The last days of Freddie Mercury battle with Aids Read more
now playing
Freddie Mercury
The last days of Freddie Mercury battle with Aids
Inca defeat
How the great Inca empire was brought to its knees - almost 500 years ago.
Tomb of Tutankhamun
In late November 1922 the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamun, was uncovered
Channel Tunnel
The moment of breakthrough for the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France
El Salvador killings
On December 2nd 1980 the military in El Salvador killed 3 US nuns, and a layworker.
Kindertransports
In December 1938 the Kindertransports began, carrying Jewish children to safety in Britain
Somalia Marines
In December 1992 US Marines stormed the beaches of Somalia.
Pearl Harbour
The Japanese attack on American ships in Pearl Harbour forced the US into World War II.
John Lennon
It is exactly 30 years since the former Beatle, John Lennon, was shot dead in New York.
Smallpox Eradication
It was once one of the most feared diseases in the world - disfiguring and often deadly
Albert Luthuli Receives the Nobel Peace Prize
Chief Albert Luthuli was the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Peace - in 1960
Argentina's disappeared
On 13 December 1983, the government of Argentina promised to investigate military crimes
Capture of Saddam Hussein
It was on this day in 2003 that Saddam Hussein was finally captured by US forces
Siege of Grozny
In December 1994 Russian forces invaded Chechnya and laid siege to the capital Grozny.
Operation Desert Fox
On 16 December 1998 the US and Britain began a four day bombardment of Iraq.
Washington Snipers
It is 7 years since one of the Washington snipers, Lee Boyd Malvo, was convicted of murder
US invasion of Panama
It is 21 years since the US invaded the tiny Central American state of Panama.
Lockerbie
On December 21 1988 a US passenger plane blew up over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
Georgia in crisis
Christmas 1991 was a very difficult time for the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Andrei Sakharov
On 23 December, 1986 the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov was allowed to return to Moscow
Christmas Truce
When British and German troops sang carols, exchanged gifts and played football together
Jamaica Slave Rebellion
The rebellion was brutally crushed, but it had a significant impact
The Great Escape
One of the Great Escapees from a German prisoner of war camp speaks out
Assad and Syria
It is 40 years since Hafez al Assad seized power in Syria.
Hamlet
Hamlet - by William Shakespeare - is still popular four centuries after it was written.
Chiapas Uprising
On January 1 1994 indigenous people in southern Mexico began their rebellion.
Alaska statehood
On January 3 1959 Alaska finally became a fully fledged member state of the USA.
LBJ State of the Union Address
US President Lyndon B Johnson's 1965 speech proposed healthcare for the poor and elderly
Afghanistan's Secret Schools for Girls
How Afghan women resisted the Taliban's efforts to prohibit education for girls
Sudan's civil war
In 1983 a civil war broke out in Sudan which would last for more than 20 years.
Clinton impeachment
On January 7 1999 the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton began in the US Senate