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Witness History Episodes

  1.

    The invention of the CT scanner

    In 1971, the CT scanner was invented by Allan Cormack and Godfrey Hounsfield

  2. When Italy gave back Ethiopia’s stolen obelisk

    The Axum Obelisk was looted by Italian soldiers in 1937 on the orders of Benito Mussolini

  3. Abebech Gobena: Africa's 'Mother Teresa'

    In 1980, Abebech Gobena founded an orphanage in Ethiopia to save children from starvation

  4. Ardi: The oldest skeleton of a human ancestor

    In 1994, a college student discovered a 4.4 million-year-old skeleton in Ethiopia

  5. Emperor Haile Selassie in Bath

    In 1936, the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie was exiled in Bath in the UK

  6. Emperor Haile Selassie overthrown

    In September 1974, a military junta launched a coup against Ethiopia's monarchy

  7. Giant Gonzalez: from NBA star to WWE wrestler

    Jorge Gonzalez was the first Argentinian in an NBA draft. How did he end up wrestling?

  8. Apollo 13

    In 1970, a Moon mission almost ended in tragedy after an explosion on board the spaceship

  9. The end of the Irish marriage bar

    Until 1973, married women in Ireland were banned from working in state jobs.

  10. Ramesses II's 'mummy makeover'

    In 1976, the mummy of Ramesses II was flown from Egypt to Paris for a makeover

  11. I led the 'Umbrella' protests

    In September 2014, Nathan Law led Hong Kong's 'Umbrella' Protests

  12. The woman who spoke to the space station

    Maggie Iaquinto was the first amateur radio enthusiast to contact Russian cosmonauts

  13. Guatemala's disappeared

    Jeremias Tecu's two brothers are among the thousands who disappeared in Guatemala

  14. Waris Dirie

    In 1987, Waris Dirie had her first photo-shoot and became a supermodel sensation

  15. The writer of Mary Poppins

    It's 60 years since the Disney film was released, based on writer PL Travers's book

  16. Canada’s first UFO landing pad

    In 1967, the town of St Paul built Canada's first alien UFO landing pad

  17. Spain's La Tomatina

    In 1945, a spat between teenage boys was the seed for the world's largest tomato fight

  18. India’s first female bartender

    The story of the woman who became known as India’s first female bartender

  19. Argentina's five presidents in two weeks

    In 2001, Argentina went through a remarkable political crisis

  20. Nazis in Egypt

    Egypt recruited thousands of Nazis after World War Two

  21. The celebrity murder case that divided France

    French actress Marie Trintignant was killed by the rock star Bertrand Cantat in 2003.

  22. Saving lives after the 2002 Bali bombings

    'Spray-on skin' was used to treat burns victims after bombings on the Indonesian island.

  23. How the CIA caught 'Carlos the Jackal'

    One of the world’s most wanted men had been on the run for decades.

  24. Sukarno: The founding father of Indonesian independence

    In 1945, the nationalist leader declared independence for Indonesia

  25. The last ever Olympic art competition

    From 1912 until 1948, you could win medals in art at the Olympic Games

  26. Clara Nunes: Queen of Samba

    The Brazilian singer who earned the title Queen of Samba

  27. The first televised US presidential debate

    In 1956, US presidential candidates sent female representatives to the first debate on TV

  28. President Richard Nixon resigns

    In 1974, Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign

  29. Ronald Reagan and the Moral Majority

    In 1979, the Moral Majority was launched and changed the course of US politics

  30. Bush v Gore: The election decided in the Supreme Court

    The US presidential election of 2000 was one of the most contested in history

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