Witness History Episodes Available now
The US singer who became the Soviet Union’s Red Elvis
In 1966, American Dean Reed was the first western rock star to tour the Soviet Union
The birth of Barbie
Ruth Handler created the Barbie doll which was first sold in 1959
Japan surrenders in China
The signing of the Japanese surrender documents at the Forbidden City in Beijing in 1945.
The ‘Barricades’ of Latvia
More than 500,000 people barricaded the streets of Riga in January 1991
Tamoxifen: Breast cancer ‘wonder drug’
How the drug tamoxifen became a global success in breast cancer treatment
Creating the first emoji
In 1999, Japanese designer Shigetaka Kurita created a global phenomena - the first emoji
When disposable nappies were invented
The story of how disposable nappies were invented.
Aibo: The world’s first robot dog
The world's first robot dog called Aibo, sold out in just 20 minutes in 1999
Inventing Rubik’s Cube
In 1974, a Hungarian architect, Ernő Rubik invented his bestselling puzzle
Invention of the ballpoint pen
In 1938 a Hungarian journalist László Bíró invented the ballpoint pen
