Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchIbadan Zoo
British zoologist Bob Golding turned the University of Ibadan's zoo into one of Nigeria's biggest tourist attractions in the 1970s.
The zoo was famous…
2 years, 8 months ago
Tortured in Iran's Evin Prison
In June 2009, millions of Iranians took to the streets to protest against what they considered a rigged presidential election.
The hardline incumbent …
2 years, 8 months ago
The Green March: Moroccans take over the Sahara
On 6 November 1975, tens of thousands of Moroccans poured into Spanish Sahara in a bid to claim it for their own.
They danced, waved flags and played …
2 years, 8 months ago
The hunger-striking Bolivian president
In Bolivia, on 25 October 1984, President Hernán Siles Zuazo announced he was going on hunger strike.
He was trying to stop the booming cocaine indus…
2 years, 8 months ago
Gürtel scandal: Spain's Watergate
For two years, José Luis Peñas risked his life making secret recordings that revealed one of Spain's biggest corruption scandals.
It forced the ruling…
2 years, 9 months ago
The first World Laughter Day
On the 11 January 1998 in Mumbai, India, the first World Laughter Day took place.
It was the idea of Dr Madan Kataria, a medical doctor who wanted to …
2 years, 9 months ago
Russian ballerina defects to the west
In 1970, Natalia Makarova became the first female ballet star to defect to the West from Russia.
The dancer claimed asylum during a UK tour, nine year…
2 years, 9 months ago
The mystery of France's lost king
The fate of Louis-Charles, son of the last king of France, was for years shrouded in rumour.
The little boy was said to have died in prison in 1795. B…
2 years, 9 months ago
The world’s first lesbian couple to get married
On 1 April 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage.
Four couples were chosen to take part in a collective…
2 years, 9 months ago
What the 1989 solar storm did to Quebec
On 13 March 1989, the Canadian province of Quebec suffered a nine-hour electricity blackout.
Much of the state's infrastructure was damaged, but the …
2 years, 9 months ago