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History's Heroes

Latest episodes

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Feb 17, 2025 • 29min

History's Youngest Heroes: Hans and Sophie Scholl and the White Rose

With the power of the written word as their weapon, a brother and sister mount a daring campaign against the Nazis.Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Feb 10, 2025 • 29min

History's Youngest Heroes: Vasily Arkhipov and the End of Days

Deep in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, a young Soviet Naval must make a decision that could either save the world or trigger its destruction.Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Feb 3, 2025 • 29min

History's Youngest Heroes: The Grisly World of Andreas Vesalius

An arrogant young man with a passion for dissecting corpses challenges his teachers and changes the course of modern medicine. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Jan 27, 2025 • 29min

History's Youngest Heroes: Rani Lakshmi Bai: The Warrior Queen

When her kingdom is threatened, a 22-year-old Indian woman takes on the British Empire on horseback, with a sword in each hand.Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Jan 20, 2025 • 29min

History's Youngest Heroes: The Visionary Julian of Norwich

In Norwich, a woman locks herself in a tiny cell for years. Despite limited contact with the outside world, she becomes one of the first women to write in the English language. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Jan 13, 2025 • 28min

History's Youngest Heroes: Louis Braille: Code Maker

After losing his sight in a childhood accident, a young Frenchman invents a tool that will change the lives of blind people around the world.Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.This programme has been edited since first publication to remove the inaccurate suggestion that Charles Barbier’s raised dot code system was first developed for military use.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.Producer: Elaina Boateng Series Producer: Suniti Somaiya Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Jan 6, 2025 • 28min

History's Youngest Heroes: St Francis of Assisi: Teen Rebel

A charismatic young man attracts a band of followers after denouncing his family fortune and devoting his life to the poor. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Series Producer: Suniti Somaiya Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Dec 30, 2024 • 29min

History's Youngest Heroes: Audrey Hepburn’s Teenage Resistance

Before she became a Hollywood star, how did the young Audrey Hepburn take on the Nazis in the Netherlands? Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Dec 23, 2024 • 29min

History's Youngest Heroes: Grace Darling: Maiden of the Sea

When a reclusive young woman spots a shipwreck off the coast of Northumberland, she embarks on a perilous rescue mission. Little does she know, it will make her world-famous.Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
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Dec 16, 2024 • 29min

History's Youngest Heroes: The Brief Reign of Lady Jane

Stripped of her crown and trapped In the Tower of London will Lady Jane Grey give up her faith or face the executioner’s axe? Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts

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