Agatha Christie: best-selling novelist of all time
On 12 January 1976, author Agatha Christie died peacefully, aged 85.She created the detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.By the time of her death, Christie had written more than 80 books. Most of...
23 Jan 10min
The Challenger space shuttle tragedy
On 28 January 1986, a space shuttle launch went wrong.Six astronauts and a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, were killed.In 1984, US President Ronald Reagan had announced that Nasa would search for a member...
22 Jan 10min
Operation Mincemeat
In the early hours of 30 April, 1943, one of the most audacious hoaxes of World War Two has just got underway. Its code-name - Operation Mincemeat.The body of a British naval officer, Major William Ma...
21 Jan 10min
The Irish priest who built an airport
In May 1986, a new airport opened in Knock in the west of Ireland. It was the dream of an Irish priest, Monsignor James Horan, who raised millions to have it built. The location for the airport seeme...
20 Jan 9min
Exiled Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran
In February 1979, after the Shah left Iran, religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini flew back to Tehran from Paris.He had been in exile and was greeted by millions of people lining the streets. In 2011, M...
19 Jan 10min
Weekend listening: The History Bureau
If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft turns out to be flawed? The History Bureau revisits the defining stories of our times with the reporters who first covered them....
17 Jan 3min
Afghan Star
In 2005, a new show was launched on television in Afghanistan to find new musical talent – it was called Afghan Star and was inspired by formats like American Idol and the X-Factor. The programme came...
16 Jan 10min
The deadly Vargas mudslides in Venezuela
In December 1999, torrential rain in Venezuela led to floods and mudslides. Government estimates put the number killed at 3,000 but other reports suggest between 10,000 and 30,000 were killed. Many bo...
15 Jan 10min
