Episodes

In a quirky blend of sports, public health, and self-promotion, boxing legend Muhammad Ali took on an unusual opponent at the Washington Monument on 3rd November, 1979: ‘Mr. Tooth Decay’. The demonstration, promoted by Don King, culminated with Ali knocking down Decay in the sixth round, prompting the crowd of children to celebrate by tossing […]

Johnny Campbell, a medical student from the University Of Minnesota, spurred on his alma mater’s struggling football team by leading spectators in a rousing cheer on 2nd November, 1898 – and, in so doing, became the world’s first recognised cheerleader.  Even though the sport now features predominantly female participants these days, the first women cheerleaders

Dropping bombs from planes was unheard of until 1st November 1911, when Italian Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti embarked on an aerial mission over Libya. With a handful of lightweight grenades resting in his lap, he headed to Ain Zara, a village near Tripoli, and chucked them overboard. This audacious act occurred only eight years after the

‘Ghostwatch’, a Halloween drama in the style of a documentary, reached 11 million viewers on its first and only UK broadcast on BBC 1, on 31st October, 1992. It starred Sarah Greene, Craig Charles, Mike Smith, and – in a stroke of genius – trusted veteran broadcaster Michael Parkinson, who became possessed by the voice

On 30 October, 1990, with little fanfare and without any cameras present, the first connection was made between the French half and the British half of the Channel Tunnel, when a two-inch metal probe broke through to link Great Britain with the European mainland for the first time in more than 8,000 years.  In the

Nicholas Ray’s ‘troubled teen’ picture, ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ opened in the US on 27th October, 1955. The film was eagerly anticipated, partly due to the recent death of its star, James Dean, in a car accident. Although the movie’s title can be traced back to a book by Dr. Robert Lindner that explored the

When Queen and David Bowie met in Switzerland to record their iconic collaboration ‘Under Pressure’ on 26th October, 1981, *quite a lot* of drugs and wine were taken – to the extent that nobody can recall exactly how the iconic pop song came to be formed. What we do know is that Freddie Mercury never

Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. became the first African-American general in the US Army on 25th October, 1940 – despite facing opposition from those who saw his appointment as political opportunism, whilst Roosevelt wooed the ‘negro vote’. Despite facing racial discrimination throughout his career, Davis had a deep connection to the military, serving in various roles

King Henry VIII’s third wife, Queen Consort Jane Seymour, died aged just 29 on 24th October, 1537 – 12 days after giving birth to their son, future King Edward VI. Her death was attributed to complications following a prolonged and challenging labour, though recently it has been speculated it was in fact a pulmonary embolism. 

According to the 17th-century Archbishop James Ussher, the world began on 23rd October, 4004 BC at precisely midday. Today, it is easy to ridicule Ussher’s date – and plenty of people do – but his methodology was scrupulous and his calculations were in line with most of the best estimates of his age. In this