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Witness History Episodes

  1.

    How Rang De Basanti inspired a generation

    Rang De Basanti was released in 2006 exploding onto the cultural landscape

  2. I starred in Pan’s Labyrinth

    In 2006, a Spanish-language film became a cult classic and took the world by storm

  3. My father directed Seven Samurai

    In 1954, the Japanese movie Seven Samurai was released, directed by Akira Kurosawa

  4. Triumph of the Will: A Nazi propaganda film

    In 1934 one of the most controversial propaganda movies ever made was filmed at Nuremberg

  5. The invention of the mobility scooter

    In 1967, American plumber Al Thieme came up with a battery-powered seat on wheels

  6. India’s first nuclear test

    How India secretly developed and tested its first atomic device in 1974

  7. Portugal’s worst train disaster

    In 1985, two trains collided on a single track line killing an estimated 150 people

  8. Elvis visits Scotland

    In 1960, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll made an unexpected stop at Prestwick Airport

  9. Sweden’s diplomatic freeze with the USA

    In 1972, a speech by the Swedish Prime Minister caused a break-down in relations

  10. Syria's secret library

    The building of a secret library in the town of Darayya during the Syrian civil war

  11. Charles Taylor and the blood diamond trial

    In 2008 the ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor faced a courtroom accused of war crimes

  12. The Japanese invasion of Malaya

    On 8 December 1941, thousands of Japanese troops landed on beaches near Kota Bharu

  13. The Aga Khan meets Florence Nightingale

    In 1898, Florence Nightingale invited the Aga Khan around to her London home for tea.

  14. The storming of Spain's parliament

    Spanish MPs were taken hostage by armed Civil Guards in February 1981

  15. The playboy spy who inspired James Bond

    Dusko Popov was one of WWII's most successful double agents, inspiring the fictional 007.

  16. 'I taught the Dalai Lama'

    In the late 1940s, an Austrian mountaineer becomes the young Dalai Lama's tutor

  17. The photo which symbolised Argentina’s resistance

    Adriana Lestido captured a mother and her daughter raising their arms in protest in 1982

  18. Toxic shock syndrome and tampon safety

    In the 1980s, deaths were linked to super-absorbent tampons

  19. World War Two’s Shetland Bus

    The Norwegian sailors who aided their country's resistance against the Nazis

  20. The flooding of Florence

    In 1966, Florence was left underwater after heavy rainfall caused the River Arno to burst

  21. The Mont Blanc Tunnel

    In July 1965, a 12km tunnel dug deep beneath the Alps was opened to traffic

  22. Gina Lollobrigida interviews Fidel Castro

    In 1974, the Italian film icon secured an exclusive interview with the Cuban leader.

  23. When Pink Floyd played in Venice

    In July 1989, Pink Floyd played a controversial concert to 200,000 people in Venice

  24. The discovery of nerve growth factor

    In 1952, Italian scientist Dr Rita Levi-Montalcini made a crucial discovery

  25. My dad created Mr Men and Little Miss

    In 1971, a question from his son led Roger Hargreaves to create Mr Men and Little Miss

  26. Austria's wine scandal

    In 1985, scientists discovered poisonous anti-freeze in bottles of fine Austrian wine

  27. Jimmy Carter visits Cuba

    In 2002, former US President Jimmy Carter paid a controversial visit to Cuba

  28. Cuba's Mariel boatlift

    In 1980, more than 100,000 Cubans left the country for the US

  29. The 'Jugroom Fort' rescue mission

    In 2007, British forces staged a daring rescue from a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan

  30. Ötzi: The Iceman of Bolzano

    In September 1991, two German hikers found a 5,000-year-old mummy in a glacier

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