logo
episode-header-image
Yesterday
1 h

The discovery of the Terra Nova shipwrec...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dr Sarah Ward, a maritime archaeologist from the Australian National University.

We start with the discovery of the sunken Terra Nova, Scott of the Antartic's ship.

We hear from the Danish food entrepeneur Claus Meyer - a driving force behind New Nordic Cuisine.

Then, the long journey that finally took Picasso's Guernica to Spain.

Plus, the Chinese pharmacist who invented the e-cigarette.

And, the life of Echo the elephant - the star of the world's longest-running study of wild elephants in Kenya.

Finally, "fan man" James Miller and boxing's most bizarre night.

Contributors:

Leighton Rolley - oceanographer.

Dr Sarah Ward - maritime archaeologist from the Australian National University.

Claus Meyer - Danish food entrepeneur.

Ambassador Rafael Fernandez-Quintanilla - Spanish diplomat (from BBC archive).

Hon Lik - inventor of the e-cigarette.

Dr Cynthia Moss - founder of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project.

Marc Ratner - former representative of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

(Photo: The Terra Nova held up in the pack, Antarctica, 1910. Credit: Herbert Ponting/Royal Geographical Society via Getty Images)

Up next
Mar 28
A papal visit and German reunification
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Paulina Guzik, International editor with the Catholic wire service, OSV News.We start in 1986 when Pope John Paul II visited New Zealand.Then, we hear about the reu ... Show More
1 h
Mar 21
The 'Cyprus Emergency’ and India’s nuclear mango deal
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. We hear from a Cypriot lawyer, imprisoned by the British for almost two years during the "Cyprus Emergency” of 1955-1959. Our guest, Professor Rebecca Bryant, explains how this ... Show More
1 h
Mar 14
Movie history: Seven Samurai and Casablanca
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is media, culture and creative industries lecturer Sarah Jilani. We start in 1954 with the Japanese film Seven Samurai which is widely considered to be one of world ci ... Show More
1 h
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2025
Spot the Dog
In 1978, British artist Eric Hill designed an interactive book about a yellow puppy for his two-year-old son, Chris.Eric had noticed Chris kept lifting up the paper he was working on to see what was underneath and it inspired him to come up with a new format for a children’s book ... Show More
10m 34s
Sep 2024
493. Lee Miller: Exposing the Horrors of World War Two
It’s August 1944: the Liberation of Paris is underway, and France appears to slowly be extricating herself from Nazi control. But, on the French western shores, in Saint-Malo, the deafening sounds of artillery fire continue to punctuate daily life, with the Germans making a last- ... Show More
1h 1m
Jan 2025
The mystery of Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis during World War Two.Once Soviet troops reached Budapest, Wallenberg reported to Soviet officials on 17 January 1945. But he was never seen in public again. Rumours of his fate have circled eve ... Show More
8m 58s
Jun 2025
The world’s largest model train set
In 2000, nightclub owners and twins Frederik and Gerrit Braun went from the neon lights of a Hamburg nightclub to building the world’s largest model trainset. Miniatur Wunderland is now a top tourist destination and global attraction visited by millions, including celebrities lik ... Show More
10m 36s
Nov 2025
Birth of the G7
In November 1975, a summit took place at Rambouillet, France, where the heads of six of the world’s most industrialised nations and their finance ministers came together.The leaders of the US, France, Germany, Britain, Japan and Italy hoped to solve the ongoing economic crisis. T ... Show More
10m 35s
May 2025
Fashion History Now #68
Our latest edition of "Fashion History Now" is an around the world journey. From Japan to Australia to New York, we shine the spotlight on documentaries, exhibitions, and ethical products that celebrate fashion's past, present and future. To enjoy: ⁠Hazel Village's⁠ ethically mad ... Show More
31m 57s
Sep 2019
The Fire That Scorched Brazil’s History
It’s been a year since Brazil’s National Museum burned down in a fire. Not only was its collection one of the most extraordinary in the world, but Brazil’s entire history ran through the museum. On the second floor you could meet the prehistoric skeleton that was the ‘mother’ of ... Show More
57m 58s
Sep 2025
The Chindits
During World War Two, an unconventional special force was formed. Known as the Chindits, they fought behind enemy lines in Burma, now Myanmar during 1943 and 1944 in the war against Japan.Their leader was the charismatic Orde Wingate, a British Army officer. This programme is mad ... Show More
10m 19s