Podcast Episodes

Ronald Reagan’s ‘Tear down this wall’ speech

In 1987 Uunied States President Ronald Reagan spoke at the Berlin Wall. In his speech he called on the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall".

The famous words were me…

Published on 6 months, 1 week ago

Lonesome George: The celebrity tortoise

In 2012, Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his species died.

George, from Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, was a global symbol of conservation and brought to the attention of the …

Published on 6 months, 1 week ago

The woman born in a prisoner of war camp

After the Sino-Indian war in 1962, around 3,000 men, women and children were incarcerated in a disused World War Two prisoner of war camp. Indians of Chinese descent were sent there having fallen pre…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

World War Two’s Rome escape line

Between September 1943 and June 1944 in World War Two, the Italian capital Rome was occupied by German soldiers.

Italy had surrendered and thousands of Allied prisoners of war had escaped from internm…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Usonia: Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘utopian’ town

In 1948, the foundation was laid for a “utopian” community of houses designed by a man described as America’s greatest ever architect.

Frank Lloyd Wright had been approached by a group who wanted to c…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

The discovery of the first exoplanets

On 9 January 1992, astronomers Alex Wolszczan and Dale Frail announced they had discovered the first two exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system, while working at the Arecibo Observatory in P…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Favela life: The diary of Carolina Maria de Jesus

Carolina Maria de Jesus was a poor, single mother-of-three who lived in a derelict shack and spent her days scavenging for food.

Her diary, written between 1955 and 1960, brought to life the harsh rea…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

The world’s largest model train set

In 2000, nightclub owners and twins Frederik and Gerrit Braun went from the neon lights of a Hamburg nightclub to building the world’s largest model trainset.

Miniatur Wunderland is now a top tourist…

Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Dolly Rathebe: South Africa’s first international film star

South Africa’s first feature film aimed at black audiences was released in 1949, launching Dolly Rathebe’s career.

The actress and jazz musician was discovered by chance by two British film makers an…

Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago

The Battle of the Beanfield

On 1 June 1985, a convoy of New Age Travellers set off for the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge in the south of England. They were planning to hold a festival there for the summer solstice, but the…

Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago