Roundup

Storms and floods in the ancient world

Ill winds, tempests and other disasters are central to the saga of the ancient world. Classics commentator Elaine Fantham reminds Linda Wertheimer about Greek storms at sea and Roman floods.

Winston & Clementine Churchill

Pug and Clemmy Cat (aka Winston and Clementine Churchill) continue their epistolary romance in a dramatic reading of "Speaking for Themselves: The Personal Letters of Winston and Clementine Churchill", edited by their daughter Mary Soames, with the couple portrayed by actors Alex Jennings and Sylvestra Le Touzel.

3 October 1944: Poles surrender after Warsaw uprising

The Germans have crushed a rebellion in Warsaw led by the Polish Home Army. Street fighting began on 1 August as Soviet troops were heard battling on the outskirts of the Polish capital. After 63 days of struggle and little outside help, the Polish Home Army surrendered to the Germans after a ceasefire at 2200 local time yesterday.

Empire (6th of 90) -- John Hawkins and the slave trade

Slavery is a stain on the history of the British Empire. The Anglo-Saxons kept slaves, but although serfdom survived for many years, slavery had all but gone from England by the 12th century. Certainly the earliest colonies, the West Indies and Virginia could not have survived without slaves. The British were not the first Europeans in the slave trade. The Portuguese had established themselves as traders a century earlier. "This Sceptred Isle: Empire" is a narrative history of the Brit

Herman Long

Professor Bob Packett topic in today's "History According to Bob" is the pro baseball player who holds the record for committing the most errors ever. Packett teaches at Maple Woods Community College, in Kansas City, Missouri.

2 October 1968: Student riots threaten Mexico Olympics

More than 25 people have been killed during a vicious gun battle in Mexico City just days before the Olympic Games are due to begin. Thousands of students had gathered for a meeting organised by the National Strike Council in La Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco to protest against the military occupation of the National Polytechnic Institute. The protesters, many of whom were women and children, had been planning to march through a working-class suburb of the city, but by early evening mi

Hitchens on Jefferson

On September 8, 2005, noted journalist, television commentator, critic, and "partially recovered Marxist" Christopher Hitchens used wit, charm, and, occasionally, scorn to make his case for Jefferson as the key figure among the Founders in shaping America's ideals.

Alfred the Great

Alfred -- the only English king to be remembered as "The Great" -- is the topic for History Professor Bob Packett in today's "History According to Bob." Packett teaches at Maple Woods Community College, in Kansas City, Missouri.

1 October 1962: Mississippi race riots over first black student

Two people have been killed and at least 75 injured in rioting at the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford. Hundreds of extra troops have been brought in to join Federal forces already stationed in the nearby town of Oxford as the violence spread to its streets. The protesters are angry at the admission of James Meredith, a black American, to the university. Rioting erupted last night as President Kennedy addressed the nation in a televised broadcast urging a peaceful settlement to the dis

Murrow & McCarthy

At the height of the red scare in 1954, Edward R. Murrow excoriated Senator Joseph McCarthy on CBS. The episode is now depicted powerfully in George Clooney's movie "Good Night, and Good Luck." Among the crusading journalists then working at the network were Joe and Shirley Wershba, who consulted on the film and tell Brooke Gladstone about the bygone days of smoke-filled newsrooms and courage on the air.

New Delhi's class war

India's past and future clash in a New Delhi alley. Two blocks of tall apartments full of middle-class residents loom over a rat-infested slum filled with men, women and children who have migrated to the capital from the countryside in search of work.

America's orphan trains

"The Orphan Train" is an unnarrated documentary about one of the least known and yet most significant social experiments in American history. In September 1854, the first "orphan train" carried 46 homeless children from New York City to far off homes to become laborers in the pioneer West. It was the first step in what was to become the emigration of as many as 250,000 orphan children to new homes throughout the entire United States. Some children found kind homes and familie

Honoring James Dean, 50 years after his death

Fifty years ago this Friday, actor and icon James Dean died in a car crash on a rural road near the central California town of Cholame. He was just 24, and even though he had only acted in three movies he was considered a superstar. Two of those films were released after his death, including his best-known film, "Rebel Without a Cause." By 1955 James Dean had developed a passion for auto racing. On the day he died, he was driving a hot little German sports car, a Porsche 550 Spyder wit

Pennsylvania court weighs creationism in schools

A landmark court case is shaping up in Pennsylvania, as school teachers rebel against being forced to teach creationism in their biology classrooms along with evolution. Guest: Chris Mooney, Washington D.C. correspondent for "Seed" Magazine and author of "The Republican War on Science."

Mao Zedong (5th of 5)

In episode 5 of Jung Chang and Jon Halliday's interpretation of the life of Chairman Mao, ‘The Long March’ comes to an end and, with the myth complete, Mao spends some years in the province of Yenan chasing after young women of the Party and indulging in his love for swimming pools and haute cuisine. A sign of things to come in his long rule -- as you can discover in the final part of "Mao" The Unknown Story" by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday.

Empire (5th of 90) -- Elizabeth, trade, and Sir Francis Drake

By the time of the Elizabethans (1558), the English (we talk about the British only after 1603) were starting to get into the business, not of Empire, but trading posts. There was still no imperial policy. That did not come for another two centuries. Elizabeth inherited an almost bankrupt throne so every exploration had to be self-financing. Moreover, the British Isles were constantly threatened with invasion (the Armada came in 1588), so insecurity as well as poor opportunity had much to do wit

Election of 1892

The U.S. presidential election of 1892, between former President Grover Cleveland and incumbent President Benjamin Harrison is History Professor Bob Packett's topic in today's "History According to Bob." Packett teaches at Maple Woods Community College, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Shakespeare a millstone around neck of British culture & creativity?

The playwright and actor Kwame Kwei Armah and Adriano Shaplin, who teaches acting at The University of California, Berkeley, discuss whether Shakespeare has become a millstone around the neck of British culture and creativity. Editor's note: The answer is No.

30 September 1955: James Dean killed in car smash

The Hollywood film star James Dean has been killed in a road accident in California, USA. The 24-year-old actor was behind the wheel of his German-made Porsche sports car when it was involved in a head-on collision with another car 30 miles (48 km) east of Paso Robles this evening. Mr Dean's mechanic, Rolph Wutherich, who was a passenger in the car, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Medics said Mr Dean, who was dead on arrival at hospital, suffered a broken neck and numerous broken bo

Swearing-in of John Roberts as Chief Justice

Following his confirmation by the Senate earlier on Thursday, John Roberts is sworn-in at the White House as Chief Justice of the United States. He replaces the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who died in office on September 3. The 2005-06 term on the Supreme Court begins on Monday.