Roundup

Mayan Beauty Customs

Professor Bob Packett reveals beauty customs of the Mayans. Packett teaches at Maple Woods Community College, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Achille Lauro Hijackers Intercepted, October 10, 1985

Today in 1985, two US Navy F-14 Tomcats from the USS Saratoga intercepted an Egyptian 737 carrying the terrorists responsible for the Achille Lauro hijacking. The mid-air confrontation demonstrated American resolve in bringing terrorists to justice. It also brought two staunch allies to diplomatic 'blows' over which nation had the right to hold and try the Palestinians. What would become known as the Achille Lauro incident began on October 7th, when Palestinian terrorists to

Empire (11th of 90) -- Elizabeth and a New Economy

We have reached the end of the 16th century. 1603 saw the start of the Stuart dynasty. Ralegh and Dee suggested that Elizabeth might have an empire, but no one wrote anything that suggests to us that there was a plan to build a global constellation of colonies, which we would recognise as the British Empire. Ralegh had suggested in 1582 that colonies in America would make good bases to explore for a northwest passage to China but he had failed to set up a lasting colony in Virginia. "This S

70th Anniversary of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess"

On this day in 1935, Porgy and Bess, George Gershwin's opera about black life in the South Carolina town of Charleston at the turn of the century, made its Broadway debut. From the very beginning, it was considered another American classic by the composer of"Rhapsody in Blue" -- even if critics couldn't quite figure out how to evaluate it. Was it opera, or was it simply an ambitious Broadway musical?"It crossed the barriers," says theater historian Robert Kimball."It wasn't a musical work

10 October 1970: Canadian minister seized by gunmen

Quebec's Labour and Immigration Minister, Pierre Laporte, has been kidnapped. He was seized from his home in Montreal by two men armed with machineguns. The kidnappers are thought to be part of the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ), whose goal is independence for French Quebec from Canada. The militant separatists are also holding captive British diplomat James Cross, kidnapped last week. The latest kidnapping took place after the Quebec Government rejected demands from the separatists to rele

America's Barefoot Refugees

In the 1930s, thousands of American farmers fled the drought-ridden and depression-ravaged homelands of Oklahoma and Arkansas to what they hoped was the Eldorado of California. What they found when they got there was exploitation and more misery, memorably chronicled by John Steinbeck in his Grapes of Wrath. Two young academics recorded the stories and music of these all-American refugees, and in this programme we hear these first hand accounts of what has become part of America's own myt

Sri Lanka past & present

Sandi Toksvig discovers the history of a teardrop-shaped island, perched off the tip of Southern India, that was once known as the 'Clapham Junction' of the Indian Ocean -- Sri Lanka. Guests: Priyath Liyanage, journalist and screenwriter; and Sir Christopher Ondaatje, writer and explorer.Priyath Liyanage is Head of the BBC's Sinhala Service at the World Service. He left Sri Lanka in 1984 but returns several times a year. Priyath wrote the screenplay for acclaimed Sri Lankan

9 October 1967: Che Guevara 'shot dead'

Marxist revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara has reportedly been killed during a battle between army troops and guerillas in the Bolivian jungle. A statement issued by the commander of the Eighth Bolivian Army Division, Colonel Joaquin Zenteno Anaya, said the 39-year-old guerrilla leader was shot dead near the jungle village of Higueras, in the south-east of the country. Guevara, former right-hand man to Cuban prime minister, Fidel Castro, disappeared from the political scene in April 196

Phases of the Hundred Years War

Professor Bob Packett traces the phases of the Hundred Years War. Packett teaches at Maple Woods Community College, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Empire (10th of 90) -- El Dorado and the Real Treasures

There is an illusion that the empire was created by adventurers who sailed in search of freedom and profits. There is much to say for this view. However, just as 21st century investors are wary of sales brochures, so late 16th century Elizabethans were properly cautious. The people of those widely separated centuries had one thing in common: they wanted to believe the brochure. Often the reports that returned from new lands were accurate, but they were also embellisheds. "This Sceptred Isle

8 October 2001: US launches air strikes against Taleban

The United States has begun its military campaign, Operation Enduring Freedom, against al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan. Cruise missiles and bombers have targeted the airports of Kandahar and Kabul and terrorist training camps near Jalalabad. The attacks which began around 1630 GMT were quickly followed by a public broadcast from President Bush who promised a "sustained and relentless" campaign. The Taleban has condemned the strikes and says it shot down a plane, a claim denied

8 October 1985: Gunmen hijack Italian cruise liner

Palestinian militants have hijacked an Italian cruise liner, the Achille Lauro, in the Mediterranean and threatened to blow it up. The gunmen are demanding the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. There are said to be 420 passengers and crew on board the ship including six Britons. Little is yet known about the hijackers but Egyptian and Italian authorities are said to be in communication with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. The Naples-based ship was commandeered t

C-SPAN 25th Anniversary

In October 1980, C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb made a simple request to his viewers -- call and share your opinion. Over the next 25 years, the cable network fielded more than half a million phone calls, from ordinary citizens to presidents. Guest: Brian Lamb, chairman and CEO of C-SPAN.

Studs Terkel, Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey

Celebrated broadcaster Studs Terkel has interviewed some of the world's most familiar musicians. In his latest book, And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey, he's collected interviews with Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Ravi Shankar and others that reflect his diverse taste in music. For 45 years, Terkel's weekly music program,"The Wax Museum," allowed him to play whatever he wanted -- from opera to jazz to folk -- an eclectic mix that reflected no one's taste but his own. H

The KGB in the Third World

A trove of the Soviet Union's darkest secrets was smuggled out of Russia in 1992. Vasili Mitrokhin, a former archivist for the KBG, defected to the West, bringing with him tens of thousands of pages documenting the whole history of KGB spying. A few years ago, Cambridge historian Christopher Andrew and Mitrokhin (who died in 2004) published a revelatory book about KGB operations in the West. A newly published second volume is called The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the

'God's Banker' murder trial starts (2 clips)

23 years ago an Italian man known as God's banker was found hanging from a bridge in London. Today in Rome five people went on trial charged in connection with Roberto Calvi's murder. More clips: Five on trial in Rome for Calvi murder on RTÉ"Six One News".

Pres. Bush Speech on Fourth Anniversary of Sept. 11

Pres. Bush commemorates the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks during a policy speech delivered at the National Endowment for Democracy. Originally scheduled to be given on Sept. 12, the speech was postponed due to Hurricane Katrina. NED is a non-partisan not-for-profit foundation funded by Congress.

Melvin Urofsky, Author, The Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary

Melvin Urofsky, Author, The Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary, discusses the past job experiences and qualifications of former Supreme Court Justices throughout history.

Where God Was Born

Diane Rehm takes a trip with bestselling author Bruce Feiler through Israel, Iraq and Iran to explore the common roots of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Guest: Bruce Feiler, author of Where God Was Born (William Morrow) and writer/presenter of the television miniseries"Walking the Bible."

"Four Minutes": An Englishman's Running Record

"Day to Day" television critic Andrew Wallenstein reviews the new ESPN2 movie "Four Minutes." The made-for-TV film, which recounts Englishman Roger Bannister's quest to break the four-minute mile, airs Thursday night.