Witness History: Archive 2014

Latest Episodes:

The Nepali Royal Massacre Jun 02, 2014

Show notes

In June 2001 the Crown Prince of Nepal killed both his parents and other members of his family in a shooting at the royal palace. Witness speaks to his cousin, who survived the massacre.

(Photo: Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Crown Prince of Nepal. Credit: Getty Images)

The Fall of Addis Ababa May 30, 2014

Show notes

In May 1991, the brutal Ethiopian dictator, Colonel Mengistu and his miltary regime were on the verge of collapse, as rebel forces advanced on the capital Addis Ababa. We hear from an American diplomat who witnessed the end of Ethiopia's civil war. Photo: EPRDF rebels in Addis Ababa, 28 May, 1991.

Britain's first women's refuge May 29, 2014

Show notes

In 1971 the first refuge for women escaping domestic violence opened in Britain.

Witness speaks to one young mother who suffered years of abuse before finding safety in the Chiswick Women's Aid refuge.

Photo: An overcrowded refuge for battered women in Chiswick, west London. (Evening Standard/Getty Images).

Monkeys in Space May 28, 2014

Show notes

In May 1959, for the first time America sends two monkeys into space and brings them back alive.

It's a watershed moment for the US space agency, Nasa, and paves the way for future manned space missions.

Photo: Keystone\Getty Images

(Originally broadcast in May 2012)

The Death of Nehru May 27, 2014

Show notes

In May 1964 India's first prime minister and the man who led India to independence died.

His niece, the writer Nayanatara Seghal, remembers her famous uncle.

Photo: Indira Gandhi paying her respects at the body of her father, Jawaharlal Nehru.(AFP/Getty Images)

The MIT Blackjack Scam May 26, 2014

Show notes

In the 1990s teams of students from one of America's top universities - MIT - used card counting techniques to win millions of dollars in the casinos of Las Vegas.

(Photo: Getty Images)

The Pope and the Jews May 23, 2014

Show notes

In April 1986 Pope John Paul II made a historic visit to a Rome synagogue - aimed at healing centuries of deep wounds between Jews and Catholics.

(Photo: AFP)

Saving Russia's Soldiers in Chechnya May 22, 2014

Show notes

In May 1995 a brutal war raged in the Russian republic of Chechnya. As Russian forces fought to retain control of the capital, Grozny, thousands of young conscripts were sent to the front lines to confront the Chechen separatists.

(Photo: Russian Soldiers. Credit: AP/ Misha Japaridze)

Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi May 21, 2014

Show notes

In 1991 the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. The grandson of the founder of modern India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was blown up by Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels while campaigning for the general election. We hear from a journalist who was with him just moments before the attack.

(Photo: Funeral procession of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi 24 May 1991. Credit: Douglas E. Curran/AFP/Getty Images)

Uprising in South Korea May 20, 2014

Show notes

In May 1980 the South Korean military put down a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju. Armed students had taken over large parts of the city and were demanding an end to military rule. Witness speaks to two people who were in Gwangju during the violence.

(Photo: Soldier wields a baton while stopping a student. Credit: AP)

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Witness History: Archive 2014

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