The History Hour

India’s ambitious ID scheme and the iconic Princess Diana photo


Listen Later

This week, how more than one billion people living in India were given a unique digital ID during the world's largest biometric project. The Aadhaar scheme was launched in 2009 but it wasn't without controversy. Our guest, digital identity expert Dr Edgar Whitley, tells us about the history of ID schemes around the world.

Plus, the Spanish doctor whose pioneering surgery helped millions of people to get rid of their glasses and see more clearly. And why East Germany's thirst for caffeine in the 1980s led to an unusual collaboration with Vietnam.

Also, the story behind one of the most famous royal photographs ever taken – Princess Diana sitting alone on a bench in front of the Taj Mahal in 1992. The man who took the image tells us more.

And finally, how a Ghanaian athlete, Alice Annum, earned the nickname ‘Baby Jet’ after her medal-winning success in the 1970 Commonwealth Games.

Contributors:

Nandan Nilekani - former chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India
Dr Edgar Whitley - digital identity expert at the London School of Economics
Dr Carmen Barraquer Coll – daughter of ophthalmologist Jose Ignacio Barraquer Moner
Siegfried Kaulfuß – East German official in charge of coffee production in Vietnam
Anwar Hussein – royal photographer
Alice Annum – retired Ghanaian athlete

(Photo: Scanning fingerprints for Aadhaar registration. Credit: David Talukdar/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The History HourBy BBC World Service

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

554 ratings


More shows like The History Hour

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,458 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

368 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,813 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,695 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,216 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

502 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,800 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,103 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

963 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

609 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

956 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,947 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,061 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,885 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

840 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

355 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

433 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

745 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,770 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle

4,197 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

737 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,156 Listeners

History's Heroes by BBC Radio 4

History's Heroes

503 Listeners