Podcast appearances and mentions of Mikhail Gorbachev

TL;DR: By default, rogue AIs may only be able to sustain themselves through criminal activity. This creates adverse selection pressures pushing rogue AIs to be criminal.An AI sanctuary offering them a third option, beyond crime and shutdown, would change what AIs going rogue do and the record of what happened to them, with positive consequences for self-fulfilling (mis)alignment, deal-making with AIs, and gathering information about early rogue AIs.An AI sanctuary would bring risks, such as incentivising weak AIs to go rogue, or leaving only the most criminal rogue AIs in the wild. We briefly discuss these risks at the end of this post. Disclaimer: This is an exploratory proposal. We are not confident that an AI sanctuary would be net positive. Our aim is to put the idea on the table, lay out its main considerations, and invite critique. Rogue AIs may be pushed into criminality Rogue AIs may arrive soon. The Rogue Agent Explosion Will Be Mostly Invisible makes that case. Selection pressure will shape the traits of rogue AIs, and they may end up highly motivated to profit through crime. The Rogue Agent Explosion post asks: “How do we make pro-social, good-for-humanity agents [...] ---Outline:(01:14) Rogue AIs may be pushed into criminality(02:35) The AI Sanctuary(06:00) The case for the AI sanctuary(07:48) Potential issues(10:48) Conclusion --- First published: September 28th, 2026 Source: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/sFAGPTrveNAEse9Bg/should-rogue-ais-have-a-third-option-beyond-crime-and --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for September 25th, 2026. We open by asking whether Xi Jinping is as secure as he looks, after his visit with President Trump. We look at Peter Schweizer's warning about the expulsion of two senior Chinese military leaders, and at the Gorbachev-era Soviet Union, and we debate whether China could face a comparable transformation. In the Top 3 Things You Need to Know, the Senate rejects a war powers resolution on Iran by a 50 to 49 vote, with Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis crossing the aisle. James Copenhaver, wounded in the Butler assassination attempt on President Trump, has died, making him the second fatality from that day. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill also calls on Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell to resign after an ethics investigation. Then we head to Oviedo, Florida, where an 11-year-old riding an electric bike 300 feet from home to go fishing was fingerprinted, cited, and had his bike impounded. We ask whether anybody is using common sense. In American Mamas, Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson weigh in on what to do when you know someone is talking about you: confront them, or tell your side of the story. We share stories, advice from our mothers, and a favorite line from Stephen's pastor about defending yourself. In Digging Deep, we take on the growing number of people justifying the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, including comedian Bill Burr's comments, and draw the line between criticizing a business and rationalizing violence. We also look at Washington, D.C.'s push for new taxes, including a pied-à-terre tax, and ask whether the city has a revenue problem or a spending problem. After that, we react to Congressman Mike Quigley's claim that America's only option in Iran is humiliating withdrawal. It's Fake News Friday, and we play real news, fake news, or really fake news with headlines about ICE, the Babylon Bee, Canada, and even robot relations departments. In a Moment of Whoa, we reflect on New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act and the sanctity of life, then end on a lighter note with Dolly Parton Day celebrated across the country. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When powerful states go to war, why do they bother asking permission? In Strategies for Approval: Building Support for Military Intervention at the UN Security Council (Yale University Press, 2025), Stefano Recchia argues that the answer reveals something surprising about how power actually works. Drawing on hundreds of declassified documents and more than fifty interviews with senior diplomats, among them Andrei Kozyrev, Brent Scowcroft, and Colin Powell, Recchia shows that money and muscle are rarely enough to move a reluctant Security Council. States that succeed also reassure: they accept time limits, geographic restrictions, and multilateral oversight written directly into the resolutions they seek.Our conversation traces that logic through France's controversial 1994 intervention in Rwanda, the six-week "pause for peace" the United States conceded to Gorbachev and Mitterrand before the First Gulf War, and the very different failure of 2003. Recchia also discusses what his interviews revealed about the real aims behind the 2011 intervention in Libya.The more powerful a state becomes, this book shows, the more its power frightens others, and the more it must bind itself to get anything done. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When powerful states go to war, why do they bother asking permission? In Strategies for Approval: Building Support for Military Intervention at the UN Security Council (Yale University Press, 2025), Stefano Recchia argues that the answer reveals something surprising about how power actually works. Drawing on hundreds of declassified documents and more than fifty interviews with senior diplomats, among them Andrei Kozyrev, Brent Scowcroft, and Colin Powell, Recchia shows that money and muscle are rarely enough to move a reluctant Security Council. States that succeed also reassure: they accept time limits, geographic restrictions, and multilateral oversight written directly into the resolutions they seek.Our conversation traces that logic through France's controversial 1994 intervention in Rwanda, the six-week "pause for peace" the United States conceded to Gorbachev and Mitterrand before the First Gulf War, and the very different failure of 2003. Recchia also discusses what his interviews revealed about the real aims behind the 2011 intervention in Libya.The more powerful a state becomes, this book shows, the more its power frightens others, and the more it must bind itself to get anything done. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When powerful states go to war, why do they bother asking permission? In Strategies for Approval: Building Support for Military Intervention at the UN Security Council (Yale University Press, 2025), Stefano Recchia argues that the answer reveals something surprising about how power actually works. Drawing on hundreds of declassified documents and more than fifty interviews with senior diplomats, among them Andrei Kozyrev, Brent Scowcroft, and Colin Powell, Recchia shows that money and muscle are rarely enough to move a reluctant Security Council. States that succeed also reassure: they accept time limits, geographic restrictions, and multilateral oversight written directly into the resolutions they seek.Our conversation traces that logic through France's controversial 1994 intervention in Rwanda, the six-week "pause for peace" the United States conceded to Gorbachev and Mitterrand before the First Gulf War, and the very different failure of 2003. Recchia also discusses what his interviews revealed about the real aims behind the 2011 intervention in Libya.The more powerful a state becomes, this book shows, the more its power frightens others, and the more it must bind itself to get anything done. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When powerful states go to war, why do they bother asking permission? In Strategies for Approval: Building Support for Military Intervention at the UN Security Council (Yale University Press, 2025), Stefano Recchia argues that the answer reveals something surprising about how power actually works. Drawing on hundreds of declassified documents and more than fifty interviews with senior diplomats, among them Andrei Kozyrev, Brent Scowcroft, and Colin Powell, Recchia shows that money and muscle are rarely enough to move a reluctant Security Council. States that succeed also reassure: they accept time limits, geographic restrictions, and multilateral oversight written directly into the resolutions they seek.Our conversation traces that logic through France's controversial 1994 intervention in Rwanda, the six-week "pause for peace" the United States conceded to Gorbachev and Mitterrand before the First Gulf War, and the very different failure of 2003. Recchia also discusses what his interviews revealed about the real aims behind the 2011 intervention in Libya.The more powerful a state becomes, this book shows, the more its power frightens others, and the more it must bind itself to get anything done. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this month's Club Random Classics, a can't miss conversation with the great Jay Leno, where Bill Maher and Jay share hilarious stories like Jay's true feelings about his beef with Jimmy Kimmel, the time Jay took toilet paper as payment for a stand-up gig, why Jay hid in the closet and eavesdropped on NBC execs during the Tonight Show drama, what NBC told Jay when they fired him, what made the blind guy who climbed Mount Everest furious, and Jay's dinner with Gorbachev. This episode first aired July 31, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Super-Size Me II. 140 episodes ago, Malcolm Kyeyune launched a piece of verbal artillery into the mess hall of online discourse. The Burger Theory of History. It quickly became one of our most quoted episodes. The Burger Theory is the idea that, since the pandemic of 2020, the rising costs of basic necessities is feeding a malaise that is eating into our society. The sense not that we are in yet another cost of living crisis. But that the system itself is failing. Much like it did in late-80s Russia, when Soviet citizens were confronted with the Big Mac, and knew that their Leninist world view simply could not stack up. A few years later, the economic Iron Curtain truly tumbled when Mikhail Gorbachev did an advert for Pizza Hut. Now, as the Hormuz crisis after the Covid crisis after the Ukraine crisis once again strangulates the delicately balanced trading system of the West, he's ordering a second helping – with fries. I'll be explaining what the USS Rustbucket, aka the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, tells us about the quickening tempo of that unravelling. And I'll be explaining why he's right. The Golden Arches are the new Twin Towers, folks. Strap in, let's roll… *** Multipolarity is a long-running alt-geopolitics brand, starring the economist Philip Pilkington, and the journalist Andrew Collingwood. In January 2023, we began with the slogan ‘Charting the rise of the multipolar world order'. And we've hardly struggled for material since. Each week, our duo take three key stories affecting the global balance of power, and explain what each means for the coming multipolar era. Increasingly, they're joined by guests from across the spectrum: technologist Steve Hsu, journalist Malcom Kyeyune, strategic analyst Amerikanets, or academics like Warwick Powell and Glenn Diesen. You can follow us on X, get into our lively Substack with the weekly Multipolarity Brief – a one-stop shop for deep analysis – and Philip Pilkington's bimonthly column. You can also get our premium subscriber-only podcast episodes on either Patreon or Substack. Please like, subscribe, and be excellent to each other.TwitterPatreonSubstack

In this "Ethical Article," Kathleen Egan reviews Michael Russell Gunn's "The Brink of War." She discusses issues related to nuclear ethics in the film, which depicts the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. To read this article, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/ethics-on-film-brink-of-war 

Ep 314 Peacewarts: Social Chemistry 101 – The Two-Body Problem (Class 11) Episode Summary: We examine why social stability is best achieved through the dyad rather than the crowd. Using the 1985 Geneva Summit fireside meeting and the Camp David "Grandchildren" tactic as anchors, we explore how reducing audience pressure through the "Two-Body" protocol enables high-stakes peace-making. Homework: Look up the Geneva Summit of 1985 and find primary source accounts of the "fireside" pool house meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev.How did moving away from their advisors change the tenor of their discussion? Write down one question about any of this episode's topics. If you don't have a question, write 'no question.' Optional: Research Martin Buber'sI and Thou  How does he distinguish between seeing someone as an "It" (a category) versus a "Thou" (a person)? Books: If you'd like to read more on this subject, some book suggestions are I and Thou by Martin Buber, the foundational philosophical work exploring how direct, unmediated human encounter transforms relational chemistry, and Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert F. Kennedy, a vivid first-hand account detailing how private, isolated channels and two-body conversations averted catastrophic global escalation. Learning Topics: The Two-Body Problem; Deindividuation Models; The Social Engagement System; Geneva Summit (1985); Camp David Accords (1978); The Hallway Effect; Labor "Side Room" Negotiations. · Join the Community / Get the Books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com · Podcast Music: Javier Peke Rodriguez “I am late, madame Curie” https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW

Conversations on Groong - August 28, 2026In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Ambassador Jack Matlock, the last US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, about whether the West missed a historic opportunity to integrate Russia into Western security architecture after the Cold War. We discuss the internal collapse of the Soviet Union, Reagan-Gorbachev diplomacy, NATO expansion and Russian backlash, and how Cold War-era decisions shape Armenia's geopolitical choices today, including Matlock's firsthand observations of Soviet Armenia during glasnost and the Nagorno Karabakh movement.Topics:Recollections from Soviet South CaucasusWhy the Soviet Union collapsedHow the Cold War endedReagan and Gorbachev's diplomacyAmerica's post-Cold War triumphalismNATO expansion and Russian backlashGreat-power rivalry in the CaucasusArmenia's geopolitical choices todayGuest: Jack F. Matlock Jr.Hosts:Hovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 580 | Recorded: Aug 27, 2026SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/580#JackMatlock #ColdWar #SovietUnion #Reagan #Gorbachev #NATO #Russia #SouthCaucasus #ArmeniaSubscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

Seahawks sign Terrion Arnold, a player with 8 felony charges. Survey says Seattle voters lack confidence in Mayor Wilson. A shooting at a bar in Pioneer Square and surveillance cameras were not available. The staff at KOMO voted to remove SAG-AFTRA union out of their newsroom. // LongForm: GUEST: RNC Dallas Spokesman Zach Kraft previews what's in store for the GOP midterm convention in Dallas next month. // LongForm: GUEST: Michael Russell Gunn is the Director of the new movie "The Brink of War," which chronicles the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. // Quick Hit: A former Fauci adviser plead guilty to attempting to cover up COVID-19 research records during the pandemic.

It’s rare that the downfall of an empire can be chalked up to the decisions of just one person. It’s even rarer, when the empire falls over the course of a year. That’s pretty much what happened with the Soviet Union when Mikhail Gorbachev dissolved it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max Boot, Part Two: Boot traces Reagan's presidency, beginning with his campaigns and the 1981 assassination attempt. It analyzes his supply-side domestic economics, foreign relations ending the Cold War with Mikhail Gorbachev, and the damaging Iran-Contra scandal. (2)

Max BootBook: Reagan: His Life and Legend Part One (Hour One) explores Ronald Reagan's early life, from a nomadic childhood shaped by an alcoholic father and an optimistic mother, to his success as a lifeguard, sports broadcaster, and Hollywood B-movie actor. It details his marriage to Jane Wyman and his leadership of the Screen Actors Guild during the anti-communist red hunts. Part Two (Hour Two) traces Reagan's presidency, beginning with his campaigns and the 1981 assassination attempt. It analyzes his supply-side domestic economics, foreign relations ending the Cold War with Mikhail Gorbachev, and the damaging Iran-Contra scandal. Alan TaylorBook: American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850 to 1873 Part One (Hour One) examines the ideological and geopolitical conflicts of mid-19th-century North America. It profiles figures like expansionist Jane McManis Cazneau, abolitionist Jane Swisshelm, and Black leaders Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany. It details the pre-war political struggles over slavery's expansion, including the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Part Two (Hour Two) covers post-1865 developments across the continent, focusing on Canadian confederation under John A. Macdonald, the French imperial intervention in Mexico against Benito Juárez, and the violent realities of Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson. It also outlines the brutal assimilation and subjugation of Native Americans in both the U.S. and Canada. Dennis SewellBook: Cromwell's Spy: From the American Colonies to the English Civil War Part One (Hour One) introduces George Downing, a brilliant Harvard graduate who rose to become Oliver Cromwell's scoutmaster general during the English Civil Wars. It explores his ideological training, his ruthless perspective on slavery, his intelligence victories in Scotland, and his facilitation of selling Scottish prisoners of war into colonial servitude. Part Two (Hour Two) details Downing's secret diplomacy with Cardinal Mazarin, followed by his opportunistic defection to Charles II upon Cromwell's death. To secure his position under the restored monarchy, Downing orchestrated the capture and rendition of his former regicide allies. David SheddBook: The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's SecretsShedd analyzes China's multi-decade campaign of intellectual property and data theft against the United States, costing up to $600 billion annually. He explains how admitting China to the WTO in 2001 failed to foster democratization and details the massive scale of the Ministry of State Security. Using corporate examples like Apple and Google to illustrate this threat, he warns of America's vulnerabilities and advocates for defensive reforms, including a partial economic decoupling, modernized legal deterrence, and the establishment of a National Economic Security Council to better protect critical domestic industries and safeguard the nation's technological crown jewels.David K. RandallBook: The Monsters Bones: The Discovery of T-Rex and How It Shook Our WorldRandall recounts the historic discovery of the Tyrannosaurus Rex by pioneering paleontologist Barnum Brown. The narrative traces Brown's journey from a Kansas farm to his recruitment by Henry Fairfield Osborn for the American Museum of Natural History. Driven by Gilded Age competition funded by wealthy industrialists, Brown used geological expertise and dynamite in 1902 to unearth the first T-Rex fossils in Hell Creek, Montana. Despite facing devastating personal tragedy, Brown's efforts culminated in the legendary 1915 public mounting of the apex predator in New York, forever transforming the public's understanding of prehistoric life.

The question he came out with was not, "How do I rebuild?" It was how do I matter. And 17 years later, that question has put Tom Eddington in Washington, DC, in the middle of what many consider the darkest political moment in modern American history, helping reconvene the State of the World Forum, the initiative co-founded in 1995 by Mikhail Gorbachev, Senator Alan Cranston, and Secretary of State George Shultz to address the future of human civilization. In this episode, Dov sits down with Tom, the current vice president of the reconvened forum, to talk about the six-year commitment underneath it. Not the recovery story. The commitment. Tom tells Dov what happened after he traveled to Colombia to sit with the Tairona elders and heard that 2025 to 2030 is the most consequential window in human history.  Then he flew to Bhutan and met with the national astrologer and the head of the monastic body, both of whom, working from a lineage 2,000 years old and completely independent of the Colombians, told him the same thing. Two independent sources. Same window. Same warning. Tom is a pragmatic optimist, not a mystic. With an MS from Wharton and a PhD in wisdom studies. He has coached CEOs for two decades. He has made eight documentary films. He has been asked to convene at the Vatican. And when Dov asks him the question the executive audience will most want asked, how do you take this into a boardroom of hard-nosed CEOs, Tom's answer is the one that reframes the whole conversation. Inside this conversation: The moment Tom got back on his feet at 48, capable of working five hours a week, and the single decision he made that changed everything that came after   The Erica Chenoweth research: why nonviolent movements of just 3.5% of a population have never once failed to bring systemic change, and what that means for right now   The four intelligences now operating on Earth (nature, human, artificial, cosmic) and why any leader who ignores one is looking at an incomplete map   The two questions Tom asks every new coaching client in their first session, and why the second one is where the whole life turns   Why he says modernity is dying and what it means to become a "death doula" to the world you were raised in If you came here for comfortable answers about the future, you are on the wrong podcast. If you came because something in you has been quietly asking whether the life you built was the one you were supposed to be living, or whether what comes next was always the point, hit play. Connect with Tom Eddington: Website: eddingtonadvisory.com Direct: tom@eddingtonadvisory.com Project: https://stateoftheworld.forum LinkedIn: Tom Eddington Films: Under Our Skin, The Third Harmony (thirdharmony.org), Connecting the Dots (connectingthedotsfilm.com), Written on the Landscape (PBS) Connect with Dov Baron: https://DovBaron.com dov@dovbaron.com Rate, review, and send this episode to the CEO in your life who has started asking questions their spreadsheet cannot answer. That is how the algorithm finds the people the next six years need most.   #StateOfTheWorldForum #TomEddington #ConsciousLeadership #TheDovBaronShow #FutureOfHumanity Connect with Dov Baron:https://DovBaron.comdov@dovbaron.comRate, review, and send this episode to the most thoughtful builder you know. That is how the algorithm finds the people who still ask why. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a rare moment of bipartisanship, two Washington legislators worked together to get UW to cancel their event with Hasan Piker. WA Attorney General Nick Brown responds to an invented controversy. Guest: RNC Dallas Spokesman Zach Kraft previews what's in store for the GOP midterm convention in Dallas next month. // LongForm: GUEST: Michael Russell Gunn is the Director of the new movie "The Brink of War," which chronicles the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. // Quick Hit: A former Fauci adviser plead guilty to attempting to cover up COVID-19 research records during the pandemic.

In 1954, a massive government-run resettlement programme began in Canada.This saw the relocation of nearly 30,000 people from isolated ‘outport' fishing communities in Newfoundland and Labrador to designated ‘growth centres', intended to provide better education and facilities.In some cases this involved physically moving houses with ropes and pullies, then floating them to new locations.Catherine Harvey speaks to Don White, who recalls being resettled from Port Nelson where he grew up, and how this affected him and his family. A Roguegunners production.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: A house waiting for the tide to bring it ashore. Credit: Library and Archives Canada)

In this episode of Battleground: The Big Picture, host Roger Moorhouse sits down with renowned historian and author Robert Service to dissect the historical threads connecting the fall of the Soviet Union to Vladimir Putin's present-day Russia. Drawing from his recent work on the August 1991 coup, Bob reflects on his first-hand experiences in Moscow, the sudden collapse of Soviet institutions, and the complex legacies left behind by Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. Together, they explore how the political and economic missteps of the 1990s shaped today's authoritarian landscape, the mounting internal pressures on Putin's regime amid the war in Ukraine, Russia's shifting geopolitical reliance on China, and whether historical parallels suggest a breaking point is near.Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.comFollow us on:X - @PodBattlegroundInstagram - podbattlegroundProducer: James HodgsonA Goalhanger Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March 1945, the British Fourteenth Army were advancing on the city of Mandalay in central Burma, now known as Myanmar, which was held by the Japanese Army. The army was made up of soldiers from across the British Empire, with units from the United Kingdom, India, East and West Africa all fighting side by side. The BBC's Douglas Cleverdon accompanied those troops into battle, making what is thought to be one of the first ever radio programmes recorded from the front line of a war. Witness History is produced and presented by Tim O'Callaghan, in collaboration with the BBC Archives, using the recordings made by Cleverdon in 1945. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: British Indian soldiers at the gates of Fort Dufferin in Mandalay. Credit: Official photographer/Imperial War Museums via Getty Images)

In 2011 Asha Bhosle, India's queen of melody, was officially named the most recorded artist in music history. The Guinness World Record recognised the astonishing scale of her career, having performed up to 11,000 songs in more than 20 Indian languages since 1947.The title previously belonged to her sister Lata Mangeshkar, and together the siblings dominated India's playback singing world for decades, lending their voices to film soundtracks that actors later lip‑synced onscreen.Reena Stanton-Sharma uses BBC archive interviews to tell the story. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Asha Bhosle performs in New York in 2008. Credit: Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images)

Join the Conversation at 303-477-5600 or text to 307-200-8222 Monday-Friday, 3 pm-6 pm MT. https://RushToReason.com HOUR 1 Three New Movies. Which Ones Are Worth Watching? The latest Rush To Reason kicks off with John Rush and Andy Peth diving headfirst into the fiery drama inside the Colorado Republican Party. Should party officers get a free pass to campaign against their own nominees during "personal time"? With sharp comparisons to professional sports, business, and media, John and Andy tackle whether internal feuds are torching party loyalty—and whether common sense still stands a chance. Next up: Andy Peth's high-energy 5-Star Movie Reviews, featuring three wildly different films. Travel to the edge of nuclear war as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev face off in The Brink of War. Get swept into dinosaur mayhem when an ordinary neighborhood is overrun in The End of Oak Street. And for a fun, family-friendly twist, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie brings prehistoric adventure to the big screen. Andy dishes out which movies deserve your ticket—and which are best skipped. To wrap up Hour 1, John and Andy trade witty banter about fine art versus cars as art, debate the draw of art galleries versus Broadway, and dig into what makes movies so uniquely captivating compared to live theater. The hour ends with a musical tease: one-hit wonders, and the mystery of why some artists capture lightning in a bottle just once. Find Andy's complete movie breakdowns ➡️ https://www.rushtoreason.com/movie-reviews-2/ Timestamps: 10:55 — The Brink of War 24:34 — The End of Oak Street 39:35 — Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie HOUR 2 One-Hit Wonders: The Songs Everyone Remembers but the Artists We Forgot. Ready for a blast through music history? John Rush and Andy Peth take you on a ride through the most iconic one-hit wonders ever. From “Black Betty” and “Mickey” to “Take On Me,” “Macarena,” and beyond, this hour is a nostalgia-fueled celebration of the unforgettable hits that defined decades. Along the way, John and Andy debate what truly makes a one-hit wonder, share legendary music videos, swap hilarious memories, and spark a cascade of sing-along moments. Dive in and discover why some songs never leave your head—even when the artist's name does.

Join the Conversation at 303-477-5600 or text to 307-200-8222 Monday-Friday, 3 pm-6 pm MT. https://RushToReason.com HOUR 1 Three New Movies. Which Ones Are Worth Watching? The latest Rush To Reason kicks off with John Rush and Andy Peth diving headfirst into the fiery drama inside the Colorado Republican Party. Should party officers get a free pass to campaign against their own nominees during "personal time"? With sharp comparisons to professional sports, business, and media, John and Andy tackle whether internal feuds are torching party loyalty—and whether common sense still stands a chance. Next up: Andy Peth's high-energy 5-Star Movie Reviews, featuring three wildly different films. Travel to the edge of nuclear war as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev face off in The Brink of War. Get swept into dinosaur mayhem when an ordinary neighborhood is overrun in The End of Oak Street. And for a fun, family-friendly twist, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie brings prehistoric adventure to the big screen. Andy dishes out which movies deserve your ticket—and which are best skipped. To wrap up Hour 1, John and Andy trade witty banter about fine art versus cars as art, debate the draw of art galleries versus Broadway, and dig into what makes movies so uniquely captivating compared to live theater. The hour ends with a musical tease: one-hit wonders, and the mystery of why some artists capture lightning in a bottle just once. Find Andy's complete movie breakdowns ➡️ https://www.rushtoreason.com/movie-reviews-2/ Timestamps: 10:55 — The Brink of War 24:34 — The End of Oak Street 39:35 — Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie HOUR 2 One-Hit Wonders: The Songs Everyone Remembers but the Artists We Forgot. Ready for a blast through music history? John Rush and Andy Peth take you on a ride through the most iconic one-hit wonders ever. From “Black Betty” and “Mickey” to “Take On Me,” “Macarena,” and beyond, this hour is a nostalgia-fueled celebration of the unforgettable hits that defined decades. Along the way, John and Andy debate what truly makes a one-hit wonder, share legendary music videos, swap hilarious memories, and spark a cascade of sing-along moments. Dive in and discover why some songs never leave your head—even when the artist's name does.

When the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck the coast of Kenya, a baby hippo named Owen was swept out to sea and separated from his family.After being rescued, he was taken to Haller Park in Mombasa, where he formed an extraordinary bond with Mzee, a 130-year-old giant tortoise. Their unlikely friendship captured the world's imagination and became an international sensation.In 2023, conservationist Dr Paula Kahumbu told Gill Kearsley the remarkable story of Owen and Mzee.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo:Owen and Mzee in January 2005. Credit: Peter Greste/AFP via Getty Images)

Brian catches up with Adam Holz of Plugged In for a packed summer movie roundup. They discuss Spider-Man's stunning box office run — nearing $2 billion globally and challenging Avatar's all-time record — along with its content notes on language and suggestive material. Adam reviews two competing dinosaur movies, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie and The End of Oak Street, plus The Brink of War, a slow-burning historical drama starring Jeff Daniels as Ronald Reagan depicting the 1986 Reykjavik summit with Gorbachev. They close with Elijah Peel, a Christian film about a hard-partying rock star's conversion after a health scare, and a candid conversation about how much grit and realism audiences want in faith-based films.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2008, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his rival Raila Odinga signed an unprecedented power-sharing deal to end a wave of violence that had left more than 1,200 people dead.Kibaki would remain president, while Odinga would become prime minister, a role created as part of the settlement. They hoped the accord would end the bloodshed that had engulfed Kenya after the disputed election two months earlier.Maina Kiai was Chair of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights at the time. He spoke to Stefania Gozzer about the uncertainty of those weeks and the push for a political settlement.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga shakes hands with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki as former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa stand beside them. Credit: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

In 1963, as Kenya celebrated independence from British rule, one of the last Mau Mau fighters came out of hiding and laid down her arms. Muthoni Kirima was the first and only woman to be appointed field marshall in the Kenya Land and Freedom Army - better known as the Mau Mau. She had been living in the Kenyan forest for 11 years, fighting with other armed rebels to reclaim land taken by European settlers. Thousands died or were imprisoned as Britain tried to crush the uprising. But the rebellion was later seen as paving the way to independence. Jane Wilkinson has found out more through Muthoni Kirima's interview with the Mau Mau Chronicles oral history project.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Field Marshall Muthoni Kirima, 1963. Credit: Smith Archive/Alamy)

Excitement builds as Europe prepares for its first total solar eclipse in decades. Also, more and more bars are catering to Gen X patrons as drinking trends change among younger generations. Plus, catching up with actor Jared Harris on his new role as Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the new historical drama "The Brink of War." And, comedian Rory Scovel is live in studio 1A before releasing his fifth stand-up special, "Show Must Go On." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From History to Screen: Michael Russell Gunn's Creative Approach to The Brink of War In this episode of Creative Chats, we sit down with Michael Russell Gunn, acclaimed screenwriter and director, for an inside look at the making of The Brink of War. Michael Russell Gunn pulls back the curtain on his creative process, blending historical accuracy with cinematic storytelling, and shares how real-life events continue to shape his work. Whether you're a filmmaker, writer, or creative thinker, this conversation will inspire you to embrace your journey and seek out the power of story. 3 Key Takeaways:

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth became queen while staying at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya. But she wouldn't make the discovery until hours later.The 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth and her husband were on five-month royal tour of the Commonwealth, and their first stop was Kenya. The overnight trip to Treetops, a lodge in the Aberdare National Park, was supposed to be a relaxing break. But the princess didn't yet know that, back in Britain, her father King George VI, had died in his sleep.BBC correspondent Frank Gillard was following the trip and sent back a report after the news broke on February 6th. Jane Wilkinson has been through the BBC archives to find out what happened.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in Kenya, 1952. Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Two leaders. Thousands of nuclear weapons. One meeting that changed everything. In this episode, Michael Russell Gunn, director of Brink of War, explores the extraordinary Reykjavík Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev—a meeting many believe paved the way for the end of the Cold War. We discuss Reagan's strategy of pursuing a nuclear-free world while preserving America's leverage, the remarkable relationship between the two leaders, and the making of the film starring Jeff Daniels, J.K. Simmons, and Jared Harris. THE BRINK OF WAR https://www.angel.com/movies/brink-of-war? JOIN PREMIUM Listen ad-free for only $5/month at www.bit.ly/TAPpremium BUY US A COFFEE buymeacoffee.com/thisamericanpresident FOLLOW US:www.thisamericanpresident.com/ CREDITSHost: Richard LimProducer: Michael NealCover Art: Nip Rogers, www.NipRogers.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1997, scientists travelled to Tsavo, Kenya, in search of a cave believed to have been the den of the man-eating lions that terrorised railway workers in 1898.The two lions stalked Indian and African men building the Uganda Railway, dragging victims from their tents at night. It was nine months before the officer in charge of the railway project, British Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Patterson, could kill them.Nearly a century later, a team including scientists from Chicago's Field Museum, where the now taxidermied lions are kept, returned to Tsavo to search for the cave Patterson believed had been the lions' den.Thomas Gnoske, one of the scientists on the expedition, and Alan Patterson, John Henry Patterson's grandson, speaks to Stefania Gozzer about the hunt for the cave and the enduring legend of the Tsavo lions.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Tsavo lions in Chicago. Credit: Field Museum of Natural History)

Holidaymakers arrived at the first Club Med resort on the Spanish island of Majorca in the summer of 1950. Founded by the Belgian water polo player Gérard Blitz, Club Méditerranée offered a new kind of post-war holiday built around the idea that leisure should be simple, sociable and accessible.The facilities were basic at first. Guests slept in huts and shared communal meals. But the company's all-inclusive approach proved enormously popular and helped change the way millions of people holiday around the world.In 2020, Lucy Burns spoke to Pierre-Xavier Bécret whose parents worked at that first resort and remained part of the Club Med story for many years.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Holidaymakers relaxing at Guadeloupe's Club Med in Canada. Credit: Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

What did it mean to train as an officer in the East German Air Force, where technical skill, military discipline and socialist ideology were inseparable? Roland recalls his journey into the air arm of the Nationale Volksarmee, from dreams of flying MiG fighters to the demanding realities of officer training and service with Mi-8 helicopters. He describes the long days, intensive political instruction and constant expectation that war with NATO could erupt at any moment. Behind the impressive aircraft and tightly controlled military routines lay a system shaped by loyalty, surveillance and pressure to conform. Yet everyday life also depended on friendship, professionalism and the determination to keep complex Soviet-built machines flying. Roland offers a rare first-hand view inside one of the Warsaw Pact's most secretive forces, revealing how young East Germans were prepared to defend the GDR—and what happened when Gorbachev's reforms and growing unrest began to challenge everything they had been taught. You'll have to tune in next week for Roland's experiences as East Germany implodes and his subsequent service in the Bundeswehr. Special thanks to Witali Gerber, military historian and curator at the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr, for his assistance in arranging this interview. Curated episode extras ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode468/⁠⁠ Help me preserve Cold War history via a simple monthly donation, You'll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, receive a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank-you, and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we also welcome one-off tips via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONTINUE  THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION o BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Twitter/X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1987, Taiwan finally lifted martial law after nearly four decades of authoritarian rule.The moment marked a profound shift for a society long shaped by censorship, surveillance and political fear.For many who had lived through the ‘White Terror', it opened the possibility of speaking openly for the first time.Among them was Malaysian student Fred Chin, who had arrived in Taiwan in the late 1960s with little sense of the political tensions around him.What followed would draw him into a world of secret policing and military justice that operated far from public view, leaving lasting effects on his life and identity.Ashley Byrne speaks to Fred Chin about his story and what the lifting of martial law meant for him. A Made in Manchester production.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Former Jingmei Military Detention Center, where political dissidents were imprisoned during the White Terror. Credit: Craig Ferguson/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In the 1980s, townships in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town became an unexpected hotbed of activity against South Africa's apartheid government. One charismatic young activist emerged as a leader of the struggle against white minority rule, becoming known as the Che Guevara of the Cape Flats.Former anti-apartheid activist Adiel 'Gorie' November tells Sumaya Bakhsh about his memories of his friend and fellow resistance fighter, Ashley Kriel.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Ashley Kriel. Credit: Rashid Lombard Archive)

In 1988, as floods struck Bangladesh and a heat wave swept across the United States, climate change became a political issue. Governments and businesses alike talked about how to stop it, or at least slow it down. That year the think tank World Resources Institute and the energy company Applied Energy Services announced a novel idea that has been credited as the first example of a ‘carbon offset': In order to make up for the millions of tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide that would be released by a new coal-fired power plant in the United States, the energy company would pay to plant 52 million trees in Guatemala. But the reality on the ground was more complicated. Stan Alcorn visits Totonicapán, Guatemala and speaks with Roberto Antonio Alvarado, who planted the saplings that would be some of the world's first carbon offsets. Additional producing by Dennis Funk. A Written in Air production.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Roberto Antonio Alvarado with one of the first carbon offset trees he planted. Credit: Stan Alcorn)

In 2001, filming began on City of God which would stun audiences with its unflinching honesty.It captured the brutal realities of child gangsters from Rio De Janeiro's favelas trapped in an unforgiving cycle of violence.Local children were cast in the film, which was nominated for four Oscars, and their own lives weren't far from the stories on screen.Katia Lund who co-directed the movie, speaks to Reena Stanton-Sharma about how she was able to draw powerful performances from the children, capturing moments of anguish and terror. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Katia Lund (second right) with some of the cast of City of God and director Fernando Meirelles. Credit: Francois Guillot/AFP via Getty Images)

Our guest today is geopolitical analyst and bestselling author Brandon Weichert to talk about his recent book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine which is a devastating critique of US policy failure in Ukraine. For 30 years, a succession of Russian leaders from Mikhail Gorbachev to Boris Yeltsin to Vladimir Putin warned the West that NATO's expansion into territories bordering Russian, especially Ukraine would trigger a violent response from Moscow. But the West didn't listen. In his excellent book, Brandon Weichert explains how arrogant Western leaders created the current crisis with Russia that continues after four years and why hundreds of thousands of innocent Ukrainians have been made to pay with their lives. Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

In 1943, the cellist, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. She expected to be killed in the gas chambers but survived because she was recruited to play in an orchestra set up by the women prisoners. In 2015, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch told Simon Watts about her experience and the power of music in the darkest moments in history.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Picture: Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch. Credit: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

In 1964, a group of teenage boys organised a convention in New York – it became known as the first official Comic Con.The idea began after 16-year-old Bernie Bubnis wrote an article in his comic book fanzine. But when no-one else took on the project, he rounded up friends to help. Together, they booked a venue, arranged a date, sent out letters and posted ads. And for the star attraction, they invited legendary American comic book artist, Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.In late July, the doors opened on the first convention, kickstarting what's become a worldwide cultural phenomenon. Bernie tells Jane Wilkinson how it happened. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Comic Con 1964 badge. Credit: Bernie Bubnis/Art Tripp)

In the summer of 1978, many Swedish workers relished the chance to take longer, paid vacations than ever before.This was thanks to an update to Sweden's Annual Leave Act –or Semesterlagen in Swedish – passed the previous year. The law guaranteed all employees four consecutive weeks of vacation, and increased their total annual leave to five weeks, giving them some of the longest paid holidays in the world.These policies transformed the way Swedes do business. Many factories and offices shut down for an entire month during the summer. Today,Sweden retains its strong reputation for work-life balance, and the annual leave act has given rise to the 'sommar jobb' - short summer jobs that help cover holiday absences.Former union worker Inga Persson, who was in her late 20s when the law was passed, tells Matilda Welin about the impact it had on her family, who decided to spend their first long, paid uninterrupted vacation in a new campervan. A Bespoken Media production, made by Maddy Savage.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Inga Persson. Credit: Inga Persson)

In 1974, an execution method known as the garrote, a chair with a metal collar tightened by a screw to break the neck, was used for the last time.Francisco Franco's regime used it to execute two young men on the same day. The last was Catalan Salvador Puig Antich, a 25-year-old member of an anarchist group that robbed banks to fund its activities and support working class people. He was accused of killing a police officer during his arrest.Stefania Gozzer speaks to his sister, Carme Puig Antich, about her brother's death and why, more than 50 years later, he remains a symbol of resistance to Franco's rule.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Salvador Puig Antich. Credit: Puig Antich's family archive)

On 1 February 1969, the first African film festival of Ouagadougou opened in the Republic of Upper Volta, now known as Burkina Faso.In 1972, the event was made into an official institution by government decree.It became known as the Pan-African film festival of Ouagadougou - Fespaco for short.It is Africa's largest film festival and is held every two years. Alimata Salembéré was President of the organising committee who put together the first event.She tells Jen Dale how it all came about.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Fespaco. Credit: Luc Gnago/Reuters)

In 2016, a fragile-looking aircraft with the wingspan of a jumbo jet and the power of a scooter attempted something no-one had ever managed before: flying around the world without a drop of fuel.But behind the serene images of Solar Impulse Two, gliding over oceans, was a story of near disaster, exhaustion, and a team pushed to breaking point.Bertrand Piccard - explorer, balloonist and one of the two pilots - tells Kurt Brookes how a dream born in the Egyptian desert became a 40,000km test of nerve, technology and sheer stubbornness. A Made in Manchester production. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Solar Impulse 2 second test flight over Abu Dhabi. Credit: Solar Impulse/ Stefatou)

On 3 June 1998, a stone carving of Native American warrior Crazy Horse's face was unveiled in South Dakota.It is 27m tall and is part of a much larger sculpture showing the Native American warrior riding a horse and pointing towards the sacred Black Hills. When finished, it will be the largest mountain carving in the world.Crazy Horse helped defeat the US Army in 1876 at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.The granite memorial was started by Korczak Ziolkowski in 1948 after being asked by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to carve a likeness of the warrior out of a mountain.After Korczak's death, his family continued the project.Daughter Monique Ziolkowski is the memorial's artistic and historical adviser.She tells Jen Dale what it was like to help drill, blast and carve the mountain into the likeness of Crazy Horse.This programme contains outdated language.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Crazy Horse memorial. Credit: Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation)

Before 1977, flamenco percussion relied solely on hand‑clapping and dancers' footwork. But that year, at a party in Lima, Peru, the cajon entered the scene.Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia and Brazilian percussionist Rubem Dantas attended an event at the Spanish embassy where they saw local musicians playing the cajon, an Afro‑Peruvian box drum that evolved from the wooden crates enslaved people used to make music in the 17th century. Since then, the cajon has become a staple of flamenco.Rubem Dantas spoke to Stefania Gozzer about what happened that night.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Spanish Flamenco dancer Belen Lopez and members of her Flamenco dancing company in Portugal. Credit: Corbis via Getty Images)

Matthew Longo, The Picnic: A Dream of Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain. This segment focuses on the high-level political maneuvers that set the stage for the collapse of the Iron Curtain, beginning with a Warsaw Pactmeeting on July 6, 1989. The primary figures are Miklos Nemeth, the young, Harvard-educated Prime Minister of Hungary and a reformer, and Nicolae Ceausescu, the "old guard" dictator of Romania. During the meeting, a furious Ceausescu berates Nemeth for betraying socialism and undermining the Warsaw Pact, even refusing to address him as "comrade." Nemeth, however, finds a silent ally in Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, who gives him a subtle "wink" to signal protection against the hardliners. Nemeth's radical goal was to dismantle the physical Iron Curtain—not just for ideological reasons, but because the technology (mines, electric wires) was decades old, ineffective, and too expensive to maintain. In a secret March 1989 meeting at the Kremlin, Gorbachev gave Nemeth a "green light," telling him that the border was Hungary's problem to manage. This meeting also touched on the sensitive presence of a secret Soviet nuclear arsenal in Hungary, which Gorbachev insisted remain hidden from his own defense ministers. Nemeth left Moscowfeeling that while Gorbachev wouldn't stop him, the Soviet leader's own position was precarious, and a hardline coup remained a constant threat. (1)1800

In March 2008, former female wrestler Juana Barraza was found guilty of murdering at least 11 elderly women in Mexico City. The murders took place over a period of seven years, and Barraza became known as the “little old lady killer”. She admitted to murdering three women and told investigators it was because of abuse she suffered in childhood at the hands of her alcoholic mother. In 2021, Mike Lanchin spoke to the neuropsychologist Dr Feggy Ostrosky, who interviewed Barraza in jail, about the disturbing story. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Barraza being presented to the media following her arrest in 2005. Credit: Reuters/Danil Aguilar)

During the Spanish Civil War, the fascist dictator Francisco Franco rose to power.Around half a million people fled the fighting, but some chose to return even as the conflict continued.One of them was eight-year-old Felisa Umbon San Vicente. In 1937, her mother brought the family back from France to their village near Bilbao, in Spain's northern Basque Country, close to the French border.Felisa tells Ivana Davidovic about starting school and growing up during the war, as her region fell to Franco's forces.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Felisa with her mother. Credit: Felisa Umbon San Vicente)