Twelve Years A Slave

Solomon Northup was born a free man in America but kidnapped into slavery in the South

• 9 mins

The Panama Flag Riots

In 1964 violence erupted in Panama, prompted by a dispute over the American flag.

• 9 mins

Mother Teresa

The young nun who would become Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta in 1929

• 9 mins

The First Panda in the West

In 1936, a US socialite and her Chinese guide captured a giant panda and brought it to NY.

• 14 mins

Soviet Lithuania Crackdown

In 1991, pro-independence Lithuanians took to the streets of Vilnius against Soviet tanks

• 9 mins

Jimi Hendrix

The guitarist's girlfriend on his electrifying performances and their life off-stage

• 9 mins

Nigeria's First Coup

In 1966 a small group of Nigerian army officers launched the country's first ever coup

• 9 mins

The First Battle of Fallujah

In 2004, US forces began battling insurgents based in the Iraqi city of Fallujah

• 9 mins

The Battle of Monte Cassino

The allies launched a major offensive against the Germans in Italy in January 1944

• 9 mins

The Execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa

In 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists were executed by the Nigerian regime.

• 14 mins

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment

The WW2 attempt to understand how best to care for starving civilians in war-torn Europe

• 9 mins

World's First Nuclear-Powered Submarine

The world's first nuclear-powered submarine was launched on 21st January 1954.

• 9 mins

The Siege of Leningrad

In January 1944 the WW2 blockade of Leningrad finally ended after almost 900 days

• 9 mins

The Execution of Ted Bundy

In January 1989, US serial killer Ted Bundy was executed by electric chair in Florida

• 9 mins

The Creation of Modern Nigeria in 1914

Rare archive recordings of people who lived through the unification of Nigeria in 1914

• 9 mins

Tunnelling Under the Berlin Wall

In 1964 a group of West German students helped more than 50 people escape from East Berlin

• 15 mins

WW2, the Holocaust and Rome

In 1943, Rome's Jewish citizens were promised safety if they gave gold to the Nazis.

• 9 mins

The Cairo Fire 1952

In January 1952 hundreds of buildings were deliberately set ablaze in downtown Cairo

• 9 mins

Gay Pride in Russia

In 2006, Russian activists broke the law to stage the first gay pride march in Moscow.

• 9 mins

US Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Cuba

In January 1961, the US closed down its embassy in Cuba and withdrew all diplomatic staff

• 9 mins

American Football and Brain Injuries

The death of former NFL star Mike Webster led to questions about safety in 2002

• 9 mins

The Killing of Dian Fossey

In 1985, the celebrated gorilla expert was murdered at her research station in Rwanda.

• 15 mins

The Georgian-Abkhaz War

In 1992 a war erupted in the separatist Georgian territory of Abkhazia

• 9 mins

The Death of Chinese Cockle Pickers

In February 2004, 23 Chinese immigrants drowned off the coast of north-west England

• 9 mins

Colossus: the World's First Electronic Computer

In February 1944, the first electronic computer began attacking coded Nazi messages

• 9 mins

War Brides

In 1946 tens of thousands of British women went to Canada on the first 'war brides' ship

• 9 mins

Beatlemania

On 7 February 1964 the pop group the Beatles were met by hysterical crowds in the USA

• 9 mins

The Battle of the Carmens

At the 1988 Winter Olympics, an East German and an American ice dancer were vying for Gold

• 15 mins

The Buildup to World War Two

In 1939 tension was growing in Europe, over Nazi Germany's expansionist plans

• 9 mins

The Search for Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction

In 2004, the US began to realise Saddam Hussein may not have been stockpiling WMDs

• 9 mins