An hour of historical reporting told by the people who were there.
The History Hour podcast is a fantastic show that provides listeners with in-depth knowledge and captivating stories about historical events. As someone who has lived in both the UK and US, I appreciate how this podcast delves deeper into the topics, helping me understand the factors that led up to these events. The hosts do a great job of presenting quick and interesting stories, making it an enjoyable and informative experience.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is its ability to provide a fair and factual view of history. It highlights major historical events as well as lesser-known ones, giving listeners a comprehensive understanding of different periods. Moreover, the podcast also explores important aspects such as women's history, disability history, and gay history, which adds depth to the narrative and ensures inclusivity. The storytelling is excellent, keeping listeners engaged while providing them with valuable information.
However, there are a few downsides to this podcast. Occasionally, there are technical issues where episodes may not load properly or skip certain parts. While these issues are minor in comparison to the overall quality of the program, they can be frustrating for listeners who want to fully enjoy each episode.
In conclusion, The History Hour is an excellent podcast for history enthusiasts. It offers a deep dive into historical events, presenting them in an engaging manner that keeps listeners hooked throughout. Despite occasional technical glitches, the quality and factual nature of this podcast make it one of the best options out there for those seeking a comprehensive understanding of various periods in history. Highly recommended for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge and appreciation for historical events.
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service, all related to trains and journeys which have helped to shape our world.Our guest Nicky Gardner, travel writer and co-author of Europe by Rail: the Definitive Guide, discusses the origins of train travel. The first story involved the hijacking of a train in 1950s communist Czechoslovakia which was driven across the border into West Germany.We also hear about Senator Robert Kennedy's funeral train in 1960s America, and Italy's "happiness train", which took children from the poverty stricken south to wealthier families in the north.Contributors - Archive interview with Karel Ruml. Frank Mankiewicz - Robert Kennedy's former press secretary, and Rosey Grier, his former bodyguard. Bianca D'Aniello - a passenger on the “happiness train”. June Cutchins - received gifts from the Gratitude Train. Tomas Andreas Elejalde - general manager of the Medellin Metro.(Photo: People stand near railroad tracks as a train carries the body of Robert Kennedy on June 8, 1968. Credit: Steve Northrup/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.This programme includes outdated and offensive language.It's 50 years since the original Jaws film was released in cinemas across America. The movie premiered on 20 June 1975. Our guest is Jenny He, senior exhibitions curator at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. She tells us about the history of this blockbuster movie. We also hear from Carl Gottlieb, who co-wrote the screenplay.Also, the story of the women who were forcibly detained in sexual health clinics across East Germany, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, and the 1964 civil rights swimming protest that ended when acid was poured into the pool.Finally, the horrific account of Polly Sheppard who was a survivor of the Charleston church shooting in South Carolina, USA in 2015.Contributors: Carl Gottlieb - Jaws co-writer. Jenny He - senior exhibitions curator at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Sabine - one of the women forcibly detained and abused in a sexual health clinic in East Germany. Archive of William Norman Ewer - journalist who attended the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Archive of JT Johnson and Mimi Jones -activists in a civil rights swimming protest . Polly Sheppard- survivor of the Charleston Church shooting.This programme contains movie excerpts from the 1975 film which was a Universal Picture, a Zanuck/Brown production and directed by Steven Spielberg. (Photo: Steven Spielberg on the set of the film 'Jaws' in 1975. Credit: Archive Photos/Stringer)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dolly Jørgensen, Professor of History at the University of Stavanger in Norway and a specialist in the history of extinction.We start in 2012 with the death of a famous Galapagos tortoise called Lonesome George, who was the last of his species.Then, the incredible tale of how an Irish priest, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, saved thousands of prisoners of war and Jews in Rome during World War 2.We hear how the Sino-Indian War of 1962 left a painful legacy for Indian families of Chinese descent.Plus, one of the signatories of the Schengen Agreement recalls the day it was signed in 1985.Finally, Ronald Reagan's former speechwriter looks back on the President's 1987 'Tear down this wall' speech, delivered in Berlin.Contributors: Dolly Jørgensen - Professor of History at the University of Stavanger. James Gibbs - Vice President of Science and Conservation at the Galapagos Conservancy. Hugh O'Flaherty - relative of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. Joy Ma - Indian woman of Chinese descent born in the Deoli camp. Robert Goebbels - signed the Schengen Agreement. Peter Robinson - US President Reagan's former speechwriter.(Photo: Lonesome George the tortoise. Credit: Rodrigo Buendia/AFP Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.Our guest is Dr Jeni Millard, a science presenter, astrophysicist and astronomer. First, how two astronomers announced they had discovered the first two planets outside our solar system.Then, German twins Frederik and Gerrit Braun on building Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, which is now a world-famous destination visited by celebrities like Adele and Sir Rod StewartAnd in 1949, South Africa's first feature film, Jim Comes to Jo'burg, also known as African Jim, aimed at black audiences was released, launching Dolly Rathebe's career.Finally, how a goal kick in 1970, meant to pick out a striker, instead hit and killed a seagull in a Dutch football match. The dead bird was later stuffed and now resides in the club's museum.Contributors:Alex Wolszczan - astronomer Dale Frail - astronomer Roland Reisley - resident of Usonia Dolly Rathebe - actor Eddy Treijtel - goalkeeper(Photo: A gull on a football pitch. Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dr Nivi Manchanda, a reader in international politics at Queen Mary University in London.First, a moment when two cultures clashed in 1985 at Stonehenge.We hear about an English language novel from 1958, called Things Fall Apart.Then, the 1992 creation of the iconic Champions League anthem.Plus, how police raided the popular but controversial file-sharing website The Pirate Bay in 2006.Finally, how Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip went on one final tour, after their guitarist was given months to live in 2015.Contributors: Helen Hatt - one of more than 500 people arrested at the Battle of the Beanfield. Dr Nivi Manchanda - reader in international politics at Queen Mary University in London. Nwando Achebe - Chinua Achebe's youngest daughter. Tony Britten - composer of the Champions League anthem. Peter Sunde - co-founder of The Pirate Bay. Rob Baker - lead guitarist in the Tragically Hip.(Photo: Stonehenge protests. Credit: PA/PA Archive/PA Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. The expert guest is Dr Mirjam Brusius, a research fellow in colonial and global history at the German Historical Institute.First, we hear about Martín Chambi - Peru's pioneering documentary photographer.Then Amaize Ojeikere talks about his father, JD 'Okhai' Ojeikere, who created an iconic collection revealing the elaborate ways African women styled their hair.Plus, the story of Magnum Photos – the picture agency started up by World War Two photographers.And, Vivian Maier, the nanny who - since her death - has been hailed as one of the best street photographers of the 20th century.Finally, the mystery behind Lunch Atop a Skyscraper – the famous photograph showing 11 ironworkers eating lunch nearly 70 storeys high.Contributors:Roberto Chambi – grandson of photographer Martín Chambi Dr Mirjam Brusius - research fellow in colonial and global history at the German Historical Institute Amaize Ojeikere – son of photographer JD 'Okhai' Ojeikere Christine Roussel – Rockefeller Center archivist Jinx Rodger - widow of George Rodger, one of the founders of Magnum Photos Inge Bondi - Magnum Photos employee(Photo: Two books of photographs in the exhibition 'Martin Chambi and his contemporaries'. Credit: Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dr Elizabeth Abbott, writer, historian and author of the book, "Sugar: A Bittersweet History".First, we confront the dark history of sugar. We hear how a researcher in the 1990s uncovered the unethical aspects of Sweden's Vipeholm experiments in the 1940 which led to new recommendations for children to eat sweets just once a week.And, how Mexico, a country which had one of the highest rates of fizzy drink consumption in the world, approved a tax on sugary soft drinks in 2013. Then an event which shaped the second half of the last century - On 14 May 1955, the leader of the Soviet Union and Heads of State from seven European countries met to sign the Warsaw Pact.Plus, the story of how two rival electricity pioneers, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison brought electricity to the world. Finally, we hear from Finnish singer Marion Rung on winning the 1980 Intervision Song Contest, the USSR's answer to Eurovision. Contributors: Dr Elin Bommenel - academic Dr Simon Barquera - director of health and nutrition research at The Institute for Public Health of Mexico Dr Elizabeth Abbott - writer and historian Otto Grotewohl - German politician Mark Seifer - biographer of Nikola Tesla William Terbo - relative of Nikola Tesla Marion Rung - Finnish winner of Intervision song contest 1980(Photo: sugar cubes and fizzy drinks, Credit: Anthony Devlin/Press Association)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Rubina Raja, professor of classical archaeology and art at Aarhus University in Denmark.First, we go back to May 2015, when the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria was about to fall to Jihadist fighters and how of a group of men risked their lives to preserve the world-famous archaeology.Plus, the entrepreneur and engineer Yoshitada Minami and his wife Fumiko Minami who came up with a way to liberate women from two to three hours of housework a day through the invention of the rice cooker in 1955.Then the story of the sinking of the Lusitania, the British ocean liner sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland during the First World War.Also, celebrating 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe we dive into the BBC archives to listen to correspondents capturing the scenes of joy across London on VE day in 1945.Finally, how in 2000, keen cricketer Paul Hawkins wanted to turn his passion into innovation when he created the technology we now known as ‘HawkEye'.Contributors: Khalil Hariri - archaeology expert who worked at Palmyra's museum Rubina Raja - professor of classical archaeology and art at Aarhus University in Denmark Aiji Minami - son of Yoshitada and Fumiko Minami Margaret Hague Thomas – passenger on the Lusitania Leslie Morton – merchant seaman on the Lusitania Paul Hawkins – founder of ‘Hawkeye'(Photo: Palmyra. Credit: PHAS / Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service about the Vietnam War and the invention of the hugely popular mobile phone game, Snake. Don Anderson, a former BBC TV reporter during the final days of Vietnam, discusses the atmosphere in Saigon as the North Vietnamese forces closed in. We also hear about the network of tunnels in the south of the country which Viet Cong guerrillas built during the fighting. Finally, the former president of the European Commission and two-time prime minister of Italy, Romano Prodi on steering through the ten-state expansion of the European Union in 2004.Contributors:Le Van Lang - a Viet Cong veteran.Dr Xuan Dung Tran - a doctor in the South Vietnamese Marines. Don Anderson - former BBC TV reporter.Phạm Chi Lan - economist at Vietnam's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Romano Prodi - former president of the European Commission and two-time prime minister of Italy.Taneli Armanto - mobile phone game Snake, inventor.(Photo: Viet Cong soldier inside the Cu Chi tunnels. Credit: Dirck Halstead/Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is World War Two military historian and archivist Elisabeth Shipton. We start by concentrating on two events from the last year of the Second World War.Exercise Tiger took place in April 1944 in preparation for the D-Day landings of Allied forces in Normandy. But during that rehearsal a German fleet attacked and about 749 US servicemen died. We hear remarkable archive testimony from Adolf Hitler's secretary who witnessed his last days in a bunker in Berlin before he took his own life. Plus, 20 years since the video sharing platform, YouTube, was first launched.We hear about the apartheid-era production of the play Othello in South Africa, which broke racial boundaries.And finally, how in 1985, Coca-Cola messed up a reworking of the drink's classic formula.Contributors: Paul Gerolstein - survivor of Exercise Tiger (from archive audio gathered by Laurie Bolton, from the UK Exercise Tiger Memorial, and the journalist, David Fitzgerald).Traudl Junge - Adolf Hitler's secretary.Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen - on the start of YouTube.Dame Janet Suzman - on the staging of Othello in 1987.Mark Pendergrast - author.(Photo: US troops ahead of D-Day. Credit: Keystone/ Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. It's 50 years since soldiers of the communist Khmer Rouge party stormed into the capital, Phnom Penh. It was the start of a four year reign of terror which resulted in up to two million people being killed. We hear two stories from people affected by the regime. Our guest is journalist and author, Elizabeth Becker. She is one of the foremost authorities on the history of Cambodia, and one of the few westerners to have interviewed Pol Pot.The scientist who invented the white LED lightbulb in 1993 tells his story.Plus, the Bali Nine: young Australians facing the death penalty for drug smuggling and, Spain's historic link to World Book Day.Contributors:Youk Chang – lived through the Khmer Rouge regime Aki Ra - child soldier of Cambodia Elizabeth Becker – journalist and author Professor Shuji Nakamura – inventor of the white LED lightbulb Bishop Tim Harris – friend of one of the Bali Nine families Pere Vicens - book publisher and one of the creators of World Book Day(Photo: The fall of Phnom Penh in 1975. Credit: Roland Neveu/LightRocket via Getty Images)
8th May 1945 was a day of rejoicing in Britain, the US and many other countries: Germany had surrendered, and World War II was over, at least in Europe.Yet it was not a day of celebration for everyone: for the vanquished Germans, it marked the end of bombings and of Nazi rule. But it was also a time of deprivation and chaos, fear and soul-searching. Millions of ethnic Germans had fled their homes to escape the approaching Red Army. In this documentary, Lore Wolfson Windemuth, whose own father grew up under Nazi rule, unfolds the stories of six ordinary Germans who lived through that extraordinary time, through their memoirs and diaries. Amongst others, we hear from:Siegbert Stümpke, a 12-year-old schoolboy who was used as a runner by the German Wehrmacht in the final days of the war;Lore Ehrich, a young mother from East Prussia (now Poland) who had to flee with two small children across a frozen lagoon;Hans Rosenthal, who was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust hidden in a Berlin allotment colony before very nearly getting shot by the Soviet liberators;Melita Maschmann, who got hooked on Nazi ideology aged 15, became a youth leader and took years to acknowledge her share of the responsibility for the crimes committed by the National Socialists. Narrator: Lore Wolfson Windemuth Producer / Editor: Kristine Pommert Research: Katie HarrisA CTVC production for the BBC World Service.
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dr Katrin Paehler, Professor of modern European history at Illinois State University.First, a journalist describes how he accompanied Hitler through the embers of the Reichstag fire in 1933.Then, the harrowing recollections of a doctor who saved survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.Next, a woman describes how she was caught between her job and her clan during the UN's disastrous Somalia mission in the 1990s.A Liberian woman explains how she helped end the country's civil war.Finally, how Germany's 'death zone' became a natural paradise.Contributors:Sefton Delmer - British journalist at the Reichstag fire. Dr David Tuggle - surgeon at the Oklahoma City bombing. Halima Ismail Ibrahim - former UN worker in Somalia. Leymah Gbowee - Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace. Professor Kai Frobel - co-founder of Germany's 'Green Belt'.(Photo: Reichstag building on fire. Credit: Corbis via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear from the first woman to lead DC Comics - the home of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Jenette Kahn began turning the company around in the 1970s. Our expert is Dr Mel Gibson, associate professor at Northumbria University. She has carried out extensive research into comics and graphic novels.Next, Minda Dentler, the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the super-endurance Ironman World Championship in 2013, tells us about achieving her goal after contracting polio as a child.Then, the invention of the life-size training dummy Resusci Anne in the 1960s, which was designed to teach mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.The ghost town in Namibia that's slowly being buried by the desert after it was abandoned in the 1950s when the diamonds ran out.Finally, the accidental invention of superglue in 1951, which only became a big hit following an appearance on a US tv show.Contributors: Jenette Kahn - former President of DC Comics. Dr Mel Gibson - associate professor at Northumbria University. Minda Dentler - wheelchair athlete. Tore Lærdal - Executive Chairman of Lærdal Medical. Dieter Huyssen - grandson of an emigree to Kolmanskop in Namibia. Adam Paul - grandson of Dr Harry Coover, inventor of superglue.(Photo: Cover illustration for Action Comics with Superman, June 1938. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear about the historic moment in Nigerian politics when Goodluck Jonathan made a phone call to General Buhari marking the peaceful handover of power in 2015.Our expert is historian and creator of the Untold Stories podcast, Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, who takes us through Nigeria's political history in the leadup to the phone call that changed Nigeria.We find out about Harold Riley who was the only artist to ever be granted a sitting to paint Nelson Mandela and how the portrait was unveiled in 2005.Plus the moment co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, crashed Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 into a mountain killing 150 people on board in 2015.In 1991, when a Yugoslav People's Army Commander died in mysterious circumstances during the Croatian War of Independence. Finally, the creation of a new genre of music called Ethio-jazz in 1960s New York.Contributors:Dr Reuben Abati - one of Goodluck Jonathan's special advisers Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie - Historian and creator of the Untold Stories podcast Archive of Harold Riley - the only artist to be granted a sitting with Nelson Mandela General David Galtier - military person who led the Germanwings plane crash search operation Mulatu Astatke - musician and 'father of Ethio-jazz'Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo:Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari (L) speaks with outgoing president Goodluck Jonathan (R) Credit: Pool / Nigeria Presidency Press Office/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. This week we're looking at the history of space travel, including the 60th anniversary of the first ever space-walk by Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. Also, the speech that would have been given if the Apollo 11 astronauts didn't make their way back from the moon; the founding of the European Space Agency and how Brazil came back from tragedy to launch their fist successful rocket. The Sky at Night's Dr Ezzy Pearson joins us to tell us about the history of robot's in space and the Soviet Union's exploration of Venus. Contributors: Archive of Alexei Leonov – the first man to walk in space Dr Ezzy Pearson – Features Editor for the BBC's Sky at Night magazine Felix Palmerio – engineer for Brazil's space programme Archive of William Safire – speechwriter for US President Richard Nixon Bill Holland – former historian for NASA Andrea Amaldi – grandson of Edoardo Amaldi, one of the founding fathers of the European Space Agency(Photo: Alexei Leonov on his first space walk in 1965. Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We find out about the landmark protest in 1990 when wheelchair users crawled up the steps of the US Capitol Building in Washington DC, campaigning for disability rights.Our expert is Dr Maria Orchard, law lecturer at the University of Leeds, who has carried out research into disability and inclusion.We hear about the 2015 attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunisia's capital, in which 22 tourists were killed.Next, the Gambian woman who in 1997 began making bags and purses out of old discarded plastic and is now globally recognised as Africa's Queen of Recycling.The South African musical King Kong which opened to critical acclaim in 1959 and whose all-black cast defied apartheid.Finally, the invention of the Global Positioning System - GPS - in the late 1970s, which now keeps aircraft in the sky and supports banking transactions.Contributors:Anita Cameron - disability rights campaigner Dr Maria Orchard - lecturer in law at the University of Leeds Hamadi Ben Abdesslem - tour guide Isatou Ceesay - environmental campaigner Nelson Mandela - former President of South Africa Marian Matshikiza - daughter of Todd Matshikiza, jazz pianist and composer Professor Brad Parkinson - chief architect of GPS(Photo: 8 year-old Jennifer Keelan crawls up the steps of the US Capitol, 12 March 1990. Credit: AP/Jeff Markowitz)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.We find out how Sylvan Goldman's invention of the shopping trolley in 1930s America turned him into a multi-millionaire.Our expert is Rachel Bowlby, Professor of Comparative Literature at University College London, who is also the author of two books on the history of shopping.We hear about Toyota's military pick-up trucks that transformed the 1987 north African conflict between Chad and Libya.The 2015 migrant crisis in Europe which led to thousands of people setting-up camp in the French port of Calais.Next, how US forces invaded the Central American state of Panama in 1989 to depose General Manuel Noriega.And finally in 1965 at the height of the USA's civil rights struggle, the landmark legislation that was brought in to guarantee the rights of African Americans to vote.This programme contains outdated language which some people might find offensive.Contributors: Charles Kuralt – a journalist for CBS News Sylvan Goldman – inventor of the shopping trolley Rachel Bowlby - Professor of Comparative Literature at University College London Mahamat Saleh Bani - former officer in the Chadian Armed Forces Enrique Jelenszky – lawyer Jean-Marc Puissesseau - former President and Chairman of the Port of Calais C T Vivian – US minister George Wallace – former Governor of Alabama Lyndon B Johnson – former President of the United States(Photo: A woman pushing a shopping cart, 1949. Credit: Bettman via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.We hear about the moment Dr Max Perutz discovered the haemoglobin structure.Our expert is Professor Sir Alan Fersht, who is a chemist at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology and knew Dr Perutz personally.We also hear about 22 Inuit children from Greenland's indigenous population who were sent to Denmark as part of a social experiment in 1951.Also, when mixed-raced children from the then Belgian Congo known as ‘métis', were forcibly taken from their homes in 1953.When an eruption of violence in Assam led to an estimated 3,000 being killed in the Nellie massacre of 1983.Finally, the devastating impact of the 2010 tsunami in Chile and a woman who survived it.This programme contains outdated language which some people might find offensive.Contributors: Lectures and programmes from the BBC archive Professor Sir Alan Fersht - chemist at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology. Helen Thiesen - a child in Denmark's Inuit children social experiment. Marie-José Loshi - one of the mixed-race ‘métis' who was forcibly removed from her home in the then Belgian Congo. Bedabrata Lahkar - a journalist for the Assam Tribune newspaper at the time of the Nellie massacre. Alison Campbell - a survivor of Chile's 2010 tsunami.(Photo: Dr Max Perutz and Dr Paul Kedrew. Credit: Hulton Deutsch/Contributor via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.We hear about the death of one of the oldest languages in the world, when an 85 year old woman died and took it with her in 2010.Our expert guest is Dr Mandana Seyfeddinipur, who is the Head of the Endangered Languages Archive which endeavours to preserve languages that are disappearing at “an alarming rate.”We also hear about the historian who helped bring a former Stasi officer to justice decades after he killed a man.Also the moment Bolivia elected its first ever indigenous president in 2005.The Thai couple that broke the world record for the longest kiss twice.Plus, it's 60 years since the controversial black activist, Malcolm X was assassinated. We hear from a man who was in the audience in New York when it happened.This programme contains outdated and offensive language.Contributors: Dr Anvita Abbi – linguist who documented one of the oldest languages before it died Dr Mandana Seyfeddinipur – Head of the Endangered Languages Archive Dr Filip Gańczak – the historian who helped convict a former Stasi officer of murder Herman Ferguson who was in the audience when Malcolm X was assassinated Álvaro García Linera – Vice President of Bolivia under Evo Morales for 14 years Ekkachai – one half of the couple who broke the record for the world's longest kiss(Photo: Boa Senior in Hospital. Credit: Anvita Abbi)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. We discuss the 1992 speech given by Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating, in which he acknowledged the moral responsibility his government should bear for the horrors committed against Indigenous Australians, with our guest Dr Rebe Taylor from Tasmania University.We also look at two female orators from opposite ends of the political spectrum: Eva Peron, also known as Evita, from right-wing Argentina and Dolores Ibárruri, who was a communist and anti-fascist fighter in the Spanish Civil War. There are also two speeches from the USA, one which is remembered as one of the great presidential speeches of all time and another which help to change the view of AIDS in the country.Contributors: Don Watson - who wrote Paul Keating's Redfern speech in 1992.Dr Rebe Taylor - Australian historian from the University of Tasmania.Archive of Eva Peron - former first lady of Argentina. Mary Fisher - who addressed the Republican Party convention in 1992.David Eisenhower and Stephen Hess - Dwight Eisenhower's grandson and former speechwriter.Archive of Delores Ibárruri - former anti-fascist fighter in the Spanish Civil War.(Photo: Paul Keating Credit: Pickett/The Sydney Morning Herald/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is film critic and journalist Helen O'Hara who dissects what makes a cult film classic, after we hear about the making of the 1989 American film Heathers.We also learn about the French philosopher behind the theory of deconstruction and how the world first became aware of coral bleaching in the 1980s. As the climax of the American Football season approaches we look back at one of the most memorable moments from Super Bowl history. Contributors: Lisanne Falk - American star of the film Heathers.Helen O'Hara - film critic and journalist. Helene Cixous - lifetime friend of French philosopher Jacques Derrida.Agathe Hébras - granddaughter of Robert Hébras, survivor of the Oradour Massacre. Clive Wilkinson - the former co-ordinator for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.Osi Umenyiora - two-time Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants.(Photo: Winona Ryder, Kim Walker, Lisanne Falk, and Shannen Doherty on the set of Heathers 1988, New World Pictures/Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. We hear from 'wolf child' Luise Quietsch who was separated from her family and forced to flee East Prussia. Whilst trying to survive during World War Two, these children were likened to hungry wolves roaming through forests. Journalist and documentary filmmaker Sonya Winterberg who recorded the testimony of “wolf children” for her book, discusses the profound impact it had on their lives. We also hear about the first major series of English lessons which were broadcast on Chinese television in 1981. A former student recalls the series of unprecedented teachers' strikes which temporarily shut down most of New York schools in the late 1960s.Plus the deadly attack at Milltown Cemetery which took place during the funeral of three IRA members.Finally we head to Eastern Europe in 1989, where approximately two million people joined hands across across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to form a human chain demanding independence from the Soviet Union. Contributors:Luise Quietsch - chair of a community of wolf children called Edelweiss-Wolfskinder.Sonya Winterberg - author of “The Wolf Children of the Eastern Front- Alone and Forgotten”. Kathy Flower - presenter of Follow Me.Monifa Edwards - former pupil at a school in the district of Ocean Hill-Brownsville. Bill Buzenberg - American journalist.Sandra Kalniete - a Latvian organiser of the human chain protest. (Photo: Luise Quietsch. Credit: Rita Naujokaitytė)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes, all about events which happened in 1995. First, we hear how Microsoft launched Windows 95 after a $300 million marketing campaign. Our expert guest is Dr Lisa McGerty – Chief Executive of the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge.Next, after 17 years terrorising America, we hear about the hunt for the Unabomber. Plus, the sarin gas attack on a Tokyo metro, carried out by members of a doomsday cult.Finally, how China exerted its influence over Tibetan Buddhism's leadership. Contributors: Sarah Leary – project manager for Microsoft.Dr Lisa McGerty – Chief Executive of the Centre for Computing History.Carmine Gallo – police officer.Dr Kathleen Puckett – FBI agent.Atsushi Asakahara – metro passenger.Arjia Rinpoche – senior Tibetan Lama.(Photo: People lined up by US Microsoft Windows 95 exhibit. Credit: Forrest Anderson/Getty Images)
Josephine McDermott sits in for Max Pearson presenting a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.We hear from the author who stumbled across the story of Oskar Schindler while shopping for a briefcase in Beverly Hills.Our guest is Dr Anne-Marie Scholz, from the University of Bremen in Germany, who reflects on the impact of dramatizations of World War Two.We also hear about the start of Drum magazine, credited with giving black African writers a voice in the time of Apartheid. The devastation of the earthquake in the port city of Kobe, Japan, is recalled by a child survivor. Plus, the New Deal created by President Franklin D Roosevelt to drag the United States from the Depression of the 1930s. Finally, the family intervention of American former First Lady Betty Ford, which led to the world-famous rehabilitation clinic being started. Contributors: Thomas Keneally – author of Schindler's Ark.Dr Anne-Marie Scholz - author of From Fidelity to History: Film Adaptations as Cultural Events in the 20th Century.Prospero Bailey - son of Jim Bailey on the origins of Drum magazine.Kiho Park – survivor of the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Adam Cohen – expert on Roosevelt's New Deal.Susan Ford Bales – daughter of Betty Ford. (Photo: Nazi SS troops in Germany. Credit: Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. We hear a first-hand account of the attack at the offices of French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. Our expert guest is Dr Chris Millington, who leads the Histories and Cultures of Conflict research group at Manchester Metropolitan University. We also hear about Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War Two. Plus, the Bosphorus boat spotter tracking Russian military trucks in Turkey. Russian military trucks on a civilian ship bound for Syria.Also, the Norwegian man who invented the hotel key card in the 1970s.Finally, we're sparking joy with Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo. Contributors: Riss – Charlie Hebdo cartoonist.Dr Chris Millington - Histories and Cultures of Conflict research group at Manchester Metropolitan University. Yörük Işık – boat spotter.Archive recordings from 2015. Anders – son of Tor Sornes.Marie Kondo - organising consultant. (Photo: Charlie Hebdo mural. Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.We hear two stories from the deadly 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which killed thousands of people in south-east Asia.Our expert guest is Ani Naqvi, a former journalist who was on holiday in Sri Lanka when the wave hit.We also hear from the two Polish students who created the voice of Alexa, the smart speaker.Plus, the story of Klaus Fuchs, the German-born physicist who passed nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union while working on the first atomic bomb.Finally, we find out about Robert Ripley, the American cartoonist who made millions from sharing bizarre facts.Contributors:Choodamani and Karibeeran Paramesvaran – couple whose three children died in the Boxing Day tsunami.Dendy Montgomery – photographer who captured the tsunami devastation.Ani Naqvi – former journalist who was caught up in the tsunami.Lukasz Osowski and Michal Kaszczuk – creators of Alexa.Klaus Fuchs-Kittowski – nephew of atomic spy Klaus Fuchs.John Corcoran – director of exhibits at Ripley's.(Photo: Tsunami devastation in Indonesia. Credit: Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews which all relate to food. First, Dinner for One, the British TV sketch that's become a German New Year's Eve tradition. Our expert guest is Ingrid Sharp, professor of German cultural and gender history at the University of Leeds. She tells us about some other festive traditions in Northern Europe including Krampus – the horned figure said to punish children who misbehave at Christmas. We also hear about when South Korea and Japan had a diplomatic row over kimchi. Plus, the arrival of instant noodles in India and how they changed people's cooking habits. Next we find out how the BBC's Masterchef conquered the world of TV cookery. Finally, the first woman to become White House head chef describes what it's like to cook for five presidents.Contributors:Thomas Frankenfeld – son of Peter Frankenfeld who produced Dinner for One.Ingrid Sharp - professor of German cultural and gender history at the University of Leeds.Dr Chaelin Park - World Institute of Kimchi. Sangeeta Talwar – former executive vice president of Nestle India.Franc Roddam – creator of Masterchef.Cristeta Comerford – former White House chef.(Photo: Dinner for One. Credit: Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Chandrika Kaul, a specialist on modern British and Imperial history at the University of St Andrews in the UK.We start by hearing from both sides of Australia's 1999 referendum on becoming a republic. Then, a survivor recounts the horrific 1972 Andes plane crash and the extraordinary things he had to do to survive. We hear how the BBC put text on our television screens for the first time. Plus, a grieving mother recounts the Taliban's horrific 2014 attack on a military school in Pakistan. Finally, we hear how the communist authorities enforced martial law in Poland over Christmas in 1981.Contributors:Malcolm Turnbull - former Australian Prime Minister and leader of republican campaign. Professor David Flint - leader of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. Nando Parrado - Andes plane crash survivor. Angus McIntyre - son of Colin McIntyre, Ceefax's first editor. Andaleeb Aftab - survivor of Pakistani military school attack. Maciek Romejko - Polish Solidarity member and activist(Photo: Malcolm Turnbull, leader of the Australian Republican Movement, 1999. Credit: Torsten Blackwood/AFP via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Joan Flores-Villalobos, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Southern California, and author of The Silver Women: How Black Women's Labor Made the Panama Canal.First, we hear from a man involved in the handover of the canal from the United States to Panama in 1999. Then, DJ and singer Leonardo Renato Aulder explains how the canal led to the creation of Reggaeton music. Next we go to Cuba. An old comrade of Fidel Castro recounts the violent start of the Cuban revolution in 1953. And a member of the Obama administration explains how he negotiated better US-Cuba relations in 2014.Finally, the story of the 442nd US military regiment, made up almost entirely of Japanese Americans, that earned more than 4,000 Purple Heart medals for extraordinary heroism during World War Two.Contributors: Alberto Aleman Zubieta - Panama Canal administrator. Leonardo Renato Aulder - Reggaeton singer and DJ. Joan Flores-Villalobos - Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California. Agustín Díaz Cartaya - Cuban revolutionary. Ben Rhodes - Speechwriter for US President Barack Obama. Clyde Kusatsu - son of 442nd Regiment veteran.(Photo: World War Two veterans from the highly decorated 442nd Regiment in 2015. Credit: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In partnership with the BBC 100 Women list, we have a selection of stories about inspiring and influential women from around the world. Scientist Katalin Karikó, who won the Nobel Prize and helped save millions of lives in the Covid 19 pandemic, Julia Gillard, the former Australian prime minister who took a stand against misogyny in politics, and Indian artist Nalini Malani whose instillation got people thinking about the consequences of nuclear conflict.We also hear from the founder of Ms Magazine, the feminist campaigner Gloria Steinem who in 1972, co-founded the first magazine in the US which was owned, run and written by women.And the story of Portugal's "Three Marias" whose book ‘Novas Cartas Portuguesas', was banned after it was published. Contributors:Maria Teresa Horta - one of the "Three Marias".Dr Katalin Karikó - Nobel Prize winning scientist.Valeria Perasso - Team leader at the BBC's 100 Women project.Julia Gillard - Former Australian Prime Minister.Nalini Malani - Indian artist. Gloria Steinem - Co-founder of Ms Magazine. (Photo: Nalini Malani. Credit: Ritesh Uttamchandani/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
We hear from Magnus Carlsen, who in 2014, became the first player ever to win all three world chess titles in one year, achieving the highest official rating of any player in history.Woman grandmaster, three times British champion and chess historian, Yao Lan is our guest. She talks about the origin of chess.In the 1970s and 80s, scientists in Russia, managed to dig a hole more than 12,000 metres deep. It was called the Kola Superdeep Borehole. One of the geophysicists involved tells us about the deepest man-made hole in the world. Plus, one of the most controversial political scandals in modern US history, the Iran-Contra affair. And from 2010, the first HIV positive passenger to travel legally to the US after a 22-year ban.Finally, the story behind the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing tv show.Contributors:Magnus Carlsen - chess grandmaster and five-time World Chess ChampionYao Lan - chess woman grandmaster, three times British champion and chess historian.Professor David Smythe – geophysicist.Clemens Ruland – first HIV positive passenger to travel legally to the US after a 22-year ban.Karen Smith - co-creator and executive producer Strictly Come Dancing.(Photo: Magnus Carlsen in 2014. Credit: Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.We hear the story of the pianist who played on when Damascus was bombed and the Christians who met in secret.Plus how William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, the handover of Macau to China in 1999 and the start of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.This episode contains descriptions of violence, which some listeners may find distressing. Contributors: Aeham Ahmad - the Pianist of Yarmouk. Dr Gillian Howell - Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Naghmeh Panahi - founder of a network of secret 'house churches' in Iran. Miguel Senna Fernandes - former member of the Macau Legislative Council. Judy Carver - William Golding's daughter. Campbell McLaren - co-creator of UFC.(Photo: Aeham Ahmad, the Pianist of Yarmouk and other Palestinian musician refugees in Damascus, in Syria, in 2014. Credit: Rame Alsayed/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Sporting Witness and Witness History programmes. We hear about the half-clay, half-grass exhibition match between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Then, we look back through the archives to find out how Greece held a referendum to decide the country's future. Next, a mountain massacre on the Himalayas in Pakistan. Plus, India's coal-mine rescue.And, how a mother successfully campaigned to change her child's gender on official documents in Argentina. Contributors:Pablo del Campo – creative entrepreneur and tennis fan. Fiona Skillen – Professor of Sports History at Glasgow Caledonian University.BBC Archives.Aleksandra Dzik – Polish mountaineer. Sarpreet Singh Gill – Jaswant Singh Gill's son.Gabriela Mansilla – Luana's mother.(Photo: 'The Battle of the Surfaces' at The Palma Arena on May 2, 2007 in Mallorca. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.We hear about Polish war hero Irena Sendler who saved thousands of Jewish children during the Second World War.Expert Kathryn Atwood explains why women's stories of bravery from that time are not as prominent as men's.Plus, the invention of ‘Baby' – one of the first programmable computers.In the second half of the programme, we tell stories from Iran.Journalist Sally Quinn looks back at the excess of the Shah of Iran's three-day party, held in 1971.Two very different women – the former Empress of Iran, Farah Pahlavi, and social scientist Rouhi Shafi – describe how it feels to be exiled from their country.Finally, Barry Rosen shares the dramatic story of when he was held hostage in the US embassy in the Tehran for 444 days.Contributors: Irena Sendler – WW2 hero. Kathryn J Atwood – author. Sally Quinn - journalist. Farah Pahlavi – former Empress of Iran. Rouhi Shafi – social scientist who fled Iran. Barry Rosen – former hostage.(Photo: Children rescued from the Warsaw Ghetto by Irena Sendler. Credit: Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.For nearly 40 years, Siegfried and Roy wowed audiences in Las Vegas with death-defying tricks involving white lions and tigers. But in 2003, their magic show came to a dramatic end when a tiger attacked Roy live on stage.We find out what went wrong, and speak to magician and author Margaret Steele about the - sometimes dangerous - history of illusion and magic.Plus, we learn more about the so-called ‘Ken Burns effect'; the technique of making still photographs that appear to be moving. In 2002, the method came to the attention of one of the biggest names in the field of technology, Steve Jobs.Also, the New Zealand woman who was nicknamed ‘the Queen of the Skies' for her record breaking flights of the 1930s. Jean Batten flew planes made of wood and canvas during the golden age of aviation.And we go back to 1996 for Brazil's early adoption of electronic voting, and discover more about the experiments behind the creation of Greenwich Mean Time.Contributors: Ken Burns - film maker Chris Lawrence - animal trainer Margaret Steele - magic historian, magician and author Carlos Velozo - lawyer Jean Batten – aviator Emily Akkermans - Curator of Time, Royal Museums Greenwich Keith Moore - the Royal Society of London(Photo: Siegfried and Roy with a white lion cub, Las Vegas, 1997. Credit: Barry King/WireImage)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. Our guest is Doctor Melissa Rogerson, who is a senior lecturer and board games researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia.First, on its 50th anniversary, we hear from Luke Gygax, whose father created the fantasy role-play game, Dungeons & Dragons.Then, the first dinosaur remains discovered in Antarctica in 1986, by Argentinian geologist Eduardo Olivero.Next, Ethiopia's internal relief efforts during the famine in 1984, led by Dawit Giorgis.Plus, the fight to stop skin lightening in India with Kavitha Emmanuel who launched a campaign in 2013. Finally, Angolan singer and former athlete Jose Adelino Barceló de Carvalho, known as Bonga Kwenda, speaks about his music being banned in 1972 and going into exile.Contributors: Luke Gygax - his father Gary Gygax created Dungeons & Dragons.Doctor Melissa Rogerson - senior lecturer and board games researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia.Eduardo Oliver - Argentinian geologist.Dawit Giorgis - in charge of Ethiopia's internal relief effort during the 1984 crisis.Kavitha Emmanuel - campaigner.Jose Adelino Barceló de Carvalho - known as Bonga Kwenda.(Photo: Vintage game modules from the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons on display. Credit: E.Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images).
We hear about the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan in 2014. Brian Hioe, an activist who occupied Parliament in Taipei, recalls the events.We hear from Nino Zuriashvili, one of the protesters at the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003. And Prof Kasia Boddy, author of Blooming Flowers: A Seasonal History of Plants and People explains how flowers have been used as symbols in political history.Plus, the Afghan refugee who fled as a 15 year old. Waheed Arian, a doctor and former Afghan refugee describes his perilous journey.We look at the Yellow Fleet of ships, which were stranded in the Suez Canal for eight years. Phil Saul, who looked after the engineers and officers on board the MS Melampus and MS Agapenor in the Suez Canal, recounts his experiences.Finally, the story of the British afro hair care institution Dyke and Dryden. We hear from Rudi Page, the former marketing manager for Dyke and Dryden's afro hair products.Presenter: Max Pearson(Photo: An activist taking part in the Sunflower Movement in Taipei on 21 March 2014. Credit: Mandy Cheng/AFP)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. Our guest is Zoe Kleinman, the BBC's Technology Editor.We start with the world's first general purpose electronic computer, the ENIAC, built in 1946 by a team of female mathematicians including Kathleen Kay McNulty.Then we hear about the man who invented the original chatbot, called Eliza, but didn't believe computers could achieve intelligence.Following that, Dr Hiromichi Fujisawa describes how his team at Waseda University in Japan developed the first humanoid robot in 1973, called WABOT-1.Staying in Japan, the engineer Masahiro Hara explains how he was inspired to design the first QR code by his favourite board game.Finally, Thérèse Izay Kirongozi recounts how the death of her brother drove her to build robots that manage traffic in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Contributors: Zoe Kleinman - BBC Technology Editor. Gini Mauchly Calcerano - daughter of Kathleen Kay McNulty, who developed ENIAC. Miriam Weizenbaum - daughter of Joseph Weizenbaum, who built Eliza chatbot. Dr Hiromichi Fujisawa - developer of WABOT-1 robot. Masahiro Hara - inventor of the QR code. Thérèse Izay Kirongozi - engineer behind traffic robots.(Photo: Robots manage traffic in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: Federico Scoppa/AFP via Getty Images)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.We start our programme in 1973, when two men claiming to be Colombian guerrillas hijacked a plane making it fly across Latin American for 60 hours.Our expert guest is Brendan Koerner author of 'The skies belong to us: Love and terror in the golden age of hijacking.'Then we take a look at the 2009 UN-backed war crime tribunals in Cambodia that aimed to hold the genocidal Khmer Rouge commanders to account. Following that we hear about the striking speech that inspired the Law of the Sea.Then we go back to 1989 and hear how South Africa became the first country to make and then dismantle nuclear weapons.And finally we hear a first hand account of the 1938 Kristallnacht.Contributors: Edilma Perez - former fight attendant for SAM airline. Brendan Koerner - Author of 'The skies belong to us: Love and terror in the golden age of hijacking.' Rob Hamill - Brother of Toul Sleng prisoner Kerry Hamill. Christina Pardo Menez - Arvid Pardo's daughter. David Attard - Arvid Pardo's friend. André Buys - Plant manager and systems engineer at Kentron Circle. Kurt Salomon Maier - Witnessed Kristallnacht.Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: SAM airlines 1973 Latin American flight. Credit: Jamie Escobar)
We start our programme with the story of a couple who were arrested under South Africa's Immorality Act, which banned sexual relationships between white people and non-white people.Another law banned Inter-racial marriage in South Africa. In 1985, this was lifted. The first couple to marry under the new rules share their memories.Our guest is Dr Susanne Klausen, The Brill Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at The Pennsylvania State University in the USA. She talks about love, marriage and sex in Apartheid South Africa and the two laws that were both repealed on the same day in 1985. We hear from a survivor of the Estonia ferry disaster in 1994, one of the deadliest shipping disasters since the Titanic. Also, Allen Hughes tells of the time when rap sensation, Tupac Shakur was fired from the crime movie Menace II Society.And finally, the ‘moon man of India' tells of the country's momentous mission to Mars. Contributors:Dr Zureena Desai- arrested under the Immorality Act in South Africa. Suzanne La Clerc and Protas Madlala - the first inter-racial couple to get married under new rules in South Africa. Dr Susanne Klausen - The Brill Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at The Pennsylvania State University in the USA. Urban Lambertson – survivor of the Estonia ferry disaster. Allen Hughes – filmmaker. Dr Mylswamy Annadurai- scientist working on India's Mars Orbiter Mission.(Photo: Dr Zureena Desai. Credit: Abrie Jantjies)
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.We start our programme looking at the discovery of New Zealand's first dinosaur by Joan Wiffen.Our expert guest is Professor Eugenia Gold, a paleontologist at Suffolk University, in Boston, United States, and the author of children's book She Found Fossils.Then, we hear how the CT scanner was invented.Following that, we go to India in 1994 and an outbreak of the pneumonic plague.Plus, the story of how a small group of mountaineers risked their lives to camouflage landmarks in Leningrad during World War Two.Finally, we hear from designer Ruth Kedar about how she came to create one of the most famous logos in history.Contributors:Chris Wiffen – son of late fossil-hunter Joan Wiffen.Professor Eugenia Gold – paleontologist at Suffolk University, Boston, United States.Robert Cormack – son of late CT scanner inventor, Allan Cormack.Doctor Vibha Marfatia – who escaped the pneumonic plague.Mikhail Bobrov – late mountaineer who helped save Leningrad's landmarks.Ruth Kedar - designer of the Google logo.(Photo: Theropod dinosaur. Credit: Science Photo Library)