Roundup

Nasser's career fraught with contradictions [audio 30min]

Stephen Sackur presents a profile of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, still regarded by many Egyptians as the father of modern Egypt and inspiration to the Arab nationalist cause. Despite his victory over Suez and his progressive domestic policies, Nasser's career was fraught with contradictions. Part 1 of 2.

The Somme retains meaning for today [audio 45min]

In a repeat of a programme first broadcast on 30 June 2006, Philip Dodd and guests mark the 90th anniversary of the most costly land battle in British history. On July 1st 1916, on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, some 58,000 men were killed or wounded -- the highest ever battle casualties inflicted on a single day. The battle of the Somme, which British generals thought would be over in hours, went on to last nearly five months and claimed the lives of some 600,000 Allied Forces who ha

'What the World Needs Now' [audio 30min]

Paul Sexton profiles the man behind some of the greatest songs of the past 5 decades. Burt Bacharach, who with Hal David, stylised pop music with heart-wrenching, cool and elegant songs. Featuring new interviews with both Burt and Hal, Richard Carpenter, Noel Gallagher and Tim Rice.

Rushdie denounces Islamic extremism, calls for secularism [video 84min]

Salman Rushdie seeks a reform movement inside Islam at an event hosted by the Center for Inquiry's"Voices of Reason" series at the Ethical Culture Auditorium in New York City. During this event, entitled"An Evening with Salman Rushdie," he criticizes the new culture in both Europe and America that denounces the use of terms like Islamic terrorism and Islamic fascism. He argues that it is an individual's right to question a group's core beliefs. Rushdie received death threats from t

History of mascara dates back to early 18c [audio 5min]

The story goes that mascara, as we know it today, was invented by one TL Williams, who, as a boy, used to sit and watch his sister Mabel applying petroleum jelly to her lashes with her index finger. Inspired, he went on to formulate a special goo for our lashes, which, in honour of his sister, he named Maybelline. In the next of our series on the history of cosmetics, Anna McNamee hears from the archaeologist Sally Pointer and the London College of Fashion's senior lecturer in cosmetics s

UK considers return of 'prison hulks' [audio 8min @19:45]

Rumours that Britan's Home Office is contemplating buying a prison ship to ease overcrowding in UK prisons led the"Making History" team to look at the history of these vessels -- often, grimly, referred to as prison hulks. The programme consulted Professor Sean McConville of Queen Mary, University of London, author of a 4-volume history of Britain’s penal history published by Routledge. McConville recently published Volume 3 of his history of imprisonment, Irish Political Prisoners 184

Mount Rushmore influenced local Sioux, national auto tourism [video 58min]

October 31, 2006, marks the 65th anniversary of the completion of Mount Rushmore. In the early 20th century, the US government conceived an art project that it hoped would serve as a testament to democracy, says author John Taliaferro. In Great White Fathers he describes artist Gutzom Borglum's realization of the idea by sculpting four presidents' heads into a cliff face in the South Dakota Black Hills. Taliaferro is the former senior editor of Newsweek. He is also the author of

USA deploys military as world's only superpower [video 57min]

Hoover Institution fellow Josef Joffe talks about his book Uberpower: The Imperial Temptation of America. He discusses the major military actions taken by the USA since the decline of the USSR, including the 1991 Gulf War, the invasion of Afghanistan following 9/11, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He argues that, while the first two were legitimate actions that enhanced the USA's credibility around the world, the 2003 invasion of Iraq was neither legitimate nor beneficial. He also talks ab

Sulfa was first miracle drug [video 60min]

Thomas Hager, author of The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug, examines bacterial diseases and wartime medical care in the 1930s. He chronicles experiments, medicinal discoveries, and drug patents during World War II and details the challenges in creating antibiotics for bacterial threats of the 21st century. Hager is a correspondent for the Journal of the American Medical Association,

Former South African president PW Botha dead at 90 [audio 4min]

PW Botha, who served as South Africa's last hard-line white president, has died at 90. Nicknamed "The Big Crocodile" for his belligerence and temper, Botha was the face of racist South Africa at the height of its anti-apartheid struggle. Known for his finger-wagging speeches in which he refused to accept the notion of black rule in South Africa, Botha's era passed him by when apartheid fell. He never accepted responsibility for some of the heinous crimes that transpired during his regi

Letters reveal Louis Braille's life, mission [audio 8min]

Louis Braille devised the most widely used system of reading for the visually impaired. Newly released letters by Braille have been made public in France and the documents shed new light on his life and mission. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with author C. Michael Miller and publisher Diane Croft about their newly released book, A Touch of Genius.

WWII survivors found, lost God [audio 30min]

Would you keep your faith in the midst of the death and destruction of war? To mark Remembrance Day, Richard Holloway meets Scots who lived through World War II and hears their memories of how they found, and lost, their God in the upheaval of global conflict.

UK to celebrate bi-centenary of 1807 abolition of slavery [audio 1st 12min]

Nick Baker and the "Making History" team examine listeners' historical queries and get to the bottom of historical mysteries, local legends, family curiosities and architectural oddities. Nick Baker and the actor and writer Kwame Kwei Armah begin a journey that takes in three places associated with slavery in the UK, starting with Bristol, to see how they will be marking next year's bi-centenary and, more importantly, establishing just how each places 'slave history' informs the presen

Ted Widmer collects greatness in 'American Speeches' [audio 8min]

During the campaign season, a typical candidate's stump speech may belie the rich and eloquent history of American rhetoric. The new, 2-volume anthology, American Speeches, from the Library of America, offers ample evidence that political speaking has framed and rallied every great event from the Revolution to present day. Ted Widmer, director of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University and a former speechwriter for the Clinton White House, edited the 2 volumes. Widmer includes

West, East fight over the word 'jihad' [audio 8min]

Ten years ago, few people in America had heard the word jihad, but it's so common now that it has an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. Islamic history professor Douglass Streusand says that the first time he did a Web search on the word jihad, the first thing that came up was a"jihad to remove Barney from television." ..."That's what the term has come to mean in the West," says Streusand."It means a fanatical struggle." But how Muslims have interpreted the term has cha

Day of the Dead mixes Aztec, Indian, Christian rituals, holds meaning for today's Mexicans [audio 29min]

Accompany a Mexican family to the town cemetery on November 1st to celebrate the sacred holiday of the Day of the Dead. Join them as they spend the day and night at their loved one's graves -- honoring them by bring their favorite foods, perhaps a drink of tequila, tooting their favorite songs. The holiday combines ancient Aztec and Indian rituals with Christian beliefs, but it also holds important philosophical, sociological, and political meaning for today's Mexicans. What does the holiday rev

Did Slawomir Rawicz truly walk from Soviet Gulag to India? [audio 28min]

In 1956, a Polish officer called Slavomir Rawicz caused a sensation with a book describing his dramatic escape from the Soviet Gulag and a 4000-mile trek on foot to India. A thrilling and extraordinary story, but many have doubted its veracity. Tim Whewell uncovers new documentary evidence that solves the mystery.

20c reversed historical flow of money from children to parents [audio 15min]

"Invention of Childhood" is major 30-part narrative history series exploring British childhood and the experience of British children over the last thousand years, with one 15-minute programme each weekday from Mon 25th Sept through Fri 3rd Nov. Each programme may be streamed online for 7 days after broadcast. Week Six -- 30 Oct to 3 Nov: Modern Times. Episode 26: The Kiddy and the Pork Chop. Throughout history, the normal expectation was that children would contribute to the family pu

Hijab is potent symbol [audio 8min]

In light of recent controversies over Muslim women wearing face veils in Western societies, Debbie Elliott explores the origins of the custom of the veil and examines why Islamic garb has become such a potent symbol. She spoke with anthropologist Daniel Martin Varisco of Hofstra University; Ingrid Mattson, President of the Islamic Society of North America; Imam Sayed Moustafa Al-qazwini of The Islamic Educational Center of Orange County; and author Asra Nomani.

Colin Powell defends his record as Secy of State [audio 4min]

In a recent interview, the former Secretary of State spoke about the Iraq war, U.S. preparedness, difficulties within the White House and the stain on his career from presenting incorrect information to the United Nations. Analysis by Daniel Schorr.