The History Hour

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
We hear how Norwegian teachers resisted peddling Nazi propaganda during the German occupation of the Second World War and our guest, Dr Rachel Pistol, talks us through other examples of resistance around Europe.
Plus, the Stardust nightclub fire in Dublin in 1981, the Iranian engineer who connected homes to the internet using cable TV and the birth of India's call centre industry.
Finally, this week's Sporting Witness - the most successful Paralympian and the discovery of the 'holy grail' of shipwrecks.
Contributors:
Mr Roll Hansen - Norwegian teacher.
Dr Rachel Pistol - a historian specialising in the Second World War, from the University of Southampton.
Antoinette Keegan - survivor of the Stardust nightclub fire.
Rouzbeh Yassini - father of the cable modem.
Pramod Bhasin - businessman who set up India’s first call centre.
Trischa Zorn-Hudson - the most successful Paralympian.
Juan Manuel Santos - former President of Colombia.
(Photo: German troops marching through Oslo in occupied Norway during World War Two in 1940. Credit: European / FPG / Getty Images)

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
We hear how a French curator uncovered lost documents showing that the Nazis researched the Bayeux Tapestry during World War Two.
Our guest, Professor Catherine Clarke, takes us through the finer details of the famous medieval tapestry.
Plus, communist fighters struggling to survive while following Mao Zedong during the Chinese Civil War in 1935.
The firefighter who survived the collapse of the North Tower with his crew during the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
The Irish woman whose report changed the date of D-Day, and the winner of the first Rubik's Cube World Championship.
We also learn how reports of a moving statue in rural Ireland drew thousands of visitors in 1985.
Contributors:
Sylvette Lemagnen - former curator of the Bayeux Tapestry

Catherine Clarke - Professor at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London
Zhong Ming - soldier in Mao Zedong's army
Jay Jonas - former New York firefighter
Edward Sweeney - son of Maureen Flavin
Minh Thai - Rubik's Cube World Champion 1982
Ita Dungan - pilgrim to the site of the reported moving statue in Ballinspittle
(Photo: The Bayeux Tapestry. Credit: Reuters/Charles Platiau)

Max Pearson presents a collection of science fiction themed Witness History stories from the BBC World Service.
Our guest is Lisa Yaszek, Regents' Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech in the USA.
Actor Peter Coyote looks back on the making of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, sharing memories from the set and reflecting on the film's enduring appeal.
We hear the story of Octavia E. Butler, who overcame poverty, racism and sexism to become one of the most influential voices in science fiction.
Plus, how American television boldly went where it had never gone before with what is claimed to be the country’s first interracial kiss broadcast on television, in an episode of Star Trek in 1968.
We also hear about Turkish Star Wars, the cult film that would go on to gain a reputation as one of the world's worst movies.
And how the success of the original Star Wars transformed toy marketing forever.
Then, in Sporting Witness, the story behind Norwegian commentator Bjørge Lillelien's legendary reaction to Norway's 2-1 victory over England in a World Cup qualifier in Oslo in 1981.
Contributors:
Lisa Yaszek - Regents' Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech in the USA.
Peter Coyote - actor in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Nisi Shawl - friend of Octavia E. Butler.
Nichelle Nichols - actress who played Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek (archive).
Çetin İnanç - film director (archive).
Jim Swearingen - toy designer.
Marius Lillelien - son of Bjørge Lillelien.
(Photo: On the set of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Credit: Universal/Getty Images)

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.
We learn why, in 2004, Uruguayans voted to enshrine water as a human right in their constitution - the first country in the world to do so. And environmental historian Ellen Arnold reveals how water has shaped human history.
Also, we tell the story of the fatal hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Pakistan, 40 years ago. And how the island of Antigua was devastated when Hurricane Luis hit the Caribbean in 1995.
We find out more about the abandoned Nazi photo album revealing the chilling normality of life at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Plus, how a Northern Ireland peace movement was born from one family’s tragedy.
Finally, in Sporting Witness, why Ghana’s sprinting superstar Alice Annum won the nickname ‘Baby Jet’.
Contributors:
Carmen Sosa - member of the water workers trade union.
Ellen Arnold – environmental historian.
Eli Fuller – Antigua resident.
Madhvi Bahunga - Pan-American Airways flight attendant.
Rebecca Erbelding – archivist and historian.
Gerry Grehan - chairperson of the Peace People.
Alice Annum - Ghanian sprinter.
(Photo: A woman casts her ballot in Montevideo, 2004. Credit: Miguel Rojo/AFP via Getty Images)

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.
Our guest is Dr Elisabeth Fondren, Associate Professor of Journalism at St John's University in New York, USA.
We start by hearing some groundbreaking frontline reporting from the Battle of Mandalay in World War Two.
Then, we hear how in 1950s Canada, a controversial government scheme saw the relocation of nearly 30 thousand people.
Next, a pioneering scientist on his role in the fight against a flesh-eating parasite, the New World screwworm in the 1950s.
Plus, the extraordinary life and times of India's "Queen of Melody", Asha Bhosle.
Then, the formation of the English Premier League in 1992.
Finally, how, an Australian recipe book brought novelty birthday cakes to the masses in 1980.
Contributors:
Dr Elisabeth Fondren - Associate Professor of Journalism at St John's University in New York, USA.
Douglas Cleverdon - BBC radio producer (Archive).
Don White - one of thousands relocated under a Canadian government scheme (Archive).
Edward Knipling - entomologist known for his development of the Sterile Insect Technique (Archive).
Asha Bhosle - celebrated Indian playback singer (Archive).
David Dein, co-founder, English Premier League.
Agnes Lee - former home economist at The Australian Women's Weekly.
(Photo: British and Indian Troops of the 14th Army in Burma, March 1945. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)