Mount Rushmore

Construction on one of America's most famous monuments started in 1927.

• 9 mins

Britain's withdrawal from South Yemen

In 1967 Britain's departure from Aden leads to the creation of an independent South Yemen

• 9 mins

Finland Wins Independence From Russia

In December 1917 Finland became an independent country for the first time.

• 9 mins

The Discovery of Whale Song

Whales were being hunted to extinction until a biologist realised they could sing.

• 9 mins

Art in Revolutionary Russia

Avant-garde art flourished in Russia after the 1917 revolution but was later suppressed

• 9 mins

Hypnotising Saddam's Son

How an American hypnotist went to Iraq to treat Uday, the eldest son of Saddam Hussein.

• 9 mins

Otis Redding

The great soul singer who was killed in a plane crash in December 1967

• 9 mins

The Unsung Hero of Heart Surgery

The African-American lab technician whose surgery helped save millions of babies..

• 9 mins

The Great London Smog

Thousands died as a thick polluted fog engulfed London in 1952

• 9 mins

The Disappearance of Harold Holt

The Australian Prime Minister went for a swim on December 17th 1967 - and never came back

• 9 mins

Somalia's Islamic Courts Union

How the Islamic movement brought a brief moment of peace to Mogadishu after years of war

• 9 mins

The Development of WiFi

Australian scientists were central to the development of wifi.

• 9 mins

The Exam That Changed China

The return of university entrance exams showed the Cultural Revolution had really ended.

• 9 mins

BR Ambedkar

The Indian independence leader and campaigner for Dalit rights died in December 1956.

• 9 mins

To Kill A Mockingbird

One of the most successful American films of all time was released at Christmas 1962.

• 9 mins

Trivial Pursuit

The game has become a holiday tradition with families around the world.

• 9 mins

The First Kwanzaa

The African-American winter holiday was invented in Los Angeles in 1966.

• 9 mins

"Spend, Spend, Spend" - The Miner's Wife Who Won Big

How Viv Nicholson became a celebrity in Britain after winning the football pools in 1961.

• 9 mins

The Climbers of Leningrad

Mountaineers risked their lives to camouflage landmarks in the Russian city during WW2.

• 9 mins

Voyager: Around The World On One Tank of Fuel

How two pilots became the first to fly non-stop around the world without refuelling

• 9 mins

Boris Yeltsin's Surprise Resignation

On New Year's Eve 1999 the Russian President went on TV and said he was leaving office.

• 9 mins

Spelling Bee - The Children's Competition that Grips America

The first child of South Asian background to become America's Spelling Bee champion.

• 9 mins

The Apalachin Meeting

A chance discovery in 1957 revealed how powerful the mafia was in America.

• 9 mins

I Hijacked A Plane To Save My Children

How one woman fled Brazil's military dictatorship with her kids on a hijacked plane.

• 9 mins

Iran Student Protests 1999

A young man became an unwitting symbol of the anti-government protests

• 9 mins

The Boy Who Stayed Awake For Eleven Days

California high school student Randy Gardner set a world record in 1964.

• 9 mins

The First iPhone

The touchscreen smartphone changed mobile technology for ever.

• 9 mins

The Algerian Massacres

The story of one atrocity in Algeria's battle with radical Islamists in the 1990s

• 9 mins

When France said 'Non' to Britain joining the EEC

In 1963, France stopped Britain from joining the European Economic Community, now the EU

• 9 mins

Reaching out After World War Two

German children were invited to stay in the English town of Reading after WW2 had ended

• 9 mins