Roundup

Milton Friedman obit by Robert Reich [audio 10min @1:28]

His ideas were embraced by governments, and implemented by central banks. And he was one of those rare economic theorists who was able to take arcane ideas and translate them into popular language. Nobel-Prize-winning American economist Milton Friedman died earlier today. He was 94 years old. Friedman's ideas influenced the likes of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. At its core, his style of economics

Elizabeth II one of just six British queens regnant [audio 8min]

Queen Elizabeth went to Westminster Wednesday morning for the State opening of Parliament. She went there as only the 6th woman in British history to have been crowned and anointed Queen. Traditionally, society has treated men as the natural rulers, but 6 women in history have reigned in Britain in their own right. How did these 6 manage to confront the sceptics and balance society’s traditional roles for women -- of wife and mother, with the responsibilities of a monarch? Presenter Jenni Murray

Dead Sea Scroll & Essenes' Latrine [audio 6min @15:50]

The Essenes must have thought they were so smart. They hid out in the desert, where no one could bother them. They apparently penned the Dead Sea Scrolls. And, unlike their neighbors -- nomadic shepherds -- they didn't just go to the bathroom wherever the urge happened to find them. They were fastidious and sanitary -- and they all went in one latrine. According to a new study, though, that might not have been all that smart after all. In fact, their tidy toilet habits may actually have contribu

Barack Obama meets BBC's home of new black music [audio 20min]

Could Barack Obama be America's first black president? The 'skinny man with a funny name' says people always get it wrong, and call him 'Alabama' or 'Yo Mama'. Barack Obama was elected as the only black Senator after wowing the Democrats with a charismatic conference speech. Half-Kenyan Barack is a knockout with all kinds of voters, even getting sun-burnt farmers in deep Republican country to consider voting Democrat.

Wartime diary touches Vietnamese [audio 10min]

President Bush travels to Vietnam this week for a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. He's the second U.S. president to visit communist Vietnam since the war ended in 1975. In Vietnam, the publication of a wartime diary written by an idealistic young doctor has captured the imagination of readers, and become a runaway best-seller. The diary of Dang Thuy Tram was rescued from destruction by an American soldier. Webpage includes extended report by Michael Sullivan, diary entries

Anne Frank's tree is to be cut down [audio 3min]

The chestnut tree made famous by diarist Anne Frank, who gazed out on it from her hideaway in an attic in Amsterdam, is to be cut down. The tree is in very poor condition, due to an aggressive fungus. We hear about the tree from Patricia Bosboom of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

Iowa's Leach reflects on 30 years in the House [audio 4min]

Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA), considered a moderate Republican, will leave the House after 30 years as change comes to Congress. He lost his seat in part because he voted against the war in Iraq. He talks about his time on Capitol Hill with Madeleine Brand.

Emilio Estevez helms film on RFK assassination [audio 8min]

Emilio Estevez was 6 years old when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, just old enough for the shattering tragedy to leave a lasting impression. His father, actor Martin Sheen, was a Kennedy supporter. He took his young son to the Ambassador Hotel, where Kennedy was shot. Now Estevez has made a movie based on the Kennedy assassination. Through a series of vignettes set at the Ambassador, the film recreates the day leading up to the assassination. The characters live out their lives and personal dra

USA struggles to deal with new Vietnam [audio 39min]

For many, Vietnam still represents the war that America lost. But when President Bush visits Vietnam this week he'll find a country that is vibrant, booming, and eager to do more business with the United States. Guests: Dana Sachs, author of The House on Dream Street: Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam; Peter Zinoman, associate professor of History at UC Berkeley and founding editor/editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vietnamese Studies; and Andrew Lam, editor for New America Med

British MoD pardons 306 WWI soldiers executed for 'cowardice' [audio 15min]

This Remembrance Sunday was a particularly proud and poignant day for one group of relatives of servicemen killed in wartime. They are the families of more than 300 men who were shot at dawn for cowardice or desertion during the First World War. The families have long argued that the men were the victims of an injustice, that they were not cowards but were deeply traumatised or shell-shocked. Their appeals to have the men pardoned were repeatedly turned down but, this year, the government unexpe

Luxury steamer 'Waratah', lost in 1909 with all hands, was "Australian 'Titanic'" [audio 10min @10:40]

"Making History" listener Annette Kelly contacted the programme to find out more about her Great Uncle Joe Kelly, who, she thinks, lost his life serving on board the SS Waratah, which went down with all hands in July 1909. Described as the Australian Titanic, the wreck of the vessel has never been discovered and the exact reason for its sinking has never been established. On 27 April 1909, the Waratah set out from Australia on her return maiden voyage, bound for the South Af

Gary Gallagher leads tour of Antietam National Battlefield Park [video 44min]

Civil War scholar and author Gary Gallagher takes a group of high school history teachers from Taos, New Mexico, on a tour of Antietam National Battlefield Park in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Gallagher discusses events leading up to the Battle of Antietam, the battle itself, and the political issues affected by Antietam. Fought on September 17th 1862, the battle of Antietam is still the bloodiest day in American military history, with over 23,000 killed, wounded or missing after 12 hours of combat. Ga

Liverpool recalled as top slave port in 18c Europe as UK set to celebrate bi-centenary of 1807 abolition of slavery [audio 1st 14min]

"Making History" presenter Nick Baker and the actor and writer Kwame Kwei Armah conclude their journey to take in the three UK locales associated with slavery by visiting Liverpool. By the end of the 17th century, the English were the largest traffickers in slaves in the Western world, shipping on average 6,000-8,000 enslaved Africans a year to the Americas. By the mid-18th Century, 95% of all slave voyages took place from one Britain's three major ports, Liverpool, London and Bristol.

Isle of Man profited greatly from 18c slave trade [audio 1st 10min]

"Making History" presenter Nick Baker and the actor and writer Kwame Kwei Armah contimue their journey to take in the three UK locales associated with slavery by visiting the Isle of Man. No slaving ships ever actually set sail from the IoM. Its connection is that because of its political independence at the time of the slave trade, it was able to dictate the amount of tax on imported goods -- the Dukes of Athol, who controlled the island, imposed a low level of tax, making goods cheaper than th

Where in UK are graves of Luftwaffe airmen killed over Britain? [audio 6min @21:05]

A "Making History" listener in Belgium contacted the programme to ask where the graves of German airmen who lost their lives over the UK are located. "Making History" consulted Richard Howman, who runs a project called the British War Memorial Project, which is a useful database for people interested in the war graves of all nationalities. Richard advised that most German graves were moved to a cemetery in Staffordshire in the 1960s, but that there are some in other locations

German poets in WWI [audio 30min]

As part of BBC Radio 3's "Wilfred Owen Week", poet, essayist and playwright Gabriel Gbadamosi discusses the German poets writing during the First World War.

Victorian school mistress Dorothea Beale was iconic figure in female education [audio 5min]

Queen Victoria famously said that "feminists ought to get a good whipping". But it was during her reign that the first serious academic institutions for the education of girls and young women appeared. A school mistress called Dorothea Beale played a key role in these developments and became the iconic figure in the field of female education. She was the founder of St Hilda's College, Oxford and the Headmistress of Cheltenham Ladies' College. To mark the centenary of her death, present

Virginia Civil War center draws rave reviews [audio 5min]

A new $13 million museum in Richmond, Va., allows visitors to learn about the Civil War from the perspective of the Union, the Confederacy, and black people of the time. Housed in a restored gun foundry on the banks of the James River, the museum has received rave reviews from historians. Report by Eric Niiler.

Ground is broken for King Memorial on National Mall [audio 3min]

On the National Mall in Washington, D.C., thousands attend the groundbreaking for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. Presidents Bush and Clinton, Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey were among those speaking at the ceremony. The memorial is scheduled to open in 2008.

Colin Powell's Journey from 'Soldier' to Statesman [audio 8min]

Author Karen DeYoung's profile of former Secretary of State Colin Powell begins with one of the worst moments of Powell's professional career, when he was asked to resign. Leading up to that moment, DeYoung says, Powell felt frustrated with his effectiveness in the Bush administration. The core of DeYoung's book, Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell, consists of a series of long interviews with Powell -- some while he was still Secretary of State, and others after he resigned and left govern