The History Hour

Presidential diamonds and Tupperware parties


Listen Later

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History stories from the BBC World Service.

Journalist Claude Angeli discovered French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing received diamonds from a depraved African emperor, which contributed to him losing the presidential election in 1981.
How Bosnia’s small Jewish community helped people from all sides of the conflict, during the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s.
The story of the gang of thieves, who held up a British Royal Mail train on its journey from Glasgow to London in August 1963.
Plus Jean-Michel Basquiat, a young black graffiti artist in the 1980s took the New York art world by storm. His paintings were selling for huge sums of money, but he died before the end of the decade.
And the rise and fall of self-made businesswoman Brownie Wise, who inspired an army of US housewives to sell Tupperware at parties.
Contributors:
Journalist Claude Angeli
Journalist Pauline Bock
Former vice president of the Jewish community Jakob Finci
Author Bob Kealing
Journalist Reginald Abbiss
Patti Astor, friend of Jean-Michel Basquiat

(Photo: French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Jean-Bédel Bokassa in Bangui, March 1975. Credit: 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

556 ratings


More shows like The History Hour

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,589 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

376 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,051 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,470 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,214 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

958 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,880 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,766 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,048 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,090 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

479 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

591 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,784 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

413 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

745 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

851 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

337 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

351 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,184 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

723 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,015 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,468 Listeners