Episodi
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
It's 30 years since Edvard Munchâs painting, The Scream, was stolen from the national gallery in Oslo, Norway. We hear from the man who helped to recover it.
Our expert guest is historian and author, Susan Ronald, who explores the history of art heists in the 20th century.
Plus, a first hand account from Kampala terror attacks in 2010 and the mystery of St Teresa of Avila's severed hand.
Finally, we hear about the last World War II soldier to surrender. Hiroo Onoda was an Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who spent nearly 30 years in the Philippine jungle, believing World War Two was still going on.
Contributors:Kuddzu Isaac - DJ and Kampala terror attack survivorCharley Hill - Scotland Yard art detective and private investigatorSusan Ronald - historian and authorSister Jenifer - the Mother Superior of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, RondaHiroo Onoda - Japanese WWII soldierChristos and Ioanna Kotsikas - residents of Thessaly, Greece
(Photo: The Scream. Credit: Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
It has been 50 years since Abba won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, so we're exploring Swedish history. Also in 1974, Sweden became the first country in the world to offer paid parental leave that was gender neutral. One father who took the leave tells us about this pioneering policy. We hear from one of the inventors of Bluetooth. The technology was named after Harald Bluetooth, a Viking king. Our expert guest is Eva Krutmeijer, Swedish science writer and co-author of the book ' Innovation, the Swedish Wayâ.
Plus, the invention of the three-point safety belt for cars, that is estimated to have saved more than one million lives around the world, and the story behind Swedenâs Cinnamon Bun Day. Finally, 1974 was just the beginning for the Swedish quartet, Abba, who shared their name with a herring company. By the end of the decade, they were one of most recognisable music acts of the 20th century. Contributors:Per Edlund - one of the first fathers in his town to take split paid parental leaveSven Mattison - one of the inventors of BluetoothEva Krutmeijer - Swedish science writer and co-author of the book 'Innovation, the Swedish Way'Gunnar Ornmark - stepson of Nils Bohlin who invented the three-point safety belt for carsKaeth Gardestedt - who came up with the idea of Sweden's Cinnamon Bun DayGörel Hanser - manager of Abba (Photo: Abba in 1974. Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
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It's 75 years since the founding of Nato. In 1949, a group of 12 countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to block the expansion of the Soviet Union.
Professor Sten Rynning, the author of Nato: From Cold War to Ukraine, talks about some of the most significant moments in Nato's history.
It's 30 years since the beginning of the Rwandan genocide. We hear from one of the survivors, Antoinette Mutabazi. This programme contains disturbing content.
Plus, Riyaz Begum reflects on Britain's Mirpuri migration, Janet Heimlich, daughter of Dr Henry Heimlich talks about the origins of the Heimlich Manoeuvre and Adam Trimingham, Brighton based journalist and nudist David Johnson recall the arrival of Britain's first nudist beach.
(Photo: British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin signs the North Atlantic Treaty. Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
To mark 50 years since the discovery of the Terracotta Army, we're exploring modern Chinese history.
We hear from the man who helped to modernise the Chinese language by creating a new writing system. It's called Pinyin and it used the Roman alphabet to help simplify Chinese characters into words.
Our expert guest is the writer, Mark O'Neill, whose book 'The Man Who Made China a Literate Nation' forms the basis of a great discussion about historical language changes throughout history.
Plus, a first hand experience of life in labour camps during Mao Zedongâs cultural revolution and the women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial army during the 1930s. This programme contains disturbing content.
Contributors:Mark O'Neill - writerZhou Youguang - linguistJingyu Li - victim of Mao Zedong's labour campsPeng Zhuying - survivor of sexual slaveryYuan Zhongyi - archaeologistDr Li Xiuzhen - archaeologistSimon Napier-Bell - manager of Wham
(Photo: Terracotta Army. Credit: Getty Images)
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First, we go back to 1992, when off the coast of Ireland, a Swiss geology student accidentally discovered the longest set of footprints made by the first four-legged animals to walk on earth.
They pointed to a new date for the key milestone in evolution, when the first amphibians left the water 385 million years ago.
Dr Frankie Dunn, who is a senior researcher in palaeobiology at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in the UK, then dives into landmark discoveries in geological history.
Plus, the story of Winifred Atwell, a classically-trained pianist from Trinidad who was admired by Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Elton John. She became one of the best-selling artists of the 1950s in the UK.
Then, how the Guarani, an indigenous language of South America, was designated an official language in Paraguayâs new constitution, alongside Spanish.
Also, the lesser known last eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1944.
Finally, Indian badminton player Rajeev Bagga who has won 14 gold medals at the Deaflympics. In 2001, he was given the âDeaflympian of the Centuryâ award.
Contributors:Iwan Stössel - Swiss Geologist.Dr Frankie Dunn - Senior Researcher in Palaeobiology at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in the UK.David Olivera - Paraguayan Linguist and Anthropologist.Angelina Formisano - Evacuated from the village of San Sebastiano during the 1944 eruption of Mount Vesuvius.Rajeev Bagga - Indian Badminton Player.
(Picture: Illustration of a tetrapod from the Late Devonian period. Credit: Christian Jegou/Science Photo Library)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
We first hear about Uruguayâs tale of David v Goliath - when a tobacco giant took South America's second-smallest country to court over its anti-smoking laws.
Uruguayâs former public health minister MarĂa Julia Muñoz describes the significance of the ban and its fallout.
And we shed some light on the wider history of the use of tobacco, its long and controversial history, with Dr Sarah Inskip, a bio-archaeologist at the University of Leicester in the UK.
Plus, the largest search operation in aviation history - ten years on, little is known of the fate of MH370 and the 239 people on board.
Also, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe on how her sewing school in northern Uganda served as a place of rehabilitation for child soldiers escaping Joseph Konyâs Lord's Resistance Army.
Then, the Carnation Revolution - how Europeâs longest-surviving authoritarian regime was toppled in a day, with barely a drop of blood spilled.
Finally, in August and September 1939, tens of thousands of children began to be evacuated from Paris. Colette Martel, who was nine at the time, describes how a pair of clogs made her feel welcome.
Contributors:MarĂa Julia Muñoz - Uruguayâs former public health minister.Dr Sarah Inskip - A bio-archaeologist at the University of Leicester in the UK.Ghyslain Wattrelos - Whose wife and two children were on flight MH370.Adelino Gomes - Witness of the 1974 Carnation Revolution.Colette Martel - Child evacuee in World War Two.
(Photo: An anti-tobacco installation in Montevideo. Credit: Reuters/ Pablo La Rosa)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We first hear about a bloodless war between Denmark and Canada, that involved whisky.
In 1984, the two nations were disputing the ownership of the tiny Hans Island, just off the coast of Greenland. It might be the friendliest territorial dispute ever.
We hear from Tom Hoyem and Alan Kessel, politicians on either side.
And we have historian Ditte Melitha Kristensen, from the National Museum and Archives of Greenland, to shed some light on the history of the country.
Plus, how Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva discovered the richest tomb ever found in the Americaâs: the final resting place of the ancient ruler, the Lord of Sipan.
Also, we go back to the 1960s when 1,500 Torah scrolls appeared at a synagogue in London.
And a Crimea double-bill. We go back to 2014 when Russia annexed the Ukranian peninsula, and then back to the 1980s, when it was used as a holiday camp for children across the Soviet Union.
Contributors: Tom Hoyemâ Minister for Greenland in Denmark. Alan Kesselâ Assistant Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs in Canada. Ditte Melitha Kristensen â Greenland historian. Walter Alvaâ Archaeologist. Phillippa Bernard â Founder member of Westminster Synagogue. Maria Kim Espeland â One of the thousands of children who visited the Artek holiday camp.
(Photo: Greenland. Credit: Thomas Traasdashi/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear about the famous ski resort, Whistler Blackcomb.
In 2003, the venue won its bid to host the Winter Olympic Games for the first time. Hugh Smythe, known as one of the âfounding fathersâ of Whistler, has been sharing his memories of the mountain. We also have former Winter Olympian and BBC presenter, Chemmy Alcott, to walk us through the long history of skiing.
Plus, how the tiny island nation of American Samoa suffered the worst defeat ever in international football.
Also, the shocking creation of a two-headed dog by a Soviet scientist.
The murder of transgender woman in Honduras during a military coup in 2009.
And, a long-running dispute over the final resting place of Christopher Columbusâ ashes.
Contributors: Hugh Smythe â One of the âfounding fathersâ of Whistler. Chemmy Alcott â Former Winter Olympian and TV presenter. Nicky SalapuâAmerican Samoa goalkeeper. Igor Konstantinov â Consultant cardiothoracic surgeon. Claudia Spelman â LGBT activist. Angelita Baeyens â Human rights lawyer. Samuel Bisono â Tour guide and historian.
(Photo: Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. Credit: James MacDonald/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
We hear about the Juliet Club in Verona, Italy. The club has been replying to mail addressed to Shakespeareâs tragic heroine, Juliet since the early 1990s.
Professor Lisa Bitel talks about the traditions of Valentineâs Day.
Plus, how the small Irish town of Gort became known as âLittle Brazilâ because it's home to so many Brazilians. The World War Two escape line that fooled the Nazis and the stadium disaster that shocked Egypt.
And the story of the food supplement used by soldiers during the Nigerian civil war that became a drink enjoyed in more than 70 countries around the world.
Contributors:Giovanna Tamassia - daughter of Giulio Tamassia, one of the founders of the Juliet Club.Professor Lisa Bitel - Professor of History & Religion at the University of Southern California, USA.Lucimeire Trindade â resident of Gort, Ireland.Keith Janes â son of captured a British soldier.Christine Lepers â daughter of a French resistance fighter.Mahmoud Al-Khawaga â former footballer with Zamalek.Peter Rasmussen â creator of the drink Supermalt.
(Photo: Giovanna Tamassia from the Juliet Club. Credit: Leonello Bertolucci/Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service telling stories about inspirational black women.
In 1973, the Battle of Versailles pit up-and-coming American designers using black models against the more traditional French. We hear from Bethann Hardison, one of those black models, about how the capital of couture, Paris, became the stage for this defining moment in the history of fashion.
Professor Adrienne Jones, a fashion expert at the Pratt Insitute in New York, explains the cultural significance of the event, and what changed in the world of fashion afterwards.
Plus, the story of the UKâs first luxury Afro-Caribbean hair salon, Splinters, which opened as recently as the 1980s. Charlotte Mensah, known as the âQueen of the âfroâ, recalls what it was like to work there. Part of her story includes an account racial bullying.
Also, archive interviews tell the story of how Rosa Parks defied racist segregation laws in the United States. It contains outdated and offensive language.
We hear how a Nigerian lawyer took on the countryâs Sharia courts to overturn a death sentence.
And the tragic story of Lucha Reyes, one of Peruâs most beloved singers.
Contributors: Bethann Hardison- a model who competed in the Battle of Versailles. Prof Adrienne Jones- from the Pratt Institute in New York. Hauwa Ibrahim- one of the first female lawyers from northern Nigeria. Polo Bances- saxophonist who played alongside Lucha Reyes.
(Photo: Bethann Hardison and Armina Warsuma arriving in France. Credit: Photo by Michel Maurou/Reginald Gray/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
We hear about Cyberia - the first commercial internet cafĂ© which opened in London in 1994. Director of the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, Professor Vicki Nash, talks us through other notable landmarks in the internetâs history. Plus how the Covid N95 mask was invented by a scientist from Taiwan in 1992.
Also how Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff was punished for his writing on liberation theology. Staying with Brazil, we hear how poor rural workers occupied land owned by the rich, resulting in violent clashes in 1980.
And the world's first global seed vault, buried deep inside a mountain on an Arctic island.
Contributors:Eva Pascoe â a founder of Cyberia internet cafĂ©Prof Vicki Nash â Director of the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of OxfordPeter Tsai â inventor of N95 maskLeonardo Boff â Brazilian theologianMaria Salete Campigotto â Landless Workers Movement protestorDr Cary Fowler â founder of Doomsday seed vault
(Photo: People using Cyberia in 1994. Credit: Mathieu Polak/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service all about figures branded as traitors.
In 1939 Wang Jingwei, once a national hero in China, signed an agreement with Japanese invaders which made his name synonymous with the word âHanjianâ, a traitor to China. But Pan Chia-shengâs memories of living under Wang Jingweiâs government in Nanjing tell a very different story.
Our guest Ian Crofton, author of Traitors and Turncoats, explains the nuances involved in our historic understanding of traitors.
Also, the fascist Norwegian politician Vidkun Quisling blamed for convincing the German dictator Adolf Hitler to invade Norway in 1940. Norwegian journalist Trude Lorentzen explains the story with an account she recorded from Quislingâs Jewish neighbour, Leif Grusd.
And, the story of the former Broadway showgirl, known as Axis Sally, who broadcast antisemitic Nazi propaganda on German State Radio during World War Two, told through the archives.
Plus, the Polish colonel, Ryszard Kuklinski, code-named 'Jack Strong', who passed Soviet military secrets to the CIA that changed the tide of the Cold War.
And, the Hungarian SĂĄndor SzƱcs, famous for playing in the countryâs star football team, who was executed in 1951 for trying to defect from the communist regime.
Contributors:Pan Chia-sheng - on Wang Jingwei.Ian Crofton - author of Traitors and Turncoats.Trude Lorentzen - Norwegian journalist on Vidkun Quisling.Aris Papas - one of the agents who received intelligence from Ryszard Kuklinski.
Erzsi KovĂĄcsâ story is told using an archive interview he gave in 2011 to Hungarian journalist Endre Kadarkai on the ArckĂ©p programme, on Zuglo TV.
(Photo: Mildred Gillars, known as 'Axis Sally', on trial for treason in 1949. Credit: Corbis via Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
Weâre going wild for animals this week. We find out how the Ibadan Zoo became one of Nigeriaâs biggest tourist attractions during the 1970s. Our guest Harriet Ritvo, professor of history at MIT, looks back across the centuries to reveal the fascination that humans have always had for animals. And more on the environmental campaigner who became known as Lady Tarzan for her fight against illegal logging in the forests of India.
Plus, we hear from a journalist tortured in Iran's notorious Evin Prison in the wake of the 2009 protests against the Islamic regime. Also, why hundreds of thousands of Moroccans were ordered into the Spanish Sahara by their king. And finally, more on the Bolivian president who went on hunger strike to try to save his country.
Contributors:Peaches Golding - wife of zoologist Bob GoldingProfessor Harriet Ritvo â professor of history at MITMarcela Siles - daughter of former Bolivian president HernĂĄn Siles ZuazoSeddik Maaninou - TV cameraman Francis Gillies â North Africa expertMaziar Bahari - journalistJamuna Tudu â environmentalist nicknamed âLady Tarzanâ
(Photo: Imade the gorilla at Ibadan Zoo. Credit: bobgolding.co.uk)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalise gay marriage. Four couples were chosen to take part in a collective wedding at midnight which was broadcast on TV. HĂ©lĂšne Faasen and Anne-Marie Thus talk about the wedding they thought they'd never have.
Our guest Lauren Moss, the LGBT & Identity Correspondent at BBC News tells us about the history of gay marriage.Also, the man who risked his life to make the audio recordings which blew open one of the biggest corruption scandals in Spain's recent history.
Then we hear the story of the 1970s defection from the Soviet Union of a world-famous ballerina. Plus, the mystery surrounding the fate of the last king of France's son and the man who really does believe that laughter is the best medicine.
Contributors:HĂ©lĂšne Faasen & Anne-Marie Thus - the first lesbian couple to get married legally.Lauren Moss - LGBT & Identity Correspondent at BBC News.JosĂ© Luis Peñas - the man that made secret recordings that revealed the Gurtel scandal.Prof Jean Jacques Cassiman - Belgian geneticist.Deborah Cadbury - historian.Dr Madan Kataria â founder of World Laughter Day.
(Photo: The couple arrive to be married at the Amsterdam City Hall. Credit: Marcel Antonisse/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Barbara Waibel, author of a book on the Hindenburg and Director of Archives at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany. She tells us about the history of airships.
We begin with some remarkable archive of the Hindenburg airship disaster in 1937. Then British scientist Jonathan Shanklin describes how he discovered the hole in the ozone layer in 1985.
In the second half of the programme we hear from a NASA scientist who worked on the Voyager space probe which took the famous 'Pale Blue Dot' photo of Earth. A physicist from Quebec remembers when a solar flare plunged the Canadian province into darkness. And we hear the exciting and dangerous story of the invention of the wingsuit.
Contributors:Barbara Waibel - Author and Director of Archives at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany.Jonathan Shanklin - Scientist who discovered the hole in the ozone layer.Candice Hansen - NASA scientist.Aja Hruska - Physicist from Quebec.Jari Kuosma - Inventor of the commercial wingsuit.
(Photo: Hindenburg airship. Credit: Corbis via Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
This week, we look at the disputed history of pad Thai with food writer Chawadee Nualkhair.
We also hear from former fruit exporter Don Turner on why his family changed the name of the Chinese gooseberry to the kiwi fruit.
Our expert guest is food historian, Prof Katarzyna Cwiertka, who highlights other moments in history when food and politics combined.
We also have an interview with Thomas Chatenier, the president of Nutella, about the origins of the chocolate hazelnut spread.
Plus, we talk about the Flavr Savr tomato - the world's first genetically-engineered food.
And finally we hear from Ken Hom, the chef who introduced Chinese cookery to TV audiences.
Contributors:Chawadee Nualkhair â Thai food writer.Don Turner â former chief executive of kiwi exporter, Turners and Growers.Katarzyna Cwiertka - food historian and Professor of Modern Japan Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands.Thomas Chatenier - the president of Nutella.Roger Salquist â former CEO of the biotech company which was responsible for the Flavr Savr tomato.Ken Hom â Chinese-American chef and author.
(Photo: Pad Thai. Credit: Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
This week, we hear from Lumepa Hald who survived the devastating tsunami that hit Samoa in 2009 but suffered a tragic loss.
Our expert guest, Prof Tiziana Rossetto, looks back at some of the worst tsunamis in history and how they have shaped our landscapes.
Plus we talk to Caster Semenya, the gold medallist who faced questions over her gender at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Thereâs also an interview with Peter Greste, one of three Al Jazeera journalists sentenced to seven years in jail in Egypt.
We also look at the mystery surrounding the death of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda with his driver, Manuel Araya.
And finally we talk to singer Dafydd Iwan, the âbad boy of Welsh politicsâ, who was arrested for defacing an English sign. He wanted official recognition for the Welsh language.
Contributors:Lumepa Hald â survivor of the tsunami that hit Samoa in 2009.Tiziana Rossetto - Professor of Earthquake Engineering at University College London, UK.Caster Semenya â world champion runner who faced questions over her gender.Peter Greste â journalist sentenced to seven years in prison in Egypt.Manuel Araya â driver of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.Dafydd Iwan â singer who campaigned for official recognition the Welsh language.
(Photo: Devastation at a beach in Samoa after the 2009 tsunami. Credit: Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dr Ongama Mtimka, lecturer in South African politics at the Nelson Mandela University. He tells us about Mandela's life and legacy 10 years on from his death.
We start with with Mandela's daughter, Makaziwe, describing her relationship with her father and planning his funeral. Then, the brother of Emanuela Orlandi describes his lifelong mission to unravel the mystery of her disappearance in Rome in 1983.
The second half of the programme has a Russian flavour. A relative of Tsar Nicholas II describes the murder of the Romanov royal family in 1918. Then a Russian journalist describes attending the Romanov's controversial reburial 80 years later. We finish with one of Russia's greatest poets, Anna Akhmatova.
Contributors: Dr Ongama Mtimka - Lecturer in South African politics at the Nelson Mandela University.Dr Phumla Makaziwe Mandela - Nelson Mandela's daughter.Pietro Orlandi - Emanuela Orlandi's brother.Olga Romanov - Great niece of Tsar Nicholas II.Lilia Dubovaya - Journalist who was at the reburial of the Romanovs.Era Korobova - Art historian and expert on Anna Akhmatova.
(Photo: Nelson Mandela. Credit: Tom Stoddart Archive/Getty Images)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
We hear about two of the most influential computer games of the 1990s with their creators. John Romero was one of the developers of Doom and talks about the concept of a martian military base populated by zombie soldiers. Coder Jan Tian describes how his devotion to working on the football game FIFA 94 landed him in hospital. Our guest, The Guardian newspaper's video games editor Keza MacDonald, looks back on games which had a global impact.
Also how in 1945, 10,000 brains were collected from dead psychiatric patients in Denmark. It is now thought to be the worldâs largest brain bank. We also find out how a group of right-wing army officers seized power in Greece in 1967 to stop the election of a social democratic government led by veteran politician George Papandreou.
And 30 years on since the cult French film La Haine was released, its director Mathieu Kassovitz describes how it caught the attention of high profile politicians with its criticism of policing in France.
Contributors:John Romero â Doom developerJan Tian â FIFA 94 coderKeza MacDonald â video games editor, The GuardianMartin Wirenfeldt Nielsen â pathologistGeorge Papandreou Jnr â former Greek Prime MinisterMathieu Kassovitz â film director
(Photo: Brains stored in plastic buckets at the University of Southern Denmark. Credit: BBC)
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Max Pearson presents a collection of this weekâs Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
This week, the bird that defied extinction. In 1969, a Peruvian farmer Gustavo Del Solar received an unusual assignment - finding a bird called the white-winged guan that had been regarded as extinct for a century.
The American author and conservationist Michelle Nijhuis is this week's guest. She talks about some of the most interesting attempts in modern history to save animals on the brink of extinction.
Also this week, the world's first solar powered home, when Tanzania adopted Swahili and when the world went crazy for Cabbage Patch Kids.
This programme has been updated since its original broadcast. It was edited on 6 December 2023.
Contributors:Rafael Del Solar - son of conservationist Gustavo Del SolarMichelle Nijhuis - author and conservationistMeredith Ludwig - friend of Cabbage Patch Kids creator Martha Nelson ThomasPeter Baxter and George Kling - scientistsWalter Bgoya - author in TanzaniaAndrew Nemethy - lived in the world's first solar powered house
(Photo: A whooping crane. Credit: Getty Images)
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