From Orphan to RAF Hero

A coast guardsman named Earl Cunningham froze to death on Lake Michigan trying to rescue five fishermen trapped on a drifting ice sheet. His last words were "I wish I could see my wife and three children once more." That was February 1936. A few months later, the same country tha ... Show More

Humanity’s story from 10,000 BC to 3,000 BC (from the end of the ice age to the beginning of civilizations) follows this pattern: primitive hunter-gatherers slowly progressed to farmers, then to village-builders, then to city-dwellers and kings. With enough food surplus to free u ... Show More

One of the most feared inventions ever was the Linotype machine. Debuting in 1886, it was designed to eliminate tens of thousands of newspaper jobs, specifically the hand-compositors—the highly skilled workers who painstakingly picked individual metal letters out of wooden trays ... Show More

Johnny Smythe was one of very few West Africans to fly with Britain's air force during WW2. Recruited in Sierra Leone in 1941 he was trained as a navigator and flew 26 missions on RAF bombers before being shot down over Germany and taken prisoner in 1943. His son Eddy Smythe spok ... Show More

On this episode of Our American Stories, Lt. Col. Harry Stewart fought for his country in WW2, and faced discrimination and worse along the way. But he said he'd do it all over again for the country he loves. Edie Hand tells us the story of her brothers, the Blackburn boys, and t ... Show More

Take to the skies, as we follow Eddie on his journey of becoming a World War II  fighter pilot. In this historical fiction adventure, Eddie dreams of flying, joins the war effort in Europe, and engages in dogfights with enemy fighters.  📺 YouTube👍 Facebook | Instagram🇲🇽 Span ... Show More

Abuse, violence, numerous stepdads - that was Victor Marx’s childhood. Today he ministers to other sufferers of PTSD, from military vets to children fleeing ISIS. 

This week’s family stories include an IRA man who ended up fighting for Britain and being torpedoed twice, a Scot who spent five years as a prisoner of war, a teenage sailor who braved the Atlantic and the U-boats, and a pilot who never forgave his enemy. A Goalhanger Films produ ... Show More

Theodor Wonja Michael was a child when Hitler came to power in Germany. The son of a German mother and a Cameroonian father he faced discrimination and danger under Nazi rule. He has been speaking to Caroline Wyatt about how working as a film actor helped him to survive World War ... Show More

In 1999, Waheed Arian left his family in Afghanistan to seek refuge in the UK. He was just 15.He was escaping violence, poverty and the threat of being recruited as a child soldier. He tells Vicky Farncombe about how a dream of one day becoming a doctor sustained him. Eye-witness ... Show More

Messenger pigeons carried crucial communications that saved untold lives during World War 2. But before they soared into battle, these winged warriors needed to be trained. In today’s episode, Chris learns about these unsung heroes and faces a childhood fear of his own.Please sup ... Show More