logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
8m 57s

Tetris: The birth of an all-time favouri...

Bbc World Service
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Today
Afghan Star
In 2005, a new show was launched on television in Afghanistan to find new musical talent – it was called Afghan Star and was inspired by formats like American Idol and the X-Factor. The programme came after the music industry in Afghanistan had been decimated under the Taliban be ... Show More
10m 38s
Yesterday
The deadly Vargas mudslides in Venezuela
In December 1999, torrential rain in Venezuela led to floods and mudslides. Government estimates put the number killed at 3,000 but other reports suggest between 10,000 and 30,000 were killed. Many bodies were buried under mud, rocks or trees. Tens of thousands more people were m ... Show More
10m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
The Tetris Company: Henk Rogers
<p>Tetris is one of the most popular video games of all time, and Henk Rogers helped make it happen. He first discovered the game at a convention in 1988, and immediately saw how elegant and addictive it was. As a software developer based in Japan, Henk set out to obtain selected ... Show More
1h 7m
Jan 2024
Maximum Glitch: How to break Tetris
<p>Willis Gibson, 13, closed out 2023 by becoming the first person to <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91005769/13-year-old-gamer-beats-tetris" target="_blank">officially beat</a> the original Nintendo version of Tetris. Here’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuJ5Uuk ... Show More
18m 17s
Jul 2023
Five great inventions that changed the world
Max Pearson presents a selection of this week’s Witness History stories.In 1999, Aibo: the world's first robot dog, hit the shops in Japan and sold out in just 20 minutes. We hear from Toshitada Doi who spent six years on the project when he worked at Sony. Plus we hear from Dr E ... Show More
52m 12s
Nov 2022
Video Games!
Episode 73: Ralph Baer fled Nazi Germany and settled in America where he eventually created the first home video game console, known as the Magnavox Odyssey. Not long after Ralph's creation, Jerry Lawson, a Black computer engineer, built on that idea and lead the team that create ... Show More
31m 19s
Nov 2017
64 – Russians invented Tetris
tail spinning
12m 37s
May 2020
Sponsored: When Small Businesses Think Big - Atari & Red Bull (Dell Podference) | 1
<p>This episode is brought to you by Wondery in partnership with Dell Technologies. In honor of small businesses, we’re featuring inspiring stories of successful companies that started out small.</p><p>In 1972, pinball machines and mechanical games ruled the arcades. Then, Atari ... Show More
31m 39s
Dec 2013
Grand Theft Auto
A new computer game - designed in Scotland - became a surprise global hit in 1997. But Grand Theft Auto also courted controversy and sparked debate over violence and drugs in video games. Listen to Brian Baglow - one of the original team behind the launch. 
8m 55s
Jun 2024
The last great days of the Soviet Union
In 1988, the Soviet Union made it to the final of the European Championships where they faced competition favourites, the Netherlands.It proved to be the side’s last great achievement before the breakup of the union.Soviet defender Sergei Baltacha remembers coming on as a substit ... Show More
10m 55s