Podcast Episodes

Sweden's Cinnamon Bun Day

Sweden’s most beloved pastry is the cinnamon bun and every year on 4 October, locals celebrate the sweet, spiced snacks.

The country’s first official Cinnamon Bun Day (or Kanelbullens dag in Swedish) …

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

The Bluetooth story

In the 1990s, Bluetooth was invented in a lab in Lund, Sweden.

The technology is used today to wirelessly connect accessories such as mice, keyboards, speakers and headphones to desktops, laptops and …

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

Sweden's pioneering paternity leave

Fifty years ago Sweden became the first country in the world to offer paid parental leave that was gender neutral.

The state granted mothers and fathers 180 days that they could divide between them ho…

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

The man who invented the seat belt

In 1958, the late Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point safety belt for cars. It's estimated to have saved more than one million lives around the world.

In 2022, Nils's stepson Gunnar …

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

Fifty years of Abba

It's 50 years since Swedish pop group Abba won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.

The victory provided a platform for the band to become one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all tim…

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

Surviving the Rwandan genocide

April 1994 was the start of the Rwandan genocide, 100 days of slaughter, rape and atrocities.

As part of the Tutsi ethnic group, Antoinette Mutabazi’s family were a target for the killings.

So her fath…

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

The founding of Nato

Nato - the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - was formed in 1949 by 12 countries, including the US, UK, Canada and France.

Its aim was to block expansion by the then Soviet Union - a group of states…

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

Britain's first beach for nudists

In 1980, the seaside town of Brighton opened a very unusual attraction.

It was the first British beach dedicated to nudists.

The opening followed a passionate battle between two local politicians and c…

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

The Heimlich Manoeuvre

Since its adoption as a first aid method, the Heimlich Manoeuvre has saved untold numbers of lives around the world.

Developed by American physician Dr Henry Heimlich as a way to save choking victims…

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

Britain's Mirpuri migration

In 1967, a dam was built in Mirpur, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, that would spur a huge global migration. Water diverted by the dam forced around 100,000 people to leave their homes.

Thousands migra…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago