Subway Art: The graffiti bible
In 1984, urban photographers Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant came together to publish an era-defining book about the early graffiti movement.They had been documenting the work of graffiti arts on the...
1 Jul 20248min
I designed Hello Kitty
In 1974 an unknown Japanese artist put pen to paper and created a character that would go on to be worth more than $80 billion.The illustration was titled ‘Unknown White Cat’ but you will probably kno...
29 Jun 20248min
The first CIA-backed coup in Latin America
In June 1954, the first CIA-backed coup took place in Guatemala, when President Jacobo Arbenz was overthrown in a operation organised by the US government. The Administration of Dwight D Eisenhower fe...
27 Jun 20249min
Dignitas: Founding an assisted dying society
In 1998, the assisted dying society, Dignitas was set up in Switzerland by lawyer Ludwig Minelli.It was the first end-of-life organisation in the world to help foreigners - non-Swiss citizens - to die...
26 Jun 202410min
Sagrada Familia: Completing Gaudi’s vision
When visionary architect Antoni Gaudi died unexpectedly in 1926, his followers were left with incredible plaster of Paris models showing how to complete his famous church, La Sagrada Familia.The only ...
25 Jun 202410min
The expulsion of the Sudeten Germans
At the end of World War Two, the Czechoslovak government expelled up to three million German speakers, known as the Sudeten Germans. They were accused of being loyal to Nazi Germany and collaborating ...
24 Jun 20249min
Kawarau Bridge: The first bungee jumping site in New Zealand
On 12 November 1988, the world’s first commercial bungee jumping site was opened near Queenstown, New Zealand. AJ Hackett and Henry Van Asch started out bungee jumping as a hobby with friends. They de...
21 Jun 20249min
The first mega cruise ship
On 16 January 1988, the world’s largest passenger ship, Sovereign of the Seas, set sail on her maiden voyage around the Caribbean.She carried more than 2,600 passengers and had five restaurants, nine ...
20 Jun 202410min
