The first Rubik's Cube world champion
On 5 June 1982, a teenage refugee from Vietnam became the first Rubik's Cube world champion. Representing the United States, 16-year-old Minh Thai took on contestants from 18 other countries at the ch...
3 Okt 10min
Boer War: Siege of Ladysmith
The Siege of Ladysmith was a key moment in the Boer War, also known as the South African War. In 1899, British troops and civilians were trapped in the besieged South African town for 118 days. Usin...
2 Okt 10min
The Dead Sea Scrolls
In 1947, a missing goat led to the chance discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls. These ancient Jewish manuscripts became one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. British a...
1 Okt 10min
The contraceptive pill gets legalised in Japan
After decades of campaigning in Japan, the pill was finally legalised in 1999. In contrast, the male impotency drug Viagra was approved for use in just six months, and legalised before the contracepti...
30 Sep 10min
Sulawesi's cave art and the origins of storytelling
In 2012, the discovery of rock art in caves on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi changed our understanding of early human history.Archaeologist Maxime Aubert tells Leo Dunlop how his team used a new d...
29 Sep 10min
The birth of Jodrell Bank
On an English field in 1957, the final touches were made to what was then the largest radio telescope in the world. But designing and building the Jodrell Bank Observatory hadn’t been easy.Sir Bernard...
28 Sep 10min
Harold Riley: Painting Nelson Mandela
Harold Riley was the only artist in the world given the opportunity to paint Nelson Mandela from life.When Mandela agreed to pose for the English artist, it marked the beginning of a remarkable relati...
25 Sep 10min
Kinder Scout mass trespass
In 1932, hundreds of walkers organised a mass trespass on Kinder Scout, the highest point in England's Peak District.It was a major step in the campaign by workers from the industrial city of Manchest...
24 Sep 10min
