This Week in History

By BBC Radio 4

Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.

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· History

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FAQs about This Week in History:

How many episodes does This Week in History have?

The podcast currently has 7 episodes available.

This Week in History episodes:

May 12, 2025 May 12 - May 18
Fascinating, surprising, and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week. May 12th – May 18th
- 13th of May 1981. While conducting blessings to a crowd in St Peter's Square, Pope John Paul the Second is shot four times in front of twenty thousand witnesses.
- 15th of May 1536. After only three years as Queen, Anne Boleyn goes on trial at the Tower of London, accused of treason, adultery, and incest.
- 14th of May 1796. Edward Jenner conducts a groundbreaking experiment on his gardener's son, creating the world's first 'vaccination', and beginning the fight against smallpox.
Presented by Caroline Nicholls and Ron Brown
Produced by Luke Doran
...more
6min
May 05, 2025 May 5 - May 11
Fascinating, surprising, and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week. May 5th – May 11th
- 8th of May 1945. Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally to the Allied forces, and Victory in Europe Day – VE Day – was declared.
- 6th of May 1937. A disaster captured in real time, as the radio reporter Herbert Morrison reports on the crash of the LZ 129 Hindenburg airship.
- 9th of May 1671. The audacious attempt of the notorious Colonel Blood to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, the last man to ever try such a feat.
Presented by Ron Brown and Viji Alles
Produced by Luke Doran and Kerry McCarthy
...more
6min
April 28, 2025 April 28 - May 4
Fascinating, surprising, and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week. April 28th – May 4th
- 30th of April 1945. Deep beneath the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun take their own lives. The BBC announces it in a newsflash the following day.
- 29th of April 1429. A 17-year-old peasant girl enters the siege of Orleans to defeat English forces. Nearly five hundred years later Joan of Arc is canonised and becomes a patron Saint of France.
- 1st of May 1840. The world's first postage stamp is issued. Known as the Penny Black it revolutionised the postal service and has today become a collector’s item.
Presented by Jane Steel and Viji Alles
Produced by Luke Doran and Clara Nissen
...more
6min
April 21, 2025 April 21 - April 27
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week. April 21st – April 27th
- 26th of April 1986. The Chernobyl power plant saw the worst nuclear accident in history, but are we still dealing with the fall out?.
- 23rd of April 1564. It's celebrated as the birthday of one of England's greatest ever writers, but was William Shakespeare actually born on this day?
- 27th of April 1994. After decades of white minority rule under apartheid, it was the first free elections in South Africa, a day that has became known as Freedom Day.
Presented by Ron Brown and Caroline Nicholls
Produced by Luke Doran
...more
6min
April 14, 2025 April 14 - April 20
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week. April 14th – April 20th
- 14th of April 1865. On a fateful night at Ford's Theatre, Abraham Lincoln became the first US President to be assassinated.
- 15th of April 1755 - They took nine years to finish, contained the definition of over 42 thousand words, and were published 270 years ago. Discover all about Samuel Johnson’s ‘A Dictionary of The English Language’
- 16th of April 1912. Harriet Quimby was a trailblazing aviator, a pioneering pilot, and on the 16th of April 1912 became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
Presented by Jane Steel and Ron Brown
Produced by Luke Doran
...more
6min
April 07, 2025 April 7 - April 13
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world, and made us who we are today.
This week. April 7th – April 13th
- 11th of April 1961. The Trail of the senior Nazi official Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem, bringing world wide attention to the atrocities of the Holocaust.
- 12th of April 1961 - Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space when he orbits the earth in the Vostok-1. Exactly twenty years later space exploration takes another giant leap when the first NASA space shuttle is launched.
- 10th of April 1849. Walter Hunt patents his latest creation, the modern Safety Pin. He then sells the patent to payoff a small debt. He doesn't make another dollar from his invention.
Presented by Viji Alles and Caroline Nicholls
Produced by Luke Doran
...more
5min
March 31, 2025 March 31 - April 6
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what else has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short looks at the events that have shaped the world, and made us who we are today.
This week. March 31st – April 6th
- 1st of April 2001. The world's first legal gay marriages take place in Amsterdam, after the Netherlands becomes the first country to legalize same-sex marriage.
- 4th of April 1975. Microsoft is founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Almost exactly a year later Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak form the Apple Computer Company.
- 6th of April 1906. Widely regarded as the first ever animated film, 'Humorous Phases of Funny Faces' is released by the American Vitagraph Company.
Presented by Ron Brown and Jane Steel
Produced by Luke Doran
...more
6min

FAQs about This Week in History:

How many episodes does This Week in History have?

The podcast currently has 7 episodes available.