Cuba's Mariel boatlift

Cuba's Mariel boatlift

In April 1980, thousands of Cubans tried to escape the country by claiming asylum at the Peruvian embassy in Havana.

In response, Cuban President Fidel Castro opened the port of Mariel to anyone who wanted to leave, including criminals. From April until October more than 100,000 Cubans left for the US. Mirta Ojito was one of them. She spoke to Simon Watts in 2011.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: Cuban refugees in 1980. Credit: Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)

Jaksot(2000)

"Don't ask, don't tell" in the US Armed Forces

"Don't ask, don't tell" in the US Armed Forces

LGBT servicemen and women in the US armed forces had to keep their sexuality secret until the 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy was repealed in 2011. Lieutenant Colonel Heather Mack served under the poli...

15 Helmi 20229min

The first LGBT film in war-torn Yugoslavia

The first LGBT film in war-torn Yugoslavia

How the ground-breaking film "Marble Ass" was made amid the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Petra Zivic talks to acclaimed Serbian director Zelimir Zilnik about his film which played a role in the ...

14 Helmi 20229min

The 1972 mass killings in Burundi

The 1972 mass killings in Burundi

In late April 1972, Hutu rebels launched an insurgency in the south of Burundi with the aim of overthrowing the Tutsi led government. They brutally murdered government officials and civilians, targeti...

11 Helmi 202213min

Ukraine's 'Maidan Revolution'

Ukraine's 'Maidan Revolution'

Throughout the winter of 2013/14 protesters built barricades and camped out in the centre of Kyiv demanding change. The focus was the Maidan, Kyiv's central Square of Independence. The demonstrators ...

10 Helmi 202210min

Shoe designer Manolo Blahnik

Shoe designer Manolo Blahnik

How a young designer from the Canary Islands became one of the most famous shoe-makers in the world. Manolo Blahnik was studying art and set design in Paris when in 1969 he was introduced to the edito...

9 Helmi 20228min

The invention of Google Maps

The invention of Google Maps

In 2005, a revolutionary online mapping service called Google Maps went live for the first time. It introduced searchable, scrollable, interactive maps to a wider public, but required so much computin...

8 Helmi 20228min

The demise of the Soviet Union

The demise of the Soviet Union

In December 1991 the leaders of three Soviet Republics - Russia, Ukraine and Belarus - signed a treaty dissolving the USSR. They did so without asking the other republics, and against the wishes of th...

7 Helmi 20229min

The first Emirati female teacher

The first Emirati female teacher

In the 1960s, it was extremely rare for women in what is now the United Arab Emirates to go to school. At the time the future country was a collection of Emirates under British protection. The Trucial...

3 Helmi 20229min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
kaksi-aitia
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
i-dont-like-mondays
poks
kolme-kaannekohtaa
antin-palautepalvelu
sita
aikalisa
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
mamma-mia
rss-murhan-anatomia
lahko
rss-nikotellen
loukussa
terapeuttiville-qa
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2