The discovery of the first exoplanets
On 9 January 1992, astronomers Alex Wolszczan and Dale Frail announced they had discovered the first two exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system, while working at the Arecibo Observatory in Pu...
5 Juni 202510min
Favela life: The diary of Carolina Maria de Jesus
Carolina Maria de Jesus was a poor, single mother-of-three who lived in a derelict shack and spent her days scavenging for food.Her diary, written between 1955 and 1960, brought to life the harsh real...
4 Juni 20259min
The world’s largest model train set
In 2000, nightclub owners and twins Frederik and Gerrit Braun went from the neon lights of a Hamburg nightclub to building the world’s largest model trainset. Miniatur Wunderland is now a top tourist ...
3 Juni 202510min
Dolly Rathebe: South Africa’s first international film star
South Africa’s first feature film aimed at black audiences was released in 1949, launching Dolly Rathebe’s career. The actress and jazz musician was discovered by chance by two British film makers and...
2 Juni 202510min
The Battle of the Beanfield
On 1 June 1985, a convoy of New Age Travellers set off for the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge in the south of England. They were planning to hold a festival there for the summer solstice, but they...
30 Maj 202510min
The legacy of The Pirate Bay
On 31 May 2006, police launched one of the largest raids in Swedish history, seizing servers from The Pirate Bay - a hugely popular but highly controversial file-sharing website.Co-founder Peter Sunde...
29 Maj 202510min
Chinua Achebe’s revolutionary book Things Fall Apart
In 1958 Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe, published his first book, Things Fall Apart. Set in pre-colonial rural Nigeria, it examines how the arrival of foreigners led to tensions within traditional Igb...
28 Maj 20259min
The Tragically Hip's final gig
In 2015, rockstar and Canadian icon Gord Downie was given months to live, after doctors found he had a terminal brain tumour. But instead of quietly exiting the stage, Gord and his band, the Tragicall...
27 Maj 20259min
