PODCAST

The History Hour

BBC World Service

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

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All Episodes

50:50

German traditions and cooking for presidents

The History Hour ·

2024/12/28

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History interviews which all relate to food.First, Dinner for One, the British TV sketch that's become a German New Year’s Eve tradition. Our expert guest is Ingrid Sharp, professor of German cultural and gender history at the University of Leeds. She tells us about some other festive traditions in Northern Europe including Krampus – the horned figure said to punish children who misbehave at Christmas. We also hear about when South Korea and

51:05

Referendums and cannibalism

The History Hour ·

2024/12/21

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Chandrika Kaul, a specialist on modern British and Imperial history at the University of St Andrews in the UK.We start by hearing from both sides of Australia's 1999 referendum on becoming a republic. Then, a survivor recounts the horrific 1972 Andes plane crash and the extraordinary things he had to do to survive. We hear how the BBC put text on our television screens for

51:15

Panama and the 'Purple Heart Battalion'

The History Hour ·

2024/12/14

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Joan Flores-Villalobos, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Southern California, and author of The Silver Women: How Black Women’s Labor Made the Panama Canal.First, we hear from a man involved in the handover of the canal from the United States to Panama in 1999. Then, DJ and singer Leonardo Renato Aulder explains how the canal led to the creation of

51:11

Women making a mark

The History Hour ·

2024/12/07

In partnership with the BBC 100 Women list, we have a selection of stories about inspiring and influential women from around the world. Scientist Katalin Karikó, who won the Nobel Prize and helped save millions of lives in the Covid 19 pandemic, Julia Gillard, the former Australian prime minister who took a stand against misogyny in politics, and Indian artist Nalini Malani whose instillation got people thinking about the consequences of nuclear conflict.We also hear from the founder of Ms Magazine,

50:42

'Mozart of chess’ and the deepest man-made hole in...

The History Hour ·

2024/11/30

We hear from Magnus Carlsen, who in 2014, became the first player ever to win all three world chess titles in one year, achieving the highest official rating of any player in history.Woman grandmaster, three times British champion and chess historian, Yao Lan is our guest. She talks about the origin of chess.In the 1970s and 80s, scientists in Russia, managed to dig a hole more than 12,000 metres deep. It was called the Kola Superdeep Borehole. One of the geophysicists involved tells us about the

50:43

The Siege of Yarmouk and Iran's 'house churches'

The History Hour ·

2024/11/23

During the early years of Syria’s brutal civil war, the neighbourhood of Yarmouk, close to the Syrian capital Damascus, bore the brunt of the government’s viciousness. Known as ‘the Pianist of Yarmouk,’ Aeham tells Mike Lanchin about their struggle to survive the siege, and how music helped him overcome some of those dark days. Dr Gillian Howell, senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne explains how music has been used as a form of protest and honouring lives lost during conflict.After

50:51

The ‘Battle of the Surfaces’ and becoming a republic

The History Hour ·

2024/11/16

We hear about the half-clay, half-grass exhibition match between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Argentinean creative entrepreneur and tennis fan Pablo del Campo tells Uma Doraiswamy how he made the iconic court possible in May 2000. Fiona Skille, professor of Sports History at Glasgow Caledonian University, explains the history of sport exhibition matches.In 1974, Greece held a referendum to decide the future of the country’s monarchy, and whether Constantine II would remain their king. In

51:17

Female heroes of WW2 and the Iranian Revolution

The History Hour ·

2024/11/09

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.We hear about Polish war hero Irena Sendler who saved thousands of Jewish children during the World War Two.Expert Kathryn Atwood explains why women’s stories of bravery from that time are not as prominent as men’s.Plus, the invention of ‘Baby’ – one of the first programmable computers. It was developed in England at the University of Manchester. Gill Kearsley has been looking through the archives to find out more about the

51:12

Magic, illusion and tigers

The History Hour ·

2024/11/02

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.For nearly 40 years, Siegfried and Roy wowed audiences in Las Vegas with death-defying tricks involving white lions and tigers. But in 2003, their magic show came to a dramatic end when a tiger attacked Roy live on stage.We find out what went wrong, and speak to magician and author Margaret Steele about the - sometimes dangerous - history of illusion and magic.Plus, we learn more about the so-called ‘Ken Burns effect’; the

51:03

Dungeons & Dragons and dinosaur remains

The History Hour ·

2024/10/25

First, on its 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, we hear from Luke Gygax, whose father created the fantasy role-play game. We also hear from Dr Melissa Rogerson, senior lecturer and board games researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia.Then, the first dinosaur remains discovered in Antarctica in 1986, by Argentinian geologist Eduardo Olivero.Next, Ethiopia’s internal relief efforts during the famine in 1984, led by Dawit Giorgis. Plus, the fight to stop skin lightening in

51:04

Flower revolutions

The History Hour ·

2024/10/18

We hear about the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan in 2014. Brian Hioe, an activist who occupied Parliament in Taipei, recalls the events.We hear from Nino Zuriashvili, one of the protesters at the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003. And Prof Kasia Boddy, author of Blooming Flowers: A Seasonal History of Plants and People explains how flowers have been used as symbols in political history.Plus, the Afghan refugee who fled as a 15 year old. Waheed Arian, a doctor and former Afghan refugee describes his

50:52

Technology and artificial intelligence

The History Hour ·

2024/10/11

We start with the world's first general purpose electronic computer, the ENIAC, built in 1946 by a team of female mathematicians including Kathleen Kay McNulty. We speak to Gini Mauchly Calcerano, daughter of Kathleen Kay McNulty, who developed ENIAC.Then we hear about the man who invented the original chatbot, called Eliza, but did not believe computers could achieve intelligence. We speak to Miriam Weizenbaum, daughter of Joseph Weizenbaum, who built Eliza chatbot.Following that, Dr Hiromichi

51:05

Latin America's longest plane hijacking and...

The History Hour ·

2024/10/04

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes.We start our programme in 1973, when two men claiming to be Colombian guerrillas hijacked a plane making it fly across Latin American for 60 hours.Our expert guest is Brendan Koerner author of 'The skies belong to us: Love and terror in the golden age of hijacking.'Then we take a look at the 2009 UN-backed war crime tribunals in Cambodia that aimed to hold the genocidal Khmer Rouge commanders to account. Following that we hear

51:13

South Africa’s Immorality Act and India's Mars...

The History Hour ·

2024/09/27

We start our programme with the story of a couple who were arrested under South Africa's Immorality Act, which banned sexual relationships between white people and non-white people.Another law banned Inter-racial marriage in South Africa. In 1985, this was lifted. The first couple to marry under the new rules share their memories.Our guest is Dr Susanne Klausen, The Brill Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at The Pennsylvania State University in the USA. She talks about love,

51:00

New Zealand’s first dinosaur and India’s plague outbreak

The History Hour ·

2024/09/21

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes.We start our programme looking at the discovery of New Zealand’s first dinosaur by Joan Wiffen.Our expert guest is Professor Eugenia Gold, a paleontologist at Suffolk University, in Boston, United States, and the author of children’s book She Found Fossils.Then, we hear how the CT scanner was invented.Following that, we go to India in 1994 and an outbreak of the pneumonic plague.Plus, the story of how a small group of

50:52

Ethiopian history

The History Hour ·

2024/09/13

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes. We’re looking at key moments in Ethiopian history, as it’s 50 years since Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown in a military coup. We start our programme looking at the moment a military junta called the Derg who ousted the monarchy in September 1974. Then, we hear how, before this, the Emperor lived in exile in Bath, in the west of England.Our expert guest is Hewan Semon Marye, who is junior professor at the University of

49:55

Marriage bars and a Moon mission

The History Hour ·

2024/09/06

Myra Anubi presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. We hear about the Irish law that banned married women from working in state jobs until 1973 and Apollo 13's attempted trip to the Moon in 1970.Plus the Umbrella protest in Hong Kong, the ancient Egyptian mummy who flew to France for a makeover and the Argentine basketball player and wrestler nicknamed the Giant.Contributors:Bernie Flynn - one of the first married women to keep her job after the marriage bar was abolished in

51:13

Space travel and Mary Poppins

The History Hour ·

2024/08/30

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. Our guest is European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who completed the longest uninterrupted space flight of any European.First, we go to Australia in the 1990s when amateur radio enthusiast Maggie Iaquinto befriended Soviet cosmonauts on the Mir space station. She updated them on global news as the USSR crumbled back on Earth.Then, the inspiring story of Waris Dirie, who walked barefoot across the Somalian

51:09

Nazis in Egypt and Spain's La Tomatina

The History Hour ·

2024/08/23

A warning, this programme includes an account of antisemitic views and descriptions of violence.Egypt recruited thousands of Nazis after World War Two to bolster its security. We hear from Frank Gelli, who in 1964 met Hitler's former propagandist, Johann von Leers, in Cairo. Author, Vyvyan Kinross is our guest and talks about Nazis in Egypt. Also, the celebrity murder case that divided France and how in 2001, Argentina went through five leaders in two weeks. Shatbhi Basu, talks about how became

51:11

Indonesian’s independence and the last Olympic art...

The History Hour ·

2024/08/16

We hear about the founding father of Indonesian independence. Then, we look at how 'spray on skin' was used after the 2002 Bali bombings.Next, we hear about the last ever Olympic art competition.Plus, the most decorated Paralympian in history.And, the Brazilian singer who earned the title Queen of Samba. Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History and Sporting Witness interviews. Our guest is Professor of Indonesian history, Kirsten Shulze from the London School of Economics and

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