The History Hour

The Boxing Day tsunami, and Alexa’s creation


Listen Later

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes.

We hear two stories from the deadly 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which killed thousands of people in south-east Asia.

Our expert guest is Ani Naqvi, a former journalist who was on holiday in Sri Lanka when the wave hit.

We also hear from the two Polish students who created the voice of Alexa, the smart speaker.

Plus, the story of Klaus Fuchs, the German-born physicist who passed nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union while working on the first atomic bomb.

Finally, we find out about Robert Ripley, the American cartoonist who made millions from sharing bizarre facts.

Contributors:

Choodamani and Karibeeran Paramesvaran – couple whose three children died in the Boxing Day tsunami.

Dendy Montgomery – photographer who captured the tsunami devastation.

Ani Naqvi – former journalist who was caught up in the tsunami.

Lukasz Osowski and Michal Kaszczuk – creators of Alexa.

Klaus Fuchs-Kittowski – nephew of atomic spy Klaus Fuchs.

John Corcoran – director of exhibits at Ripley’s.

(Photo: Tsunami devastation in Indonesia. 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

549 ratings


More shows like The History Hour

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,389 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

381 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,840 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,898 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,189 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

308 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

501 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,782 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,046 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

953 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

584 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

962 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,925 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,080 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,900 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

401 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

748 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,675 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle

4,108 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

740 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,977 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

3,022 Listeners

The Explanation by BBC World Service

The Explanation

28 Listeners