In the 1970s, an American engineer Jack Cover designed a new experimental stun gun. He called it a Taser. But the device only really became popular when it started to be used by US law enforcement agencies. The Los Angeles Police Department were among the first to use the device. Retired police Captain Greg Meyer was then the young officer given the task of evaluating non-lethal weapons for the LAPD. He tells Alex Last about the origins of the Taser and its dramatic impact on the streets.  Photo: Jack Cover with an early version of his Taser. The gun has a flashlight atop and below are two cartridges each containing two darts which can be fired a distance of 15 feet with a stunning 50,000-volt shock.

The first Tasers

History as told by the people who were there.

History

Society & Culture

In 1936, Dale Carnegie wrote one of the world’s most popular self help books - How to Win Friends and Influence People. The idea was suggested by a book editor who had attended one of Dale’s public speaking courses in New York. The result was a mix of psychology, philosophy and good old-fashioned common sense. Dale offered advice like: Smile. Give praise. Be a good listener. And remember people’s names.  The book went on to become a best seller. Today, more than 30 million copies have been sold worldwide, and it has been translated into 36 languages. Even the title is part of popular culture. Dale’s daughter Donna Dale Carnegie tells Jane Wilkinson about the secret of its success. (Photo: How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1955. Credit: Frederic Hamilton/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

How to win friends and influence people

In 1961, the American psychologist Stanley Milgram began a series of controversial experiments on ‘obedience to authority’. His study aimed to show how ordinary people could be capable of committing evil acts, if ordered to do so.  He wanted to understand the psychology behind genocide, telling the BBC: “How is it possible that ordinary people who were courteous and decent in everyday life, can act callously, inhumanely, without any limitations of conscience?” During the tests, participants were led to believe that they were assisting an unrelated experiment, in which they had to administer electric shocks to another person. These fake shocks gradually increased to levels that would have been harmful had they been real volunteers. Vicky Farncombe looks back at the experiment, using BBC archive. This programme includes original recordings of the experiments which listeners may find disturbing. (Photo: Stanley Milgram beside the shock generator. Credit: BBC)

How the Milgram 'obedience' experiment shocked the world

It’s 70 years since General Alfredo Stroessner seized power in Paraguay in a military coup.  Stroessner remained in power for almost 35 years, before being toppled in 1989. More than 450 people were murdered under Stroessner's rule, with the fate of thousands more unknown. They are remembered as 'the disappeared' of Paraguay.  One man has dedicated his life to finding the victims of Stroessner's dictatorship, including the remains of his own father.  Rogelio Goiburu shares his story with Matt Pintus. (Photo: Rogelio Goiburu digging for the remains of Paraguay's 'disappeared'. Credit: Getty Images)

Finding the victims of Stroessner's Paraguay

On 13 December 1990, the anti-apartheid politician Oliver Tambo returned to South Africa after 30 years in exile.  As the president of the banned African National Congress (ANC), he had lived in Zambia building the liberation movement while other key ANC members including Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu were political prisoners.  By lobbying around the world and attracting talented South African exiles such as Thabo Mbeki, he built the organisation into a legitimate contender for government.  When President FW de Klerk unbanned the ANC, Oliver or OR Tambo was finally able to return home where he was greeted by a crowd of thousands at the airport. Oliver Tambo’s son, Dali Tambo, recalls to Josephine McDermott how his father and other ANC exiles danced in the aisle of the plane as they crossed into South African airspace. (Photo: Oliver Tambo at Jan Smuts Airport. Credit: AP/John Parkin)

Oliver Tambo returns to South Africa from exile

Brenda Fassie was one of South Africa's biggest pop stars in the late 1980s. The singer’s career nosedived in 1990, but her comeback saw her dubbed the 'Madonna of the townships' by Time magazine. Yvonne Chaka Chaka, born a year after Brenda, was perhaps the only South African pop star who could rival her popularity. Twenty years ago, in 2004, Brenda died Yvonne celebrates Brenda's life with Ben Henderson. (Photo Brenda Fassie, a South African pop star, performing on stage. Credit :ALEXANDER JOE/AFP via Getty Images.)

The first Tasers

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