Tag: history
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History Bureau Dives into Russia’s Shadowy Storylines: A Second Draft of Dirty Deeds
History Bureau revisits Russia’s murky past The History Bureau podcast from BBC Sounds is back with a bold premise: to revisit defining stories of our times, now with the reporters who first covered them. In its latest installment, the program turns its lens to Russia, where power, secrecy, and a culture of plausible deniability have…
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Podcast Corner: History Bureau Rewinds Russia’s Murky Deeds for a Second Draft of Truth
Revisiting the defining stories of our times The History Bureau, a BBC Sounds program, positions itself as a forum for revisiting the defining stories of our era with the reporters who first broke them. In its latest episode, the show turns its lens to Russia, a country whose recent and distant past is littered with…
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Podcast Corner: History Bureau dives into Russia’s murky world of dirty deeds
Unpacking the second draft of history In the latest outing from the History Bureau on BBC Sounds, the team peels back the layers of Russia’s murkier chapters. A project Iike this seeks to answer a pressing question: what did we miss the first time around? Hosted by Helena Merriman, the program frames itself as a…
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Goldsboro 1961: Pure Luck Stopped Two Nuclear Bombs
On This Day in History: A Narrow Escape January 24, 1961, is remembered not for a battlefield victory or a policy announcement, but for a hair-raising near-miss that could have reshaped a nation. Over Goldsboro, North Carolina, a B-52 bomber carrying two Mark 39 nuclear bombs began to break apart after a fuel leak. What…
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How the Cravat Traced its Origins to 17th-Century Battlefields
Introduction: A Neckwear with a War-Torn Past When people think of the cravat, images of elegant office menus and formal evenings often come to mind. Yet the word itself has a rugged origin, tied to 17th-century Europe’s battlefields. The evolution of the cravat from a practical bandage-like neckcloth worn by soldiers to a symbol of…
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Republic Day 2026: Why India Celebrates the 77th Republic Day on January 26
Why 2026 is the 77th Republic Day Every January 26, India observes Republic Day to commemorate the moment when the Constitution of India came into effect in 1950. That year marked the formal transition from a Dominion to a republic, laying the legal framework for the country’s democratic governance. Because the first Republic Day was…
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Today in History: Edward VIII Crowned as King, Hitler’s Lament
January 20, 1936: A Crown and Controversy On January 20, 1936, the United Kingdom witnessed a moment that would reshape its royal narrative and its place on the world stage: Edward VIII ascended the throne as King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, facing a constitutional and personal predicament that…
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Hullo, Hello: The 600-Year Origins of the Word Hello
The long shadow of a simple greeting We say hello dozens of times a day, often without pausing to think about what those two syllables really mean. Yet the word we reach for when we answer a call, greet a neighbor, or start a Zoom meeting has a surprisingly rich history. The origin of hello…
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From Mystic Jomo to Humble Moi and Selfless Kibaki: An Ex-Spy’s Portrait of Kenya’s Presidents
Introduction: A life at their side In a candid retelling of Kenya’s political landscape, a former spy—now a farmer—shares decades of close encounters with the nation’s leaders. From the era of the nation’s founding father, to the late 20th century and into the new millennium, the narrative blends personal recollections with observations on leadership, loyalty,…
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Today in History: January 10 — 12 Survivors at the Notorious Cambodian Prison
Overview: January 10, 1979 and a Long Aftermath Today in history marks a stark moment in Cambodia’s brutal 1975–1979 era as Vietnamese forces completed the capture of Phnom Penh. In the wake of the Khmer Rouge dictatorship, which sought to purify the country through radical social engineering, tens of thousands had perished in prisons, labor…