BlackBerry phones and Spot the dog

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Jacquie McNish, author and former Senior Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal.

We start with the former co-CEO of BlackBerry, who recounts the company's remarkable boom and bust.

Then, the creation of the Spot the dog children's books in the 1970s.

We hear the testimony of a US soldier who defected to the Soviet Bloc in the 1950s.

An author recalls how her 2010 book challenged Norway's immigration policy.

The inside story of the creation of the Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991.

Finally, the 19th century battle that inspired the Geneva Conventions.

Contributors:

Jim Balsillie - former BlackBerry co-CEO. Jacquie McNish - Author and former Senior Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal. Chris Hill - son of Eric Hill, creator of Spot the dog. Victor Grossman - US soldier who defected to the Soviet Bloc. Maria Amelie - author of book on Norway's immigration system. Alice D Cooper - organiser of the first Women's Rugby World Cup. Henry Dunant - instigator of the Geneva Conventions, diary read by his descendant Gabriel Martinez.

(Photo: Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of BlackBerry. Credit: Visual China Group via Getty Images)