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On This Day - 3 Dec 1989: the end of the Cold War - BBC Sounds

On This Day

3 Dec 1989: the end of the Cold War3 Dec 1989: the end of the Cold War

Released On: 03 Dec 2022

Available for over a year

George HW Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev shake hands in stormy Malta.

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On This Day
3 Dec 1989: the end of the Cold War
George HW Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev shake hands in stormy Malta.
2 mins
On This Day
4 Dec 1991: US journalist Terry Anderson freed
‘I’ve thought about this moment for a long time, and now I’m scared to death.’
2 mins
On This Day
5 Dec 1950: Chinese troops enter Pyongyang
UN forces are pushed out of the North Korean capital.
2 mins
On This Day
6 Dec 1952: London’s deadly smog
The city chokes in one of the UK’s worst air pollution incidents.
2 mins
On This Day
7 Dec 1993: 250-year-old tree felled to build M11
Dozens of protestors are injured at the end of a decades-long battle.
2 mins
On This Day
8 Dec 1980: John Lennon shot dead
Fans of the peace activist and former Beatle react to news of his death in New York.
1 min
On This Day
9 Dec 1993: Revolutionary Hubble telescope fixed
Astronauts complete a record-breaking series of space walks to mend NASA’s credibility.
2 mins
On This Day
10 Dec 1990: 100 British hostages leave Kuwait
‘We didn’t see daylight for four-and-a-half months’, says one British Airways passenger.
2 mins
On This Day
11 Dec 1936: King Edward VIII abdicates
He says it’s ‘impossible’ to discharge his duties without ‘the help of the woman I love’.
2 mins
On This Day
12 Dec 2000: US Supreme Court decides on Bush v Gore
"We may never know with certainty who won the election," said one judge.
2 mins
On This Day
13 Dec 1995: Riots break out in Brixton
Confrontation between police in riot gear and young people after a man dies in custody.
3 mins
On This Day
14 Dec 1986: First non-refuelled flight around the world
‘This is the last “first” in aviation,’ says co-pilot Dick Rutan.
2 mins
On This Day
15 Dec 1993: Anglo-Irish pact paves way for peace
British and Irish premiers hope to end 25 years of bloody conflict.
3 mins
On This Day
16 Dec 1955: Queen opens London Airport terminal
The monarch says, ‘Striking changes lie ahead.’
2 mins
On This Day
17 Dec 1976: Opec members split over oil prices
Oil-producing countries fail to agree on a single price rise.
2 mins
On This Day
18 Dec 1997: Dawn of Scottish parliament
Plans are unveiled for Scotland’s first parliament in nearly 300 years.
3 mins
On This Day
19 Dec 1984: Britain signs over Hong Kong to China
The Sino-British Joint Declaration ends over 150 years of British rule.
2 mins
On This Day
20 Dec 2004: Northern Bank robbery
Millions are stolen in Belfast city centre bank raid.
2 mins
On This Day
21 Dec 1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premieres
The Walt Disney venture marks the world’s first full-length animated film.
3 mins
On This Day
22 Dec 1989: Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate reopens
East and West Berlin leaders meet as symbol of Cold War division is opened to the public.
1 min
On This Day
23 Dec 1992: Queen’s Christmas speech leaked
“We didn’t bug any royal corgis to get the story.”
2 mins
On This Day
24 Dec 1914: First World War Christmas truce begins
“The war, for that moment, came to a standstill.”
2 mins
On This Day
25 Dec 1991: Gorbachev resigns as Soviet Union splits
The Soviet Union passes into history as its last leader steps down.
2 mins
On This Day
26 Dec 2004: Tsunami kills over 200,000
The Indian Ocean earthquake causes devastation across a vast region.
2 mins
On This Day
27 Dec 1977: UK fans flock to Star Wars
Fans queue in expectation of a new force in cinema.
1 min
On This Day
28 Dec 1980: Breakfast TV gets green light
Broadcasting Authority says new programme can begin in 1983
2 mins
On This Day
29 Dec 1975: Equal Pay Act seeks to end ‘battle of the sexes’
The Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts come into force.
2 mins
On This Day
30 Dec 1986: No more canaries in a coal mine
Avian gas detectors are swapped out for electronic equivalents.
1 min
On This Day
31 Dec 1999: Putin Presidency begins in Russia
Boris Yeltsin resigns in a shock live television announcement.
2 mins
On This Day
1 Jan 1973: UK joins the European Economic Community
Tally of nine member states after The UK, Ireland and Denmark join.
2 mins
On This Day
2 Jan 1981: Yorkshire Ripper arrested
More than 2,000 people gather in furious crowds as Peter Sutcliffe appears in court.
3 mins
On This Day
3 Jan 1993: US and Russia to halve nuclear warheads
Russian President Boris Yeltsin calls it 'a treaty of hope'.
2 mins
On This Day
4 Jan 2000: First British women to reach the South Pole
‘We’re totally elated because we’re only ordinary people.’
1 min
On This Day
5 Jan 2001: Shipman ‘may have killed hundreds’
A report reveals the former GP may be the most prolific serial killer in UK history.
3 mins
On This Day
6 Jan 1983: Danish trawler raids British fishing grounds
The Royal Navy arrests Captain Kent Kirk in the first confrontation of the new fish war.
3 mins
On This Day
7 Jan 1999: US Senate begins Clinton impeachment trial
Senators meet for the second presidential impeachment trial in US history.
2 mins
On This Day
8 Jan 1940: Rationing is introduced in the UK
Four months after the outbreak of World War Two, butter, sugar and bacon are restricted.
2 mins
On This Day
9 Jan 1957: Sir Anthony Eden resigns
Conservative Prime Minister quits on health grounds.
2 mins
On This Day
10 Jan 2016: David Bowie dies
Iconic shapeshifting singer dies at 69 from cancer
2 mins
On This Day
11 Jan 1973: First Open Uni graduates
A thousand students get their degrees after studying from home.
2 mins
On This Day
12 Jan 2001: Eriksson becomes England boss
Swede Sven Goran Eriksson is first non-English manager of the Three Lions
2 mins
On This Day
13 Jan 2012: Costa Concordia sinks
Cruise ship runs aground near the island of Giglio
3 mins
On This Day
14 Jan 2011: Tunisian revolution sees President flee
Weeks of protest herald beginning of Arab Spring
3 mins
On This Day
15 Jan 2009: Miracle on the Hudson
No fatalities after plane crash-lands into New York’s Hudson river.
2 mins
On This Day
16 Jan 1979: Iranian Shah flees into exile
The last Persian monarch leaves for Egypt amidst violent protests.
1 min
On This Day
17 Jan 1991: ‘Mother of all Battles’ begins
American, British, French, Saudi and Kuwaiti forces join in Operation Desert Storm.
2 mins
On This Day
18 Jan 1996: Green groups join bypass battle
Activists disrupt bypass construction in the UK’s most notorious road protest campaign.
2 mins
On This Day
19 Jan 1966: Indira Gandhi takes charge in India
The only daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru becomes India’s first woman prime minister.
3 mins
On This Day
20 Jan 1987: Police crack down on soccer hooligans
More than 25 arrests are made in a series of dawn raids across England.
2 mins
On This Day
21 Jan 1976: Concorde makes its first commercial flights
Passengers reach their destination travelling at twice the speed of sound.
2 mins
On This Day
22 Jan 1979: Massive Public sector strike across the UK
Public service unions hold the biggest mass stoppage in more than 50 years.
2 mins
On This Day
23 Jan 1973: Nixon announces Vietnam peace deal
Peace treaty heralds the end of US involvement in the Vietnam War.
2 mins
On This Day
24 Jan 1965: Sir Winston Churchill dies
The World War Two-era prime minister dies aged 90.
2 mins
On This Day
25 Jan 1999: Olympic officials face expulsion for bribery
An inquiry exposes corruption in the bid to host the 2002 Winter Games.
2 mins
On This Day
26 Jan 1950: India becomes a republic
The independent republic is born after nearly 100 years of British rule.
3 mins
On This Day
27 Jan 1969: Students seize control of LSE buildings
Occupying students protest the closure of the London School of Economics.
2 mins
On This Day
28 Jan 1986: Seven dead in space shuttle disaster
Challenger explodes just over a minute into its flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
2 mins
On This Day
29 Jan 1985: Thatcher snubbed by Oxford dons
The university refuses the Prime Minister an honorary degree.
2 mins
On This Day
30 Jan 1958: Women peers on the horizon
The Life Peerages Bill paves the way for women to sit in the House of Lords.
3 mins
On This Day
31 Jan 1983: British drivers ordered to belt up
Evidence suggests 6 in 10 drivers ignore advice to wear seatbelts.
2 mins
On This Day
1 Feb 1984: The halfpenny coin leaves the nation’s purses
The unpopular coin is removed from circulation after 13 years.
1 min
On This Day
2 Feb 1990: ANC ban lifted in South Africa
The 30-year ban on the anti-apartheid group, the African National Congress, is lifted.
2 mins
On This Day
3 Feb 1988: Nurses protest for better pay
More than 2,500 nurses officially go on strike across the UK.
2 mins
On This Day
4 Feb 2004: The launch of Facebook
The social networking site began as a way to connect Harvard students.
2 mins
On This Day
5 Feb 1996: First GM food goes on sale in UK
Two supermarket chains stock tomato puree made from genetically modified fruit.
2 mins
On This Day
6 Feb 1918: Women over 30 granted the vote
The Representation of the People Act allows men over 21 and women over 30 to vote.
2 mins
On This Day
7 Feb 2005: MacArthur sails into record books in Falmouth
Ellen MacArthur becomes the fastest person to sail solo around the world.
3 mins
On This Day
8 Feb 1974: Americans end outer space marathon
Three US astronauts return safely to Earth after a record-breaking stay in space.
3 mins
On This Day
9 Feb 1979: Nottingham Forest break transfer record
The football club clinches the UK’s first £1m transfer deal.
2 mins
On This Day
10 Feb 1983: Met Police on trail of mass murderer
Scotland Yard launches an investigation into the deaths of 16 victims.
1 min
On This Day
11 Feb 1990: Freedom for Nelson Mandela
The anti-apartheid leader leaves prison after 27 years.
2 mins
On This Day
12 Feb 1994: Art thieves snatch The Scream
Two men steal one of the world’s best-known paintings in just 50 seconds.
1 min
On This Day
13 Feb 1996: Take That announce split
The boy band's announcement comes after 5 years and 7 number one hits.
1 min
On This Day
14 Feb 1989: Ayatollah issues death threat to Salman Rushdie
The Iranian leader issues a fatwa calling for the death of the ‘Satanic Verses’ author.
2 mins
On This Day
15 Feb 1971: Decimal Day delivers new UK currency
Decimalisation replaces pounds, shillings and pence.
1 min
On This Day
16 Feb 2005: Kyoto Protocol comes into force
The international treaty aims to slow the effects of climate change.
3 mins
On This Day
17 Feb 2008: Kosovo declares its independence
The declaration comes after almost a decade of UN control.
2 mins
On This Day
18 Feb 2005: Hunting ban comes into force
Hunting with hounds becomes illegal in England and Wales.
3 mins
On This Day
19 Feb 1985: EastEnders premieres on BBC One
‘Too much quarrelling, not enough loving and humour,’ says one East End viewer.
2 mins
On This Day
20 Feb 1962: first US astronaut orbits Earth
Colonel John Glenn says “it looks real fine from up here”.
3 mins
On This Day
21 Feb 1972: Nixon makes historic visit to China
The US President meets with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to improve relations.
2 mins
On This Day
22 Feb 1997: Dolly becomes world’s first cloned sheep
Scientists in Scotland reveal the world’s first successfully cloned mammal.
2 mins
On This Day
23 Feb 1963: Sussex man rigs car to give 2000V shock
‘Until somebody tells me what law I'm breaking I shall keep up my private war.’
2 mins
On This Day
24 Feb 1999: Stephen Lawrence report blasts 'racist' police
The Macpherson report says London's police force is ‘institutionally racist’.
2 mins
On This Day
25 Feb 1982: Parents win corporal punishment case
The decision ends a four-year court battle brought by two Scottish mothers.
3 mins
On This Day
26 Feb 1987: C of E says 'yes' to women priests
The Church of England’s General Synod votes in favour of the ordination of women.
2 mins
On This Day
27 Feb 2013: Last public appearance as Pope for Benedict XVI
German Pontiff is the first to retire from role in 600 years.
2 mins
On This Day
28 Feb 2012: Occupy protest evicted from St Paul’s
Police and bailiffs clear anti-capitalist camp from London landmark.
2 mins
On This Day
1 Mar 1994: Fred West charged with further murders
More human remains uncovered in the grounds of his Gloucester home.
1 min
On This Day
2 Mar 1969: Concorde makes its maiden flight
The supersonic plane flies for the first time from France.
2 mins
On This Day
3 Mar 2005: Fossett sets solo flight record
Millionaire completes first solo non-stop solo plane flight without refuelling.
1 min
On This Day
4 Mar 1980: Mugabe becomes Zimbabwe’s first black PM
Zimbabwe's African National Union leader wins comfortable majority.
2 mins
On This Day
5 Mar 1993: Sprinter Johnson receives lifetime ban
Canadian punished for failing a second drugs test.
1 min
On This Day
6 Mar 1957: Ghana celebrates independence
The people of Ghana mark the end of colonial rule.
2 mins
On This Day
7 Mar 1965: Police attack civil rights marchers in Alabama
State troopers assault demonstrators demanding better voting rights for black people.
3 mins
On This Day
8 Mar 1978: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy debuts
The first instalment of Douglas Adams’ ground-breaking sci-fi series airs on radio.
3 mins
On This Day
9 Mar 1959: Barbie unveiled at American Toy Fair
‘We tried not to make her too beautiful,’ says creator Ruth Handler.
2 mins
On This Day
10 Mar 1973: British officials shot dead in Bermuda
The Governor of Bermuda and his assistant are killed in the British overseas territory.
2 mins
On This Day
11 Mar 1990: Lithuania declares independence from USSR
The Baltic state leaves the Soviet empire after five decades.
2 mins
On This Day
12 Mar 1994: C of E ordains first women priests in Bristol
The Archbishop of Canterbury appeals for church unity amid traditionalist objections.
2 mins

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