelson's Farm Aid

Country music legend Willie Nelson holds the first benefit concert for American farmers.

Japan's Bullet Train

In October 1964, Japan launched the fastest train the world had ever seen

The world's first civil union

In 1989, Denmark became the first country to celebrate same-sex civil unions

The Death of James Dean

On 30 September 1955 the Hollywood actor, James Dean, crashed his car and died

The Taliban take Kabul

In September 1996 the Taliban took over the Afghan capital Kabul

The Sinking of the 'Joola' Ferry

In 2002 the 'Joola' ferry sank off Senegal with the loss of more than 1800 lives

The Cuban Five

Five Cuban spies were arrested in Miami by the FBI in September 1998

Friends

The American TV show Friends hits TV screens

The World's First Hand Transplant

On 23 September 1998, Clint Hallam received the world's first hand transplant

The Overthrow of Bokassa

On 20 September 1979 the Central African dictator Jean Bedel-Bokassa left power

Black September

In 1970 the Jordanian military fought against the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

South Africa invades Lesotho

South Africa sent 600 soldiers into Lesotho to quell political unrest in September 1998

Los Topos - Mexico's Earthquake Rescuers

How an earthquake in Mexico City in 1985 led to the creation of an elite rescue group

Lord of the Flies

It is 60 years since William Golding's acclaimed novel was first published

Rabin and Arafat Shake Hands

In 1993, the Israeli prime minister and the PLO leader shook hands and made history

Voting Against the War on Terror

Three days after 9/11 Congresswoman Barbara Lee became the most hated woman in America

Flower of Scotland

How a 1968 song by the folk band, The Corries, became Scotland’s unofficial anthem

Sri Lanka Massacre

The massacre of 184 Tamils by the Sri Lankan army in 1990 during the country's civil war

DNA Fingerprinting

It is 30 years since a British scientist found out how to identify people by their DNA

Madame Mao

Mao Zedong died on 9 September 1976. His widow Jiang Qing wanted power after his death.

The Persecution of Pakistan's Ahmadiyya Sect

Pakistan declared that members of the Ahmadiyya sect were not Muslims in September 1974

Myanmar Currency Chaos

The crisis following the withdrawl of most circulating banknotes in Myanmar in 1987

Surviving Auschwitz

Kitty Hart-Moxon's story of how she survived two years in the notorious Nazi death camp

The Story of Dr Zhivago

How Boris Pasternak's great novel Dr Zhivago came to be published in the West .

Biba

A ground-breaking new boutique opened in Swinging London in September, 1964

World War One in Africa

Rare recordings of African veterans of WW1 in East Africa

The Last Outbreak of Smallpox

In the summer of 1978 a British woman became the last known victim of smallpox.

LSD Road Trip

Writer Ken Kesey and friends drove across America experimenting with LSD in summer 1964

The Death of Getulio Vargas

In 1954 the president of Brazil chose to die rather than submit to the military

Freckleton Air Disaster

A US Air Force plane crashed into an English village, killing 61 people in August 1944

The Betrayal of the Kurds

In 1975, Iran and America abandon the Iraqi Kurds in their fight against Saddam Hussein

Partition

British India was divided into two new countries - India and Pakistan - in August 1947

The Liberation of Paris

French and US forces freed Paris from German occupation in August 1944

Zimbabwe's Rebel Writer

Zimbabwean writer Dambudzo Marechera died of an AIDS-related illness on 18 August 1987

Carlos the Jackal

The terrorist 'Carlos the Jackal' was arrested in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, in 1994

The Plot to Kill Franco

The Scottish anarchist and the plot to kill General Franco

The Wizard of Oz

The cast and crew remember one of the most popular Hollywood musicals of all time

The Supremes

The Supremes had their first hit 'Baby Love' in August 1964, 50 years ago

Marooned in Stalin's Russia

How thousands of Polish citizens tried to flee the USSR after being freed in August 1941

Internment in Northern Ireland

In 1971 the British Army detained hundreds of suspects without trial in Northern Ireland.

The Resignation of President Nixon

On 8 August 1974 Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign.

Lindow Man

In 1984, the 2000 year old remains of a man were found preserved in a peat bog in England

Japanese Prisoner Breakout

On 5 Aug 1944, hundreds of Japanese prisoners attempted the largest breakout of WW2.

The Mississippi Burning Case

On 4 Aug 1964 the bodies of three murdered civil rights workers were found in Mississippi

The Warsaw Uprising

On 1 August 1944, resistance fighters in the Polish capital rose up against German forces

Martha Stewart in Jail

A fellow prisoner recalls how the American TV celebrity survived five months behind bars

Christian: The Lion From London

In 1969 two young Australians bought a lion cub in Harrods and raised it in London

The World's First Jet Airliner

In July 1949, the British-built de Havilland Comet took off for the first time

The Outbreak of World War One

Eyewitness accounts from the archives of the start of war in the summer of 1914

Purple Rain

It's 30 years since the release of the film Purple Rain, starring musician Prince

The First Palestinian Intifada

In 1987, the first Palestinian uprising, or intifada, started in Gaza

The Last Days of British Rule in India

In summer 1947 India declared independence after hundreds of years of British rule.

The Killing of Miguel Angel Blanco

In 1997 a young Spanish politician was murdered by the Basque separatist group ETA

Attack on Argentina's Jews

In 1994 a bomb exploded in Argentina killing 85 people at a Jewish centre

The Plot to Kill Hitler

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg attempted to kill Adolf Hitler on 20 July, 1944

Turkey Invades Cyprus

In July 1974 Turkish troops invaded the island of Cyprus

The Fall of General Somoza

In July 1979 left-wing rebels toppled the last member of the Somoza dynasty in Nicaragua.

The Chappaquiddick Incident

In July 1969, Edward Kennedy was involved in a car accident in which a young woman died

The Death of Frida Kahlo

On 13 July 1954, the celebrated Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, died at the age of 47

Pablo Neruda

The great Latin American poet was born in a remote town in southern Chile in July 1904

The Srebrenica Massacre

Bosnian Serb troops murdered thousands of Bosnian Muslim men and boys in July 1995

The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior

On 9 July 1985 the Greenpeace campaign ship was bombed by French secret agents

The Death of Kim Il Sung

It is 20 years since the death of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung

The Storming of the Red Mosque

When militants took over a mosque in Islamabad, troops were sent in to end the siege

Iraq's Awakening Movement

Sunni tribal militia turned on Al Qaeda in Iraq and began working with US forces In 2006

Artek - the Soviet Holiday Camp

Every year, thousands of Soviet children visited the holiday camp Artek by the Black Sea

Oklahoma: The Musical

In World War Two an optimistic musical about American rural life became a hit on Broadway

Abuse at Abu Ghraib: the Iraqi view

Two Iraqi, Abu Ghraib detainees recall their experiences inside the American-run prison

Britain's Serial Murderers

In 1994 Fred and Rosemary West were charged with a series of gruesome murders in England.

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire was killed in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914

The Start of Computer Dating

In 1965 a pioneering computer dating scheme, Operation Match, launched in the USA.

'Lidice Shall Die'

The destruction of the village of Lidice in German-occupied Czechoslovakia in June 1942

Albanian Illegal Immigrants

In the summer of 1991 thousands of Albanians commandeered cargo ships to take them Italy

1954 Burma Hijack

In June 1954 separatist Karen rebels in Burma hijacked a passenger plane.

The River That Caught Fire

In 1969 the Cuyahoga River in the US caught fire inspiring new laws for the enviroment

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

The passing of the Civil Rights Act through the United States Congress 50 years ago

The Mysterious Life and Loves of a Russian Baroness

Russian aristocrat Moura Budberg lived through turbulent times. But was she a Soviet spy?

Burying a Hungarian Hero

In 1989 the body of Imre Nagy, Prime Minister during the Hungarian uprising, was reburied

The OJ Simpson Car Chase

In June 1994 police chased the American football star through Los Angeles

Brazil's Tropicalia Movement

Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso on the 1960s movement that changed Brazilian music

The Fusca - The Car that Charmed Brazil

How the Brazilian version of the VW Beetle won a special place in the nation's heart

The Murder that Shocked Brazil

In June 2002 investigative journalist, Tim Lopes, was brutally killed by a Rio drug gang

Building of Brasilia

How Brazil opened a modernist capital city in its remote central plains in 1960

War of Canudos in Brazil

How troops crushed a rebellion by peasants in the arid backlands of north-east Brazil

Broadcasting D-Day

Original BBC reports of the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France, 6 June 1944

The Death of Alan Turing

It is 60 years since the great British mathematician died.

The Tiananmen Square Massacre

In June 1989 the Chinese authorities crushed a huge pro-democracy protest in Beijing.

Native American Occupation Of Alcatraz

In June 1971, an 18-month long occupation of Alcatraz by Native Americans came to an end.

The Nepali Royal Massacre

In June 2001 the Crown Prince of Nepal killed his parents and other members of his family

The Fall of Addis Ababa

In May 1991 rebels took control of Ethiopia's capital ending decades of war

Britain's first women's refuge

In 1971 the first refuge for women escaping domestic violence opened in Britain.

Monkeys in Space

For the first time America sends two monkeys into space and brings them back alive.

The Death of Nehru

In May 1964 India's first prime minister and the man who led India to independence died.

The MIT Blackjack Scam

In the 1990s teams of elite American students won millions by card counting in casinos

The Pope and the Jews

In April 1986 Pope John Paul II made a historic visit to a Rome synagogue

Saving Russia's Soldiers in Chechnya

In May 1995 thousands of young Russian conscripts were battling separatists in Chechnya

Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi

The assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi

Uprising in South Korea

South Korean military put down a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju in May 1980

The Trisakti Shootings, Indonesia 1998

Police killed students protesting against President Suharto, triggering days of riots

The Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa

Steve Biko led the Black Consciousness Movement before he was killed in police custody

Jailed for Speaking his Mind in China

In 1957 Chairman Mao encouraged criticism of Communism, soon after he jailed thousands

Mods and Rockers

How thousands of youths from rival gangs clashed at the resort of Brighton in 1964

Fleeing Hitler on the St Louis

In May 1939 more than 900 Jews fled Nazi Germany aboard a luxury cruise liner

Willy Brandt's Spy Scandal

In May 1974, the West German chancellor resigned after an aide was revealed as a spy

Abba Win Eurovision

The Swedish group made it to international pop stardom with their song Waterloo in 1974

The Execution of Habib Elghanian

The shooting of a prominent Jewish businessman in post-revolution Iran on 9 May 1979

Paul Robeson's Comeback Concert

In May 1958 the great African-American singer performed at Carnegie Hall

Once I was President of Crimea

Yuri Meshkov, who was once the president of Crimea, remembers his removal from office

The Crow

In 1994, 'The Crow' was released, despite lead actor Brandon Lee dying during filming.

The Sinking of the Belgrano

In May 1982 the Argentine cruiser the General Belgrano was sunk by British torpedoes

Mao's Long March

In 1934 Mao Zedong led tens of thousands of his followers on an epic march across China

Abuse at Abu Ghraib

In April 2004, photographs emerged showing American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners

The Death of Mussolini

The fascist dictator Benito Mussolini is killed and his body strung up in a Milan square

The Port Arthur Massacre

In April 1996, a lone gunman killed 35 people in the Australian town of Port Arthur.

The Frontier Gandhi

A British officer's description of the Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre

The Carnation Revolution in Portugal

How a coup by rebel army officers led the way to democracy in Portugal on 25 April, 1974

Mugabe Becomes Zimbabwe's Leader

In April 1980, Robert Mugabe became the first prime minister of Zimbabwe

The Fall of Senator McCarthy

In April 1954, anti-communist US Senator McCarthy was investigated by the government

The Greek Military Coup

In April 1967, seven years of military dictatorship began in Greece.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Cuban exiles backed by the US government tried to overthrow Fidel Castro in April 1961

Easter in the USSR

Memories of celebrating Easter in the USSR where religious freedoms were suppressed

The Legalisation of Solidarity

The Polish trade union Solidarity was legalised once again in April 1989

North Korea Train Explosion

The explosion at a station in North Korea that killed around 170 people in April 2004

Segregation in California

How one family helped overturn racial segregation in schools in California.

Polio Vaccine Discovered

American scientists announced they had an effective vaccine against polio in April 1955

The Fall of Idi Amin 1979

In April 1979 the brutal Ugandan ruler, Idi Amin, was ousted by invading Tanzanian forces

Georgia's Struggle for Independence

Soviet troops crushed a mass demonstration in Georgia's capital Tbilisi on 9 April,1989

Marian Anderson Sings at the Lincoln Memorial

The great American contralto sings to a huge crowd in Washington DC on 9 April, 1939

The Rwandan Genocide

The mass killing of minority ethnic Tutsis in Rwanda began on 7 April,1994

The Quit India Movement

Gandhi's call to all Indians to rise up in non-violent resistance to British rule in 1942

The Windsors In Exile

Life in Paris for Duke and Duchess of Windsor, formerly Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson

The Kidnap and Murder of Axel Blumberg

In April 2004 the death of a 23-year-old student provoked a wave of protests in Argentina

The BBC Spaghetti Hoax

In 1957 the BBC played an April Fool's joke on the British public.

The Murder of Selena Quintanilla-Perez

On March 31 1995, rising Latino superstar Selena was shot dead by her fan club manager.

The First Outbreak of the Ebola Virus

Almost 300 people died before the outbreak in Zaire in 1976 was eventually contained

The Conviction of Jack Kevorkian

In March 1999, US doctor Jack Kevorkian was convicted for performing euthanasia

The First Democratic Elections in the USSR

In March 1989, Soviet citizens were given a chance to vote for non-communists candidates

Maori Song Rocks New Zealand

How Poi E became the first Maori language song to reach number one in New Zealand

Missing Plane Mystery

In 1947 a passenger plane vanished without trace, only to reappear 53 years later

Uganda Cult Deaths

Hundreds of doomsday cult members were found murdered in Uganda in March 2000

The Development of the First AIDS Drug

AZT was approved within two years, the fastest approval in US history at the time

A Failed Royal Kidnapping

Princess Anne escaped a kidnap attempt by a lone gunman in London in March 1974

Germany's Guest Workers

In the 1960s foreign workers were invited to power the country's economic regeneration

The Torrey Canyon Disaster

An oil tanker hit the rocks off the the south-west coast of England in March 1967

1989 and the Lebanese Civil War

Fighting intensified in the Lebanese capital Beirut in March 1989

Taiwan '228 Incident'

In 1947, Chiang Kai-Shek's Chinese nationalist troops killed 20,000 civilians in Taiwan

The Creation of Barbie

The woman who created the most famous doll in the world - Barbie

The Madrid Train Bombings

The bombing of commuter trains in Spain's capital that killed 191 people and injured 1800

Suffragette Art Attack

In 1914 a suffragette attacked a painting in London's National Gallery with a cleaver

Ghana Veterans and the 1948 Accra Riots

In 1948 Ghana was rocked by riots following the killing of Ghanaian WW2 veterans

Soviet Mission to Halley's Comet

In 1986, two Soviet space probes intercepted Halley's Comet

The Miss World Protest

In 1970 feminists stormed the stage at the Miss World pageant in London.

British Miners' Strike

In March 1984, coal miners across the UK went on strike over planned pit closures

The Maharishi's World Tour

In spring 1959, an Indian guru toured the world teaching Transcendental Meditation.

Hugo Chavez's First Coup

Left-leaning army officers staged an unsuccessful coup in Venezuela in February 1992

The Downfall of Jean-Bertrand Aristide

In February 2004 the president of Haiti was forced out of power by a countrywide uprising

The Khrushchev Thaw

In the 1950s Soviet citizens were allowed to buy tape recorders for the first time.

Spitting Image

In February 1984 an outrageous satirical puppet show hit British television screens

Stalin's 1944 Deportations

How nearly half a million Chechen and Ingush people were deported from the North Caucasus

Protests for the Mother Tongue

In February 1952 thousands marched in Dhaka in defence of the Bengali language

The Fall of Albania's Enver Hoxha

In February 1991 protesters pulled down the giant statue of Albania's communist dictator.

The Death of Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping's translator, Victor Gao remembers the architect of China's transformation

The True Story of "Whisky Galore"

In February 1941, a ship carrying nearly 30,000 cases of whisky was wrecked in Scotland.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

The rise and fall of a New York graffiti artist

Fighting the Contras

Sandinista 'Daniel Alegria' on the brutal fight with US-backed Contra rebels in Nicaragua

The Exile of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

On 13 February 1974 the Russian dissident writer was sent into exile in the West

Women and the Iranian Revolution

In 1979, the Islamic Revolution changed Iranian women's lives forever.

The Search for Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction

In 2004, the US began to realise Saddam Hussein may not have been stockpiling WMDs

The Buildup to World War Two

In 1939 tension was growing in Europe, over Nazi Germany's expansionist plans

Beatlemania

On 7 February 1964 the pop group the Beatles were met by hysterical crowds in the USA

War Brides

In 1946 tens of thousands of British women went to Canada on the first 'war brides' ship

Colossus: the World's First Electronic Computer

In February 1944, the first electronic computer began attacking coded Nazi messages

The Death of Chinese Cockle Pickers

In February 2004, 23 Chinese immigrants drowned off the coast of north-west England

The Georgian-Abkhaz War

In 1992 a war erupted in the separatist Georgian territory of Abkhazia

American Football and Brain Injuries

The death of former NFL star Mike Webster led to questions about safety in 2002

US Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Cuba

In January 1961, the US closed down its embassy in Cuba and withdrew all diplomatic staff

Gay Pride in Russia

In 2006, Russian activists broke the law to stage the first gay pride march in Moscow.

The Cairo Fire 1952

In January 1952 hundreds of buildings were deliberately set ablaze in downtown Cairo

WW2, the Holocaust and Rome

In 1943, Rome's Jewish citizens were promised safety if they gave gold to the Nazis.

The Creation of Modern Nigeria in 1914

Rare archive recordings of people who lived through the unification of Nigeria in 1914

The Execution of Ted Bundy

In January 1989, US serial killer Ted Bundy was executed by electric chair in Florida

The Siege of Leningrad

In January 1944 the WW2 blockade of Leningrad finally ended after almost 900 days

World's First Nuclear-Powered Submarine

The world's first nuclear-powered submarine was launched on 21st January 1954.

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment

The WW2 attempt to understand how best to care for starving civilians in war-torn Europe

The Battle of Monte Cassino

The allies launched a major offensive against the Germans in Italy in January 1944

The First Battle of Fallujah

In 2004, US forces began battling insurgents based in the Iraqi city of Fallujah

Nigeria's First Coup

In 1966 a small group of Nigerian army officers launched the country's first ever coup

Jimi Hendrix

The guitarist's girlfriend on his electrifying performances and their life off-stage

Soviet Lithuania Crackdown

In 1991, pro-independence Lithuanians took to the streets of Vilnius against Soviet tanks

Mother Teresa

The young nun who would become Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta in 1929

The Panama Flag Riots

In 1964 violence erupted in Panama, prompted by a dispute over the American flag.

Twelve Years A Slave

Solomon Northup was born a free man in America but kidnapped into slavery in the South

Impeachment of President Clinton

In 1999, Bill Clinton was tried by the US Senate over his relationship with an intern

Albert Camus

One of France's most famous writers was killed in a car crash on 4 January, 1960

Lord Haw Haw - Britain's Most Hated WW2 Traitor

On the 3rd of January 1946 Britain's most famous wartime traitor was hanged.

The Longest Ever Raft Journey

The Las Balsas expedition saw 12 men set off on three rafts across the Pacific Ocean

The Zapatista Uprising in Mexico

Armed indigenous rebels seized towns in Chiapas, Mexico, on New Year's Day in 1994