Europe’s long drought of 2011
In 2011, after months of little or no rain in central and eastern Europe, water levels on some parts of the Danube River fell to their lowest level in 70 years.It’s one of Europe’s busiest shipping ro...
21 Apr 9min
Mymba Kuera: The race to save wildlife at the Itaipu dam
In October 1982, Paraguay and Brazil closed the gates of the Itaipu River, beginning to fill the reservoir of what would soon be the world's largest dam. Located in a rainforest on the border betwee...
20 Apr 10min
Discovering Hans Christian Andersen's 'lost fairytale'
In October 2012, a local historian stumbled upon a misplaced pamphlet in the Danish Archives. It was a story called the Tallow Candle and is believed to be Hans Christian Andersen’s first fairytale. E...
17 Apr 10min
The introduction of Sharia law in Aceh, Indonesia
Aceh in Sumatra is the only Indonesian province where Sharia Law, Islamic religious law, is in force. It followed years of conflict between Aceh and the central government.In Arabic, Sharia means "the...
16 Apr 10min
The assassination of Thomas Sankara
In October 1987, one of Africa's most radical leaders, Captain Thomas Sankara, was gunned down in a coup in Burkina Faso.His overthrow was orchestrated by his old friend, Blaise Compaore. Thomas Sanka...
15 Apr 9min
Roddy Doyle: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
In 1993, the Irish writer Roddy Doyle won the prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction. His novel, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, was remarkable for the way it conveyed gritty drama through the eyes of a 10-year-...
14 Apr 9min
The creation of My Little Pony
My Little Pony first appeared in shops in the United States in 1983 and in that decade alone more than 100 million would be sold. But American toymaker Bonnie Zacharle tells Josephine McDermott how he...
13 Apr 10min
The turtle freed after 41 years in captivity
In 1984, loggerhead sea turtle Jorge became trapped in fishing nets and was moved to an aquarium in Mendoza. He was kept in captivity for more than 40 years until legal action and a campaign led to th...
10 Apr 10min
