Podcast Episodes
Back to Search12th May 1949: The Soviet Union ends its blockade of West Berlin
Instigated on 24 June the previous year, the Soviet blockade prevented all rail, road, and water transport between Berlin and the West of the ...
4 weeks, 2 days ago
11th May 1981: The musical Cats opens at the New London Theatre in London’s West End
Unlike traditional musicals with a clear linear plot, Cats relied on a sequence of musical numbers linked by theme and atmosphere. Nevertheless, the …
1 month ago
10th May 1941: Rudolf Hess, Deputy Führer of the German Nazi Party, flew from Germany to Scotland on a mission to strike a peace deal with the British government
Hess landed twelve miles away from his intended destination of Dungavel House, the home of the Duke of Hamilton, with whom he hoped to open peace ...
1 month ago
9th May 1887: Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show opened in London at the American Exhibition in West Brompton
This was the first time Buffalo Bill had travelled to Britain, and also marked the first time that many Europeans had seen the fabled ‘Cowboys and ...
1 month ago
8th May 1429: Siege of Orléans lifted by French forces, marking a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War
A major engagement on 7 May resulted in the capture of the English stronghold known as Les Tourelles and, the following day, English forces abandoned…
1 month ago
7th May 1915: RMS Lusitania sunk by the German U-Boat, U-20
The British ship RMS Lusitania sank after being attacked by the German U-boat U-20 off the coast of ...
1 month ago
6th May 1937: Hindenburg Disaster sees the German passenger airship LZ 129 engulfed in flames following a mid-air explosion
The landing ropes were dropped at 7.21pm, and shortly afterwards the Hindenburg was engulfed by ...
1 month ago
5th May 1862: Mexican forces defeat a French army at the Battle of Puebla, commemorated annually as Cinco de Mayo
Despite expectations of a rapid French victory in the Battle of Puebla, the Mexican troops repelled repeated attacks aided by the terrain and defensi…
1 month ago
4th May 1932: Al Capone begins life as a convict in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary
Capone was found guilty on 17 October 1931 of Federal Income Tax Evasion and was sentenced to eleven years imprisonment by Judge James Herbert ...
1 month, 1 week ago
3rd May 1830: World’s first steam-powered passenger service begins operating on the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway
Built by George and Robert Stevenson in Newcastle, and transported to Whitstable by sea, Invicta was the first steam locomotive to haul passengers on…
1 month, 1 week ago