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 70 episodes available.

This Week in History episodes:

October 20, 2025 October 20th - October 26th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: 20th October to 26th October
- 25th October, 1400 - The death of the 'Father of English Poetry', Geoffrey Chaucer.
- 21st October, 1805 - The Battle of Trafalgar: a British naval victory that would shape the nation's imperial future and identity.
- 21st October, 1966 - A colliery spoil tip collapses in the village of Aberfan, South Wales, engulfing a school and killing 144 people, 116 of them children.
Presented by Ron Brown and Jane Steel.
Producers: Carys John and Sofie Vilcins.
...more
6min
October 13, 2025 October 13th - October 19th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: The 13th to the 19th of October.
- 19th October 1987 Shares plunge after Wall Street crash - aka Black Monday
- 13th October 1884 International Meridian Conference in Washington establishes Greenwich as the Universal Prime Meridian of longitude
- 14th October 1926 A.A. Milne’s book Winnie-The-Pooh released
Presented by Caroline Nicholls and Jane Steel.
Producers: Chris Pearson and Sofie Vilcins.
...more
6min
October 06, 2025 Oct 6th - Oct 12th
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: the 6th to the 12th October.
8th October 1769 - James Cook and the crew of HMS Endeavour land in New Zealand
9th October 2012 - 15 year old Malala Yousafzai survives a shooting by the Taliban.
9th October 1446 - King Sejong the Great creates the Korean Hangul alphabet.
...more
6min
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
...more
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.
...more
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.
...more
6min

FAQs about This Week in History:

How many episodes does This Week in History have?

The podcast currently has 70 episodes available.