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This Week in History

BBC Radio 4
This Week in History
Latest episode

82 episodes

  • This Week in History

    October 5th - October 11th

    2026/10/05 | 5 mins.
    Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
    5th October 1910 - The centuries-old Portuguese monarchy was overthrown in a coup d'état organized by the Portuguese Republican Party. 
    10th October 1881 - The Savoy Theatre - the first public building to be lit by electricity - opens with a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience.
    11th October 1440 - King Henry the Sixth founds Eton College. It was established as a charity school to provide free education to 70 poor boys who would then go on to King's College, Cambridge.
  • This Week in History

    September 28th to October 4th

    2026/09/28 | 5 mins.
    28th September 1985: The shooting of Cherry Groce in her own home during a mishandled police raid, leads to clashes between the police and the black community in Brixton.
    28th September 48 BC: Pompey the Great is assassinated on the order of King Ptolemy of Egypt.
    28th September 1865: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson becomes the first woman to qualify as a doctor in Britain.
  • This Week in History

    September 21st - September 27th

    2026/09/21 | 6 mins.
    Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
    23rd September 1846: Through applying maths and physics, the planet Neptune is officially observed and identified by the German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle. 
    22nd September 1735: The man regarded as the first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, moves into Number 10 Downing Street.
    26th September 1968: Theatre censorship is abolished in the UK, ending restrictions which had existed for over 200 years.
  • This Week in History

    September 14th - September 20th

    2026/09/14 | 5 mins.
    Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
    19th September 1991: Two tourists stumble onto the mummified body of a man who lived around 3;500 years ago - Ötzi the Iceman
    16th September 1400: Owain Glyndŵr begins a fierce but ultimately unsuccessful Welsh revolt against English rule.
    14th September 1752:  The British Empire adopts the Gregorian Calendar after skipping 11 days between September 3 and September 13.
    Presented by Caroline Nicholls and Jane Steel.
  • This Week in History

    September 7th - September 13th

    2026/09/07 | 5 mins.
    Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
    7th Sept 1978: Georgi Markov is assassinated in London by a poison umbrella.
    13th Sept 1814: Francis Scott Key writes 'The Star Spangled Banner'.
    Sept 12th 1878: Cleopatra's needle is erected in London.
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About This Week in History
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
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