Erich Honecker stands down

On 18 October 1989, the East German communist leader, was forced from power.

• 10 mins

Canada Kidnap - James Cross

In October 1970 James Cross, a British diplomat, was kidnapped by Quebec separatists.

• 10 mins

George Blake Escapes

In October 1966 a Soviet double agent escaped from a British jail.

• 10 mins

Aberfan Disaster

It is 45 years since tragedy struck a Welsh mining village.

• 10 mins

Mau Mau uprising

It is 55 years since the Mau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi was arrested in Kenya.

• 10 mins

Nelson Mandela's Autobiography

Written with the help of other ANC activists, how was the book smuggled out of prison?

• 9 mins

The Joy of Sex

It is almost 40 years since the publication of a groundbreaking book about relationships.

• 10 mins

The American POW who chose China

When the Korean War ended, a few US POWs chose to stay and live under communism.

• 10 mins

Indonesian killings

In the autumn of 1965 a purge of communist sympathisers began in Indonesia.

• 10 mins

Murder of Polish priest

In late October 1984 the body of a Polish priest was found in a town outside Warsaw.

• 10 mins

Keith Jarrett in Cologne

How a jazz concert organised by a 17-year old turned into a bestselling album.

• 9 mins

75 years of BBC TV

On 2 November 1936 the first regular TV service in the world was launched by the BBC.

• 10 mins

Hungarian uprising of 1956

Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest on 4 November 1956 ending a shortlived popular uprising.

• 10 mins

The death of Robert Maxwell

It is 20 years since the newspaper magnate disappeared off his yacht.

• 10 mins

Mission to Mars

The first spacecraft to go to Mars left Earth in November 1964

• 10 mins

The Death of Leonid Brezhnev

The Soviet leader died in November 1982 after years of ill health.

• 10 mins

San Salvador offensive

In November 1989 the civil war in El Salvador hit the capital city.

• 10 mins

Oh What A Lovely War

In the 1960s, radio and stage shows helped provoke a change in attitudes to World War I.

• 10 mins

Student Uprising in Greece in 1973

Alan Johnston reports on a student uprising against military rule in Greece in 1973.

• 10 mins

Great Lisbon Earthquake

How an earthquake in 1755 flattened Lisbon and led to a revolution in European thought.

• 10 mins

Cathy Come Home

It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness.

• 10 mins

Kim Philby the spy

How a Soviet agent managed to fool the British intelligence service for years.

• 10 mins

Nikola Tesla

He was one of the great pioneers of electrical power.

• 10 mins

President Sadat of Egypt visits Israel

How Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to visit Israel in 1977.

• 10 mins

Georgia's Rose Revolution

In November 2003 a popular uprising unseated the government of Georgia.

• 10 mins

Mobutu Sese Seko of Congo

How Mobutu Sese Seko run a kleptocratic dictatorship in Congo for 32 years.

• 10 mins

Ned Kelly's Last Stand

How the infamous Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, was finally captured in 1880.

• 10 mins

Thalidomide

Fifty years ago the drug thalidomide was found to cause serious damage to unborn children

• 10 mins

Plane spotters

In November 2001 a group of British tourists were arrested and put on trial in Greece.

• 10 mins

The Battle in Seattle

In November 1999 police battled with anti-globalisation protestors for control of Seattle.

• 10 mins