Roundup

White House Blacklists 'Liberal' Scientists [40min]

Political interference in science is causing widespread alarm across the United States. Thousands of scientists are accusing the Bush administration of systematically suppressing, manipulating and distorting their work. Many government scientists have resigned in protest, claiming that industrial and ideological powers are infiltrating their work to an unprecedented level. BBC Washington Correspondent Justin Webb investigates the growing number of US science scandals -- from editing climate chan

New Seven Wonders [9min @ 10:43]

It's one of those head-scratchers that comes up from time to time: what exactly are the Seven Wonders of the World? Most of us can usually get the Great Pyramid of Giza, or maybe even the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. But does anyone ever remember The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus? Besides the good citizens of Ephesus, of course. Well, you could take some time to learn all seven -- it might impress your friends at parties. Particularly if they're from Ephesus. Or, you could just wait until January

'Masters of American Comics': A History of the Funnies [14min]

Brian Walker, son of Hi and Lois creator Mort Walker, has co-edited a new book that traces the history of America's funny pages in the 20th century. Walker now writes the Hi and Lois strip with his brother, editor Greg Walker, and illustrator Chance Browne.

Ben Franklin, the Entrepreneurial Forefather [4min]

This month marks the 300th anniversary of Ben Franklin's birth. Ever wonder how he could pay the bills while he was flying his famous kite or charming the French? Professor Blaine McCormick tells Tess Vigeland about Franklin's hidden entrepreneurial smarts.

Doctoring in 17c County Limerick [15min]

Thomas Arthur, an Irish doctor, kept his fee books from 1619 to 1666 in a neat Latin hand, leaving to posterity an incomparable record of the state of his nation's health. Richard Foster with stories which stem from that basic piece of a historians research -- a bill.

India's Ancient Roman Port of Muziris [30min]

The Romans were great travellers and are well-known for having established their culture across much of Europe, the Mediterranean and Northern Africa. There were places further afield that were important to them too, and although they were not able to annexe them as part of the Roman Empire, they were certainly regular visitors. One such place is the topic of this week's Unearthing Mysteries. Aubrey Manning goes in search of the ancient Roman port of Muziris on the Malabar Coast in Kerala, Indi

The Rhythm of the Reich [30min]

A strange musical tale of radio propaganda. Just when you thought everything that needs to be said about the Nazis and WWII has been said, we invite you to listen to the broadcasts of Charlie and his Orchestra, the Swing Era's most unlikely jazz band.

Drop-Kicked into History [12min]

New England Patriots backup quarterback Doug Flutie converts a successful drop-kick against Miami, scoring an extra point in the fourth quarter, and reminding us of an arcane bit of football play.

The Harry Belafonte Story 2nd of 4 [30min]

A new four part series presented by Whoopi Goldberg telling the life and times of the singer, actor, political activist and social historian -- the first person to sell a million albums, the first ever black television producer and the man behind the American Band Aid.

By George! A Celebration of Sir George Martin's 80th Birthday [60min]

Narrated by Cilla Black, this show charts the extraordinary achievements of Sir George Martin's career with the help of the stars who have worked with him through the years.

A Marching Band Legend Steps into Retirement [6min]

Director Isaac Greggs is stepping down after nearly 40 years with the marching band at Southern University. The group's intricate, animated performances have thrilled crowds for decades.

San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 [12min @ 18:15]

Simon Winchester, author of A Crack in the Edge of the World, talks with Jim Fleming about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, how good the official response to the disaster was, and what we still haven't learned about coping with Mother Nature.

A Grandson's Quest to Preserve His Jewish Heritage [9min]

Back in the 1950s, Harry Smith, the renowned ethnomusicologist, spent two years recording the songs and stories of Nuftali Zvi Margolies Abulafia, a prominent Jewish orthodox rabbi who lived on New York's Lower East Side. Abulafia was a living repository of sacred Jewish music dating back centuries. After hearing the rabbi, Smith set up a studio in his synagogue and recorded him, capturing Jewish cantorial prayers as well as songs, folk music and Abulafia's retelling of Yiddish stories. Smith ne

In Search of Hans Christian Andersen [45min]

Another chance to hear Michael Rosen and Lars Tharp's visit to Denmark to uncover the truth about the unlikely creator of some our best loved tales. The trip marked 200 years since Andersen's birth, and the journey threw up a number of surprises.

Churchill Confidential [54min]

The dusty notebooks of wartime cabinet secretary Norman Brook have lain unopened for over 60 years, but now on the day of their public release, the journalist and broadcaster Charles Wheeler helps recreate the mood of those tetchy cabinet meetings in this fast-moving drama-documentary. We hear, in their own words, the disputes and fears that Churchill's cabinet had to struggle with during the darkest days of the Second World War. What is now revealed gives a vivid insight into some of the most d

A 'Great Big' Biography of Tommy Dorsey [11min]

A major big band leader is the subject of a new book: Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way. With his brother Jimmy, Dorsey helped define American popular music from the 1920s through the mid 1950s. Peter Levinson tells Linda Wertheimer about his biography.

1975's Political Decisions & Controversies [45min]

1975 was a year marked by the fall of Saigon, the death of Franco, and at home, economic stagnation and a European referendum. With exclusive access to papers released by The National Archives under the 30 year rule, this special programme gives a new insight on many of the political decisions and controversies of that year.

Is God on the USA's Side? [30min]

"It was goodbye Jack Daniels, hello Jesus," remarked George W. Bush after he successfully tackled a serious drinking problem. Much attention outside the United States has focused on the alcoholism overcome, very little on what replaced it. Precisely the reverse is true in America. There, the President and the Republican party have drawn much of their electoral strength from close ties to socially conservative religious groups, particularly those with evangelical roots. They critically

'The Fighting Temeraire' -- the Battle and the Breeze [30min]

Earlier this year, Turner's Fighting Temeraire was voted the Greatest Painting in Britain. Graeme Fife explores the extraordinary story behind the picture and the ship it portrays. Fife revels in the splendour of Turner's painting at the National Gallery, he visits the Royal Historic Dockyards in Chatham to see where and how the Temeraire was built, and he climbs aboard the HMS Victory to experience what life and battle aboard the ships was like and discover what might have

Mozart's Women 4th of 5 [15min]

Money worries force Wolfgang to take on a daunting workload, but his devoted wife Constanze endeavours to assist him. Lindsay Duncan reads from Jane Glover's chronicle of the women closest to the musical genius, Mozart's Women: His Family, His Friends, His Music.