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Witness History Episodes

  1.

    Cathy Come Home

    It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness.

  2. Great Lisbon Earthquake

    How an earthquake in 1755 flattened Lisbon and led to a revolution in European thought.

  3. Student Uprising in Greece in 1973

    Alan Johnston reports on a student uprising against military rule in Greece in 1973.

  4. Oh What A Lovely War

    In the 1960s, radio and stage shows helped provoke a change in attitudes to World War I.

  5. San Salvador offensive

    In November 1989 the civil war in El Salvador hit the capital city.

  6. The Death of Leonid Brezhnev

    The Soviet leader died in November 1982 after years of ill health.

  7. Ruby Bridges Attends an all-White School

    The desegregation of the education system in the Southern States of the USA began in 1960

  8. Mission to Mars

    The first spacecraft to go to Mars left Earth in November 1964

  9. The death of Robert Maxwell

    It is 20 years since the newspaper magnate disappeared off his yacht.

  10. Hungarian uprising of 1956

    Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest on 4 November 1956 ending a shortlived popular uprising.

  11. 75 years of BBC TV

    On 2 November 1936 the first regular TV service in the world was launched by the BBC.

  12. Keith Jarrett in Cologne

    How a jazz concert organised by a 17-year old turned into a bestselling album.

  13. Murder of Polish priest

    In late October 1984 the body of a Polish priest was found in a town outside Warsaw.

  14. Indonesian killings

    In the autumn of 1965 a purge of communist sympathisers began in Indonesia.

  15. The American POW who chose China

    When the Korean War ended, a few US POWs chose to stay and live under communism.

  16. The Joy of Sex

    It is almost 40 years since the publication of a groundbreaking book about relationships.

  17. Nelson Mandela's Autobiography

    Written with the help of other ANC activists, how was the book smuggled out of prison?

  18. Mau Mau uprising

    It is 55 years since the Mau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi was arrested in Kenya.

  19. Aberfan Disaster

    It is 45 years since tragedy struck a Welsh mining village.

  20. George Blake Escapes

    In October 1966 a Soviet double agent escaped from a British jail.

  21. Canada Kidnap - James Cross

    In October 1970 James Cross, a British diplomat, was kidnapped by Quebec separatists.

  22. Erich Honecker stands down

    On 18 October 1989, the East German communist leader, was forced from power.

  23. French Algerian Massacre

    On 17 October 1961, French police turned against Algerian demonstrators in Paris.

  24. Coca Cola Change 1985

    In 1985 the soft drink company changed its age old formula.

  25. First Birth Control Clinic Opened in the US

    Margaret Sanger's clinic was open for 10 days giving women advice about contraception

  26. USS Cole

    On 12 October 2000, an American destroyer was attacked by al-Qaeda suicide bombers.

  27. Burton and Taylor remarry

    In October 1975 the filmstars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor got married - again!

  28. Thai Student Massacre

    In October 1976 security forces opened fire on student demonstrators in Bangkok.

  29. The US Bombing of Afghanistan

    It's 10 years since the first airstrikes on Afghanistan.

  30. Assassination of Anwar Sadat

    In October 1981 the President of Egypt was shot at a military parade.

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