PODCAST

The History Hour

BBC World Service

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

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52:19

Hindenburg disaster and wingsuits

The History Hour ·

2024/01/06

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Barbara Waibel, author of a book on the Hindenburg and Director of Archives at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany. She tells us about the history of airships.We begin with some remarkable archive of the Hindenburg airship disaster in 1937. Then British scientist Jonathan Shanklin describes how he discovered the hole in the ozone layer in 1985.In the second half of the

52:10

Pad Thai, kiwis and the chef Ken Hom

The History Hour ·

2023/12/30

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.This week, we look at the disputed history of pad Thai with food writer Chawadee Nualkhair.We also hear from former fruit exporter Don Turner on why his family changed the name of the Chinese gooseberry to the kiwi fruit.Our expert guest is food historian, Prof Katarzyna Cwiertka, who highlights other moments in history when food and politics combined.We also have an interview with Thomas Chatenier,

51:45

Tsunamis and Caster Semenya

The History Hour ·

2023/12/23

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.This week, we hear from Lumepa Hald who survived the devastating tsunami that hit Samoa in 2009 but suffered a tragic loss.Our expert guest, Prof Tiziana Rossetto, looks back at some of the worst tsunamis in history and how they have shaped our landscapes.Plus we talk to Caster Semenya, the gold medallist who faced questions over her gender at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.There’s also an

51:50

Mandela's funeral and Tsar's reburial

The History Hour ·

2023/12/16

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dr Ongama Mtimka, lecturer in South African politics at the Nelson Mandela University. He tells us about Mandela's life and legacy 10 years on from his death. We start with with Mandela's daughter, Makaziwe, describing her relationship with her father and planning his funeral. Then, the brother of Emanuela Orlandi describes his lifelong mission to unravel the mystery of her

51:32

Doom and Danish brains

The History Hour ·

2023/12/09

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear about two of the most influential computer games of the 1990s with their creators. John Romero was one of the developers of Doom and talks about the concept of a martian military base populated by zombie soldiers. Coder Jan Tian describes how his devotion to working on the football game FIFA 94 landed him in hospital. Our guest, The Guardian newspaper's video games editor Keza MacDonald,

52:54

Saving animals from extinction and Cabbage Patch Kids

The History Hour ·

2023/12/02

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. This week, the bird that defied extinction. In 1969, a Peruvian farmer Gustavo Del Solar received an unusual assignment - finding a bird called the white-winged guan that had been regarded as extinct for a century.The American author and conservationist Michelle Nijhuis is this week's guest. She talks about some of the most interesting attempts in modern history to save animals on the brink of

51:36

Zambia celebrates independence and the invention of...

The History Hour ·

2023/11/25

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.This week, we’re looking at the birth of a new African nation – Zambia - in 1964, and find out how the country got its name. We also learn more about life after independence with our guest Dr Alfred Tembo, head of history of the University of Zambia.Elsewhere, two survivors of a series of terrifying gun attacks in Mumbai talk about their experiences. And there’s a look back to 2003, when the worst

52:22

The Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in Iceland and...

The History Hour ·

2023/11/18

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Jenni Barclay from the University of East Anglia in the UK. She tells us about some of the most significant volcanic eruptions in history.We start with the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010, which caused air travel to stop across Europe. Then, memories of the Bolivian Water War in 2000.In the second half of the programme, we hear how the EpiPen was invented by Sheldon

52:17

Pakistani popstars, and the hippo and the tortoise

The History Hour ·

2023/11/11

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear from Zoheb Hassen, one half of a sibling duo from Pakistan who topped the charts in countries all over the world with their dancefloor filler, Disco Deewane.Our guest is BBC radio presenter and Pakistani music fan Raess Khan. He talks about how Pakistani pop music evolved from Zoheb’s success.Entertainment star Debbie McGee, who is best known for being the assistant and wife of British

51:25

Che Guevara's daughter and marrying Freddie Mercury

The History Hour ·

2023/11/04

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Tony Kapcia, Emeritus Professor at the University of Nottingham's Centre for Research on Cuba. He tells us about the history of Cuban foreign policy.We start with Aleida Guevara's memories of being sent from Cuba to provide medical aid in the Angolan Civil War during the 1980s. Then, the French scientist Francoise Barre-Sinoussi explains how HIV was discovered in 1983.In the second half

51:46

Gezi Park protests and MAD hijack

The History Hour ·

2023/10/27

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear from activist and actor Memet Ali Alabora on how his social media post contributed to the civil unrest following the Gezi Park protests in Turkey in 2013.Our guest, Selin Girit who covers Turkey for BBC World Service, talks to us about Turkey's important position between Europe and Asia. We also learn about the fighting in 1980 between the left and right-wing groups that led to Turkey’s

50:55

Osmondmania! and the launch of Lagos Fashion Week

The History Hour ·

2023/10/20

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear about Osmondmania! The moment in 1973 when teenage fans of American heartthrobs, The Osmonds, caused a balcony at Heathrow to collapse.Also, we find out about the first peace walk in Cambodia and how it united a country torn apart by war.Plus, the birth of Lagos Fashion Week and how it put Nigerian design on the global map.Contributors: Donny Osmond. Josephine McDermott, BBC producer and

51:17

The creation of Ghana's flag and the oldest person at...

The History Hour ·

2023/10/13

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear from Kwasi Okoh about how his mother Theodosia Okoh designed Ghana’s flag after it became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence.Our guest, former diplomatic and foreign affairs editor, Tim Marshall, explains the importance of flags for national identity and their changing purpose through history. We also learn about the moment in 1966 when Kwame Nkrumah, one of Africa's

52:10

Marking 50 years since the 1973 global oil crisis

The History Hour ·

2023/10/06

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. To mark 50 years since the global oil crisis, we’re focusing on oil - from discovery to disaster. We hear from Dr Fadhil Chalabi, then the deputy secretary general of Opec (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) about what happened during the 1973 crisis. Our guest Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University, explains why oil became the lifeblood of industrial

50:48

The Lampedusa disaster and cat cafes

The History Hour ·

2023/09/29

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear about the sinking of a migrant boat off Lampedusa in 2013 which was one of the Mediterranean’s worst shipwrecks. Also, we find out about Wally Hendrickson, the US physicist who volunteered to be dropped into the front line of the Vietnam War to remove fuel rods from a reactor. Plus, the opening of the world's first cat cafe in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998.Contributors: Amnasager Araya who

51:48

Nazi eugenics and the year of the vuvuzela

The History Hour ·

2023/09/22

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear about the people with disabilities who were sterilised in Germany following an order in 1933, passed by the then Chancellor Adolf Hitler.Also, we find out about the first man to descend into the “Gates of Hell”, the Darvaza Crater, in Turkmenistan.Plus the story behind the vuvuzela which was dubbed the “world’s most annoying instrument”.Contributors: Helga Gross who was sterilised in Germany

51:07

Israeli and Palestinian history

The History Hour ·

2023/09/15

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. It's thirty years since the Oslo Accords were signed. This agreement in 1993 aimed to bring about peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. So this week, we're bringing you stories from Israeli and Palestinian history. We hear about attempts at peace - the secret talks behind the Oslo Accords, and President Bill Clinton's failed attempt to end the conflict at Camp David. Plus, one of the

51:42

The Chilean coup and Zanzibar’s most famous singer

The History Hour ·

2023/09/09

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear from Chilean politician Hermógenes Pérez de Arce, who helped oust President Allende in 1973. We also hear from the widow of folk singer Victor Jara, who was killed during the military coup.Our guest is Dr Camila Vergara, who is a historian and journalist from Chile, and a senior lecturer at the University of Essex Business School in the UK. She tells us more about the aftermath of the

50:43

Historic Korean summit and goat island

The History Hour ·

2023/09/01

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Jean H. Lee, an American journalist who has covered both North and South Korea extensively. Jean is also the co-host of the BBC World Service podcast, The Lazarus Heist. She tells us more about the relationship between the two countries.The programme begins with the historic meeting between North and South Korea's leaders almost 50 years after the Korean War. We hear from Sameh Elbarky

50:53

Ireland's 'ghost estates' and the first Rose of Tralee

The History Hour ·

2023/08/25

Max Pearson presents a collection of Witness History stories from the BBC World Service, this week we are focusing on Irish history. In 2006, Ireland’s economic boom, known as the Celtic Tiger, ended. It meant thousands of people, like Michelle Burke, were left devastated as house construction stopped. In 1959, Tralee, in Ireland, hosted a festival to promote the town and build Irish connections around the world. The Rose of Tralee is now one of Ireland’s oldest and largest festivals. Veteran RTE

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