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 47 episodes available.

This Week in History episodes:

September 29, 2025 September 29th - October 5th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: 29th September to 5th October
- 3rd October 1990. East and West Germany were officially reunified.
- 29th September 1829. Formation of The Metropolitan police, London's first official police force.
- 5th October 1962. The first James Bond film, Dr. No, had its world premiere.
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6min
September 22, 2025 September 22nd - September 28th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: 22nd September to 28th September
- 22nd September 1692. The last eight victims are hanged in the Salem Witch trials
- 22nd September 1968. A ceremony takes place to mark the relocation of the ancient Egyptian Abu Simbel temples
- 25th September 1066. King Harold II wins the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
Read by Ron Brown and Caroline Nicholls
Produced by Chris Pearson
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6min
September 15, 2025 September 15th - September 21st
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: 15th September to 21st September
- 16th September 1620. The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth to America
- 19th September 1960. Britain deploys it's first Traffic Wardens
- 21st September 1915. Cecil Chubb purchases Stonehenge
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7min
September 08, 2025 September 8th - September 14th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: 8th - 14th September
- 9th September 1976. Death of Mao Zedong
- 12th September 1846. HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, the British expedition searching for a Northwest Passage, become trapped in ice.
- 12th September 1940. Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings

Presented by Viji Alles and Jane Steel.
Producers: Sofie Vilcins and Luke Doran.
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6min
September 01, 2025 September 1st - September 7th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: 1st September to 7th September
- 1st September 1939. Operation Pied Piper begins, evacuating British children to the countryside
- 7th September 1936. The last captive Thylacine, commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger, dies in a zoo in Australia
- 3rd September 1967. Sweden begins driving on the right-hand side of the road
Presented by Jane Steel and Ron Brown.
Producers: Chris Pearson and Luke Doran.
...more
6min
August 25, 2025 August 25th - August 31st
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short vignettes of the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week: August 25th - August 31st
- 27th August 1896. The British Empire defeat the sultanate of Zanzibar in the shortest recorded war in History.
- 26th August 1994. Arthur Cornhill receives the world's first 'Bionic Heart'.
- 29th August 1930. The evacuation of the archipelago of St Kilda.
Presented by Jane Steel and Ron Brown.
Produced by Chris Pearson and Luke Doran.
...more
6min
August 18, 2025 August 18th - August 24th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short vignettes of the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week: August 18th - August 24th
- 20th of August 1968. Soviet-led forces invade Czechoslovakia and crush the reform movement known as the “Prague Spring”.
- 22nd of August 1485. The Battle of Bosworth Field ends The Wars of the Roses.
- 23rd of August 1973. A bank siege leads to the identification of a contested psychiatric condition; Stockholm syndrome.
Presented by Caroline Nicholls and Ron Brown.
Produced by Stuart Ross.
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6min
August 11, 2025 August 11th - August 17th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short vignettes of the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week: August 4th - August 10th
- 15th of August 1947. Indian Independence began and the country woke to 'life and freedom'. But what was the impact of this new freedom?
- 12th of August 1990. One of the world's largest T-Rex skeletons is discovered in South Dakota, prompting a long custody battle over who owns it.
- 16th of August 1819. A peaceful protest for Parliamentary Reform was brutally suppressed in Manchester, an event that became known as the 'Peterloo Massacre'.
Presented by Jane Steel and Viji Alles.
Produced by Carys John and Luke Doran.
...more
6min
August 04, 2025 August 4th - August 10th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short vignettes of the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week: August 4th - August 10th
- 6th of August 1945. An atomic bomb is dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima; it is the first time a nuclear weapon is used during a war.
- 6th of August 1991. The computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee launches the first web page.
- 4th of August 1976. The first women's international cricket match is played at Lord's.
Presented by Jane Steel and Ron Brown.
Produced by Stuart Ross.
...more
6min
July 28, 2025 July 28th - August 3rd
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what has happened on this same week throughout history.
With short vignettes of the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.
This week: July 28th - August 3rd
- 3rd of August 1936. The African-American athlete Jesse Owens wins the first of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, in front of Adolf Hitler.
- 1st of August 1774. The English chemist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen, but did he get there first?
- 28th of July 1939. The iconic Sutton Hoo helmet is unearthed in Suffolk and provides a connection to Britain’s Anglo-Saxon past.
Presented by Ron Brown and Viji Alles.
Produced by Stuart Ross.
...more
6min

FAQs about This Week in History:

How many episodes does This Week in History have?

The podcast currently has 47 episodes available.