Witness History

How Ten Canoes made cinema history

In 2006, Ten Canoes made Australian cinema history. It became the first feature film performed entirely in Aboriginal languages and the first to bring a traditional Yolng

Gerald Durrell's mission to save species from extinction

In 1959, British conservationist and author Gerald Durrell opened the gates to a zoo with one clear aim - to save endangered species from extinction. Gerald had grown u

Manchester City’s inflatable banana craze

n the late 1980s and early 1990s, Manchester City supporters became famous for an unusual sight on the terraces: inflatable bananas. What began as a light-hearted joke so

Declaring chimpanzees an endangered species

In 1990, after years of campaigning by activists, including Dr Jane Goodall, chimpanzees were declared endangered for the first time. The apes had been classed as threa

When Dian Fossey was murdered

In 1985, American gorilla expert Dian Fossey was murdered in her cabin at the research station she established in the mountains of Rwanda. Lucy Burns spoke to Kelly Ste

Washoe: The chimp who learnt to sign

In 1970, Washoe the chimpanzee was widely recognised as the first non-human to learn a human language. She was taught American sign language in a revolutionary experime

Harry Harlow's monkey attachment studies

In the late 1950s, psychologist Harry Harlow conducted a series of experiments on baby rhesus monkeys which would become some of the most controversial in modern science.

The first monkeys to survive space travel

On 28 May 1959, the USA sent two monkeys, Able and Baker, into space. They were the first living creatures to survive a space flight. It was a watershed moment for the

The most successful Paralympian in history

Trischa Zorn-Hudson is the most decorated Paralympian in history. Competing across seven games, Trischa - who has been blind since birth - won a remarkable haul of 55 me

The boy behind the creation of the Winnie-the-Pooh books

When the first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published in 1926, few could have imagined that the stories of a honey-loving bear would capture the hearts of readers across the

How rats were trained to clear landmines

In 2004, the world's first team of mine-detecting rats passed accreditation tests, opening the way for them to be used in humanitarian demining operations. The project

The mirrors that lit up a dark Norwegian town

In October 2013, people in the small Norwegian town of Rjukan experienced winter sunshine for the first time in history. This was thanks to the arrival of an unusual inv

Egypt’s President Sadat is assassinated

President Anwar Sadat of Egypt was the first Arab leader to make peace with Israel, two years later he was assassinated. The president was killed at a military parade b

The Peruvian pilots who secretly delivered fighter jets during the Falklands War

In June 1982, 10 Peruvian pilots were tasked with a secret mission: deliver fighter jets to Argentina as it battled the UK over the Falkland Islands. One of those pilots

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 fro

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 A

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

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

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

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 Observat