PODCAST

The History Hour

BBC World Service

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

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All Episodes

52:25

Judy Garland's legacy and the Benin Bronzes

The History Hour ·

2023/08/18

A compilation of this week's Witness History episodes. Gerald Clarke, the author of Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, speaks to Max Pearson about the legacy of the stage and screen actress who died in 1969.We also look at how a chance encounter led to the return of two of the looted Benin Bronzes, ancient artworks which were among thousands stolen from Benin City by the British Army in 1897.And we head back to 2008, when a nine-year-old boy tripped over a fossil that would lead to one of the most

50:48

Presidential diamonds and Tupperware parties

The History Hour ·

2023/08/11

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History stories from the BBC World Service. Journalist Claude Angeli discovered French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing received diamonds from a depraved African emperor, which contributed to him losing the presidential election in 1981. How Bosnia’s small Jewish community helped people from all sides of the conflict, during the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s. The story of the gang of thieves, who held up a British Royal

51:50

Dinosaur discoveries and a Berlin Wall treehouse

The History Hour ·

2023/08/05

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear about a prehistoric discovery in India - a nest full of dinosaur eggs found in 1982. Plus, why a Mongolian dinosaur skeleton became the centre of a 2012 court battle in a case known as United States V One Tyrannosaurus Bataar.Our guest, palaeobiologist Neil Gostling reveals how newly-uncovered dinosaurs are named, and tells us which fossilised beast was the first to be christened.José Mujica

52:06

West African food and computer viruses

The History Hour ·

2023/07/28

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Ozoz Sokoh, Nigerian food writer and author of the Kitchen Butterfly food blog, who tells us about the history of West African food.The programme begins with the story of Mr Bigg's, Nigeria's answer to McDonald's. Then, we hear about the 1960 coup against the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, from his grandnephew.In the second half of the programme, a Jewish survivor tells us about

51:16

Wartime surrenders and the birth of Barbie

The History Hour ·

2023/07/21

Max Pearson presents a compilation of stories from this week’s Witness History episodes.In the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire. Thousands of people watched the incredible moment Japanese generals handed over their swords in China's Forbidden City in Beijing.Historian James Holland, talks about the ritual and significance of a surrender.Also, the first Barbie doll was sold in 1959. It took Ruth Handler, who created it, years to convince her male

52:12

Five great inventions that changed the world

The History Hour ·

2023/07/14

Max Pearson presents a selection of this week’s Witness History stories.In 1999, Aibo: the world's first robot dog, hit the shops in Japan and sold out in just 20 minutes. We hear from Toshitada Doi who spent six years on the project when he worked at Sony. Plus we hear from Dr Ella Haig about the development of artificial intelligence.Japanese software developer Shigetaka Kurita created the first emoji in 1999. Valerie Hunter Gordon, from England, invented disposable nappies in 1947 after the birth

52:03

Tourism arrives in the Maldives and a royal night out

The History Hour ·

2023/07/07

Max Pearson presents a selection of this week’s Witness History stories.In 1972, tourists arrived in the Maldives for the first time. We hear from one of the people who made it happen, plus analysis of the growth of tourism around South East Asia with Ploysri Porananond.Also, on the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service in the UK, one of the first doctors shares his experience.Lawyers for both the prosecution and defence of concentration camp guard John Demjanjuk, discuss his trial.The

51:19

South Korea store collapse and Lady Gaga's meat dress

The History Hour ·

2023/06/30

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History stories.In 1995, the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in the South Korean capital, Seoul, killed and injured hundreds of people. Explaining the impact it had on urban planning is Dr Youngmi Kim, senior lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Edinburgh.Also, the speech President John F Kennedy made at the height of the Cold War on 26 June 1963. It galvanised the world in support of West Berliners who had been isolated

52:50

Somalia's civil war and golf on the moon

The History Hour ·

2023/06/24

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History stories.Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, a fighter pilot in the Somali air force defied orders to bomb civilians in 1988. Explaining more about the Somali civil war and its legacy is BBC Monitoring's regional analyst Beverly Ochieng.Also, the demonstrations in East Germany that triggered martial rule in 1953. From the archive, Sam King recalls arriving in England on the Empire Windrush in 1948, one of 802 pioneering Caribbean migrants. Plus, the

51:43

Amazing photographs and the people who took them

The History Hour ·

2023/06/16

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History stories. We focus on some of the world’s best known photographs - and the photographers who took them. We find out why Lee Miller was in Hitler’s bath in the dying days of World War Two; and historian Dr Pippa Oldfield discusses the women who were the pioneers of war photography.Also, Sir Don McCullin tells the story behind one of his most famous images of the Vietnam War.Plus, more on the party pictures that shone a light on an unseen

51:57

Inuit children taken from families and Le Mans crash

The History Hour ·

2023/06/09

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History and Sporting Witness stories.We hear about the Inuit children taken away from their homes and culture, to be educated in Canadian cities. Adamie Kalingo tells his story about being placed with a foster family in Ottawa in 1964. Dr Raven Sinclair explains how Adamie’s story was part of a wider program of resettling Indigenous children.Also, the crash at Le Mans which killed 80 people in 1955; the ceremony in 2005, organised by

51:47

Scaling Everest, the highest mountain in the world

The History Hour ·

2023/06/02

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes focusing on Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.It's 70 years since Edmund Hillary with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, became the first people to reach the summit of Everest in 1953.We hear about some of the earliest, tragic attempts to scale the mountain, and from those who've blazed a trail up the slopes for others to follow.Contributors: Peter Hillary - Sir Edmund Hillary's son. Jamling Tenzing Norgay - Tenzing

51:13

Bosnian concentration camp photo and hero clown

The History Hour ·

2023/05/27

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear how a shocking photo from a Bosnian concentration camp stunned the world, what it's like to be in a tornado and the heroic clown who helped after an earthquake in Peru.Plus the 1980 military coup in Suriname and the moment in the 1960s when African de-colonisation might have led to a United States of Africa.This programme contains descriptions of sexual violence.(Photo: Fikret Alic in a

51:20

Singapore executes Filipina maid and German child...

The History Hour ·

2023/05/19

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear about the German children who were evacuated to camps in the countryside to avoid the bombs of World War Two. You may find some of the content distressing.Also we find out about the execution of Flor Contemplacion Plus the creation of the 3000 km Te Ararora trail in New Zealand, the Dambusters raid and the story behind the popular children’s book, Pippi Longstocking.Contributors: Gunter

51:22

World War Two African victory and 'Kai Tak heart attack'

The History Hour ·

2023/05/12

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear about the Allies' campaign in North Africa in the Second World War in 1943. Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2025, the BBC is trying to gather as many first-hand accounts from surviving veterans as possible, to preserve for future generations.Working with a number of partners, including the Normandy Memorial Trust and the Royal British Legion, the BBC has spoken to

51:36

The 'Stone of Destiny' and a self-proclaimed Emperor

The History Hour ·

2023/05/05

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear about the Scottish students who removed the 'Stone of Destiny' from Westminster Abbey in London. Former King Simeon II of Bulgaria explains how he went from child King to Prime Minister of his country. Also, why the body of Oliver Cromwell was dug up and executed in the UK in 1661. The son of Jean-Bédel Bokassa explains why his father proclaimed himself Emperor of the Central African

52:16

Artist Althea McNish and history of the Met Gala

The History Hour ·

2023/04/28

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear about Althea McNish, the Trinidadian artist who designed fabric for Queen Elizabeth II. Former Vogue editor Suzy Menkes on the success of the fashion celebration, the Met Gala. The Guatemalan Bishop, Juan Gerardi, killed in his home, after presenting the conclusions of a major investigation into abuses committed during the country's civil war. We remember Harry Belafonte, with a look back at

50:39

The history of dogs

The History Hour ·

2023/04/21

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear about the invention of the labradoodle, the first dog in space and how a Yorkshire terrier called Smoky became the world's first therapy dog.Author Mackenzi Lee talks about her book, The History of the World in Fifty Dogs. She discusses Napoleon Bonaparte's turbulent relationship with pugs and the first guide dogs in America. Plus, the guide dog who saved its owner's life during the 9/11

51:13

Unearthing World War II mass graves and the Boston...

The History Hour ·

2023/04/15

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History and Sporting Witness episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear about the unearthing of a mass grave in Sernyky, Ukraine, in 1990, and when the Boston Marathon was the target of a terror attack in 2013.This programme contains distressing details.Contributors: James Bulgin - head of public history at the Imperial War Museum in Britain. Richard Wright - archaeologist. Jonathan Dimbleby - broadcaster. Edward Deveau - Watertown Chief of

51:00

Escaping Eritrea and inventing Zumba

The History Hour ·

2023/04/08

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear about the lengths one woman goes to to escape Eritrea, how Zumba was invented by accident and how a giant peace statue on a Japanese island, crumbled into a ghostly ruin.Plus the arguments then, and the arguments still over the Good Friday Peace Agreement for Northern Ireland, and a picnic for peace that breached the Iron Curtain.This programme contains descriptions of sexual

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