Roundup

Irish History on the Auction Block [5min]

This month, Ireland marks the 90th anniversary of a rebellion against the British, known as the Easter Rising. Although the violent uprising was unsuccessful, it is considered an important stepping-stone in the eventual creation of the Irish Republic. Coinciding with the anniversary, two auction houses in Ireland -- Mealy's and James Adam & Son -- will hold a joint sale of documents and memorabilia charting the history of the Irish struggle for independence. The auction takes places this Wed

'History on the Half Shell' in 'Big Oyster' [8min]

Author Mark Kurlansky wrote Cod and Salt. Now he moves on to the tasty bi-valve with The Big Oyster. He explores a time in New York history when oyster was king. He debunks some oyster myths for Liane Hansen.

Easter Rising Commemorations to Take Place Next Sunday [25min]

1) Taoiseach Bertie Ahern talks about the background to the Government's decision to restore the commemoration events. 2) In the style of the day, Brian Dobson reports on attitudes to the Rising as it happened. 3) Kathleen Clarke recalls her last visits to her husband. 4) Members of the British authorities, General Blackadder and William Wiley, were impressed by leaders. 5) Listen to reading of Francis Sheeny Skeffington's letter to Thomas McDonagh.

The Things We Forgot to Remember [30min]

Former British Conservative politician Michael Portillo presents a series which revisits the great moments of history to discover that they often conceal other events of equal, but forgotten, importance. When we think of the defence of Britain from Nazi invasion in 1940, we picture duelling Spitfires in the skies of southern England. But, as Michael Portillo discovers, the true history of that summer is more complicated. Churchill's rhe

Judas, Jesus and the Shifting Sands of History [3min]

The National Geographic Society reveals a long portion of the long-lost gospel of Judas, written more than a century after his death. The manuscript reminds us anew that history never stops changing. A "Simon Says" essay by Scott Simon.

Memories of a Disaster [8min]

Some photographs are imprinted in our minds for life. What is it about those images that stay with us? That's something Corey Keller thought a lot about as she waded through hundreds of pictures from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. She's compiled the best in a new exhibit commemorating the quake at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She joins host Bill Radke to talk about them.

Egyptian Temples Endangered by Rising Water [5min]

Scientists are scrambling to figure out a way to protect ancient temples in Luxor, Egypt -- among the world's most valuable archeological finds. The 4,000-year-old sandstone marvels are crumbling because of a rising water table. Local farmers say they need the water for irrigation.

'Da Vinci Code' Author Wins Copyright Case [3min]

A judge rules that mega-selling author Dan Brown did not steal ideas for The Da Vinci Code from the nonfiction work The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. The ruling will allow a film based on the book and starring Tom Hanks to open as scheduled on May 19. Steve Inskeep talks to David Hooper, an intellectual-property lawyer in Britain.

'Da Vinci Code' Dilemma [25min @25:00]

We discuss the controversies over the best selling book The DaVinci Code by novelist Dan Brown. This book along with a 1982 non-fiction book entitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail deal with a theory that Jesus Christ survived his crucifixion, took Mary Magdalene as his wife, and that there descendants survive to this day. Theologians consider these theses false and heretical. Guests: Darrell Bock, Research professor, New Testament Studies -- Dallas Theological Seminary; and Michael White,

Modern Civil Wars Have Similarities and Differences with Iraq Situation [5min]

What constitutes a civil war? Has one begun in Iraq or are we seeing warning signals? The continuing sectarian violence in Iraq has raised fears the country may descend into civil war -- like those that took place in the former Yugoslavia or Somalia. While military historians say there is no specific blueprint for such conflicts, there are some indicators when a nation is in danger of sliding into civil war.

Easter, 1916 [30min]

HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Bate">Jonathan Bate</A> presents a series which examines historical events through the poetry they inspired. "Easter, 1916" by WB Yeats. With the poet Theo Dorgan, novelist Anne Enright and historian Diarmuid Ferriter, Jonathan visits places where Irish history was changed and, as Yeats declared, a 'terrible beauty' was born -- the General Post Office in Dublin, the h

Long Walks & Pilgrimages [30min]

Over the centuries travelling long distances has been done for various reasons all around the world. Groups of the faithful have made pilgrimages to shrines or holy places such as Canterbury or Mecca. In 1934 Mao Zedong led 86,000 followers 25,000 li to escape the attacks of the Chinese nationalist army. In the Netherlands each year 40,000 people spend four days walking in the Nijmegen marches. Traveller, student of Muslim law, raconteur and novelist

The Reign of Queen Elizabeth II, 5th of 5 -- An Over-Mighty Subject [30min]

As the Queen approaches her 80th birthday, Anthony Howard looks back at key episodes that have marked her reign. 1992 will forever be remembered as the Queen's 'annus horribilis' -- one event after another served to deepen the sense of gloom. What more could go wrong? Five years later, the Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash -- plunging the palace into yet another crisis. Yet the monarchy survived, and has lately found itself sailing through calmer waters.

Alpha Bravo Yankee Zulu [30min]

It is now 50 years since the NATO alphabet, in common use by aviators, the police, airline booking clerks, etc, was devised. The original intent was to have a system of linguistic purity which would avoid some of the catastrophic misunderstandings arising from communications during the Great War. Is it perhaps the only vestige of an internationally unifying dream which still has some use? The alphabet approved by international aviation and telecommunications bodies now has some strangely dated s

Secret Hiding Place Yields Key to Rockwell Mystery [5min]

The mystery surrounding the inconsistencies in one of Norman Rockwell's most famous illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post has been solved: The original has been found, hidden in a secret compartment in a family home, while the painting believed to be the original turns out to be a masterful forgery. The picture -- known as Breaking Home Ties -- depicts a working-class father and his college-bound son. The boy is a portrait of anticipation, wearing a wide-eyed expression and

Walking on Water: Jesus on the Rocks? [2min]

The Bible says that Jesus walked on water. But Florida State University oceanographer Doron Nof has published research suggesting he may have in fact been walking on ice. We hear from Nof as he explains his theory.

Paracelsus [13min @15:40]

In this episode of "Material World", Quentin Cooper is joined by science writer Philip Ball and Dr Peter Forshaw, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Birkbeck, University of London, to discuss the myth, life and legacy of Philip Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, or Paracelsus, the 16th Century medic on the border between the medieval and modern. He was both army surgeon and alchemist, and was rumoured to have made a Faustian bargain with the devil to regain his youth. It

Eyam -- Plague Village [10min]

In 1666 the villagers of Eyam in Derbyshire were hit by bubonic plague and made the decision to quarantine themselves to stop it spreading to neighbouring villages. It worked -- the plague was confined to Eyam -- although 257 villagers lost their lives. There are still descendants of plague survivors living in the community today and the story has come to define the village. The playwright Sarah Nelson, who first visited Eyam at the age of ten, has written a musical about the plague village,

The Reign of Queen Elizabeth II, 4th of 5 -- An Over-Mighty Subject [30min]

As the Queen approaches her 80th birthday, Anthony Howard looks back at key episodes that have marked her reign. The arrival of Margaret Thatcher in 1979 provoked a new adjustment in the relationship between the Queen and her prime ministers. Rumours spread of tensions -- rumours fuelled by interested parties and picked up by the media. But were they true?

Frances Hodgson Burnett [30min]

It's almost 100 years since the children's classic The Secret Garden was written, a work constantly cited as one of the most influential books upon generations of readers. But its author, Frances Hodgson Burnett -- who liked to portray herself as a model of Victorian propriety -- was a person of contrasts and paradoxes. Anne Fine, author and former children's laureate, looks at the woman who wrote herself out of debt, endured two disastrous marriages and was vilified by the press for negl