Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchJosé Mujica: Prison break to president
In the 1960s and '70s, José Mujica was a leading member of a notorious left-wing militant group in Uruguay called the Tupamaros. He survived multiple…
3 years, 2 months ago
Mr Bigg's: The birth of Nigeria's iconic takeaway
It’s been 50 years since a popular Nigerian fast food chain which later became known as Mr Bigg's was first launched.
The restaurants began as coffee…
3 years, 2 months ago
The 1960 coup against Haile Selassie
In December 1960, there was an attempt to dethrone the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie and replace him with his son.
While the emperor was out of th…
3 years, 2 months ago
The Pope’s controversial Nicaragua visit
In 1983 Pope John Paul II visited Nicaragua as part of an eight-day tour of Central America.
His trip came at a time of heightened tensions between t…
3 years, 2 months ago
Brain: The first personal computer virus
'Welcome to the dungeon' was the message that flashed up on computer screens in 1986.
This was thought to be the first virus for personal computers an…
3 years, 2 months ago
Escaping the Nazis in Greece
The Greek city of Thessaloniki, or Salonica, was once known as the Jerusalem of the Balkans.
It was previously home to a large and thriving Sephardi J…
3 years, 2 months ago
The US singer who became the Soviet Union’s Red Elvis
In 1966, at the height of the Cold War, American singer Dean Reed became the first western rock and roll star to tour the Soviet Union.
His visit was…
3 years, 2 months ago
The birth of Barbie
The first Barbie doll was sold in 1959.
It took Ruth Handler, who created it, years to convince her male colleagues that it would sell.
The plastic cr…
3 years, 2 months ago
Japan surrenders in China
In the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire. The one in China was held at the Forbidden City in Be…
3 years, 2 months ago
The ‘Barricades’ of Latvia
In January 1991, more than half a million people protested in Riga, the capital city of Latvia. They wanted to stop Soviet troops taking over importa…
3 years, 2 months ago