BBC Radio 4 - History's Heroes

The Fairytale Life of Hans Christian Andersen

A Danish man writes a story about human suffering with an unusual hero at its heart.

How has Gertrude Ederle’s Channel Swim inspired a new wave of swimmers?

Will a young swimmer make it across the Channel and into the history books?

How a woman’s arrest in Trafalgar Square changed the lives of children around the world.

How did an archbishop help topple a dictatorship?

The complicated legacy of plastic surgeon Harold Gillies.

A new musical production challenges the prejudices of American society.

A Hollywood star takes on the double standards of the studio system.

Can a doctor rebuild the shattered faces of World War One soldiers?

Historian Alex von Tunzelmann shines a light on remarkable people from across history.