Fascinating, surprising, and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.This week. April 28th – May 4th
- 30th of April 1945. Deep beneath the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun take their own lives. The BBC announces it in a newsflash the following day.
- 29th of April 1429. A 17-year-old peasant girl enters the siege of Orleans to defeat English forces. Nearly five hundred years later Joan of Arc is canonised and becomes a patron Saint of France.
- 1st of May 1840. The world's first postage stamp is issued. Known as the Penny Black it revolutionised the postal service and has today become a collector’s item. Presented by Jane Steel and Viji Alles
Produced by Luke Doran and Clara Nissen
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5:43
April 21 - April 27
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to lifeBBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.This week. April 21st – April 27th
- 26th of April 1986. The Chernobyl power plant saw the worst nuclear accident in history, but are we still dealing with the fall out?.
- 23rd of April 1564. It's celebrated as the birthday of one of England's greatest ever writers, but was William Shakespeare actually born on this day?
- 27th of April 1994. After decades of white minority rule under apartheid, it was the first free elections in South Africa, a day that has became known as Freedom Day.Presented by Ron Brown and Caroline Nicholls
Produced by Luke Doran
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5:47
April 14 - April 20
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to lifeBBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.This week. April 14th – April 20th
- 14th of April 1865. On a fateful night at Ford's Theatre, Abraham Lincoln became the first US President to be assassinated.
- 15th of April 1755 - They took nine years to finish, contained the definition of over 42 thousand words, and were published 270 years ago. Discover all about Samuel Johnson’s ‘A Dictionary of The English Language’
- 16th of April 1912. Harriet Quimby was a trailblazing aviator, a pioneering pilot, and on the 16th of April 1912 became the first woman to fly across the English Channel. Presented by Jane Steel and Ron Brown
Produced by Luke Doran
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5:43
April 7 - April 13
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to lifeBBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world, and made us who we are today.This week. April 7th – April 13th
- 11th of April 1961. The Trail of the senior Nazi official Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem, bringing world wide attention to the atrocities of the Holocaust.
- 12th of April 1961 - Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space when he orbits the earth in the Vostok-1. Exactly twenty years later space exploration takes another giant leap when the first NASA space shuttle is launched.
- 10th of April 1849. Walter Hunt patents his latest creation, the modern Safety Pin. He then sells the patent to payoff a small debt. He doesn't make another dollar from his invention. Presented by Viji Alles and Caroline Nicholls
Produced by Luke Doran
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4:52
March 31 - April 6
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to lifeBBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world, and made us who we are today.This week. March 31st – April 6th
- 1st of April 2001. The world's first legal gay marriages take place in Amsterdam, after the Netherlands becomes the first country to legalize same-sex marriage.
- 4th of April 1975. Microsoft is founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Almost exactly a year later Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak form the Apple Computer Company.
- 6th of April 1906. Widely regarded as the first ever animated film, 'Humorous Phases of Funny Faces' is released by the American Vitagraph Company.Presented by Ron Brown and Jane Steel
Produced by Luke Doran
South Africa