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Witness History Episodes

  1.

    The playboy spy who inspired James Bond

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

  2. 'I taught the Dalai Lama'

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

  3. The photo which symbolised Argentina’s resistance

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

  4. Toxic shock syndrome and tampon safety

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

  5. World War Two’s Shetland Bus

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

  6. The flooding of Florence

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

  7. The Mont Blanc Tunnel

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

  8. Gina Lollobrigida interviews Fidel Castro

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

  9. When Pink Floyd played in Venice

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

  10. The discovery of nerve growth factor

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

  11. 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

  12. Austria's wine scandal

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

  13. Jimmy Carter visits Cuba

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

  14. Cuba's Mariel boatlift

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

  15. The 'Jugroom Fort' rescue mission

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

  16. Ötzi: The Iceman of Bolzano

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

  17. The Kaohsiung Incident

    On 10 December 1979, pro-democracy activists clashed with police in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

  18. Chile's 'Penguin Revolution'

    In 2006, more than 600,000 school children in Chile began a nationwide protest

  19. The liberation of Auschwitz

    In 1945, General Vasily Petrenko freed prisoners at the Nazi death camp

  20. John Logie Baird invents television

    On 26 January 1926, John Logie Baird demonstrated the prototype for television

  21. Agatha Christie: best-selling novelist of all time

    In January 1976, author Agatha Christie died aged 85

  22. The Challenger space shuttle tragedy

    In January 1986, the launch of space shuttle Challenger ended in tragedy

  23. Operation Mincemeat

    In April 1943, the most audacious hoax of WWII began. It was codenamed Operation Mincemeat

  24. The Irish priest who built an airport

    In 1986, a priest raised millions to open an airport at Knock in Ireland.

  25. Exiled Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran

    In February 1979, religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini flew back to Tehran from Paris

  26. Afghan Star

    In 2005, a TV show to find new musical talent was launched in Afghanistan

  27. The deadly Vargas mudslides in Venezuela

    In December 1999, torrential rain in Venezuela led to deadly floods and mudslides

  28. Creating Cluedo

    Blackouts during World War II helped Anthony Pratt invent the popular family board game.

  29. The creation of the modern kitchen

    The modern kitchen was created by an Austrian architect in 1926

  30. Brain: PC virus

    In 1986, what’s thought to be the first computer virus spreads around the world

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