In 1975 a US airman told his superior officers he was gay, to challenge the ban on homosexuals in the military. His name was Leonard Matlovich - and he quickly became the most famous gay man in the USA.

Fifteen years ago a new "wonder" drug was first approved for use. It marked a breakthrough in the treatment of male impotence. We speak to two men who helped develop Viagra.

One man's mission to bring fun back to the battle-scarred Swat Valley in Pakistan. We speak to Matee Ullah Khan, ski enthusiast the pioneer instructor behind a local ski school in Malam Jabba.

It is 25 years since violence broke out in the city of Sumgait in Azerbaijan. Anti-Armenian riots had to be put down by Soviet soldiers. They were a forewarning of the war that would split the region following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

It's 70 years since 173 people were crushed to death at an air-raid shelter in east London during World War II. They were killed as they sought refuge in an underground train station. Sixty-two children were among the dead. We hear from one of the children who survived.

Photo: Londoners sheltering from an air-raid in an underground train station, during World War II (Getty Images).

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor tells the story of electing Pope Benedict at the Papal Conclave in April 2005. Cardinals are due to gather again to elect his successor.

Forty years ago, American Indian activists staged a protest against the US authorities. A siege began which lasted for over two months. One of the activists, Russell Means, spoke to the programme two years ago - he died in October last year.

Photo: Dennis Banks (L) and Russell Means (R) during the siege. Credit: AFP

In 1993, Islamic extremists planted a huge bomb in the car park of the World Trade Center in New York. The blast killed six people and opened up an enormous crater, but the bombers failed to bring down the skyscraper. Witness speaks to a member of the World Trade Center security staff about the forerunner of 9/11.

PHOTO: Damage inside the World Trade Center (Reuters)

In 1994 Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream was stolen from a Norwegian art museum. It was recovered in a daring undercover operation by British detectives. Photo: Getty AFP.

It's seventy years today since three German students were executed for trying to protest against Hitler. They called themselves the White Rose.

Photo: Domenic Saller