Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and one of the most controversial politicians of the 20th century. Known in particular for the Watergate scandal, the affair that ended his political career, Nixon was a fierce anti-communist and was responsible for the end of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. In just 50 minutes, you will find out about...
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The invasion of Kuwait, home to one of the largest oilfields in the world, by Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 1990 was the catalyst for the Second Gulf War, which pitted Iraq against an international coalition. In Operation Desert Storm in early 1991, this coalition quickly drove the Iraqi army from Kuwait in the largest Allied mobilization since the Second World...
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Opus Dei is an organisation linked to the Catholic Church which was founded by Josemariá Escrivá de Balaguer. It has a relatively simple message: all Christians can contribute to the spreading of Christ’s message without having to be a member of the clergy. However, the organisation has suffered several scandals over the years, including the Matesa affair, and is notorious...
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Diana, Princess of Wales was a leading humanitarian activist in the 1980s and 1990s. After her marriage to Prince Charles granted her a royal title, she became an increasingly active campaigner for causes such as AIDS relief and the elimination of landmines. However, allegations of infidelity and intense media scrutiny soon put her marriage under heavy strain, causing a rift between...
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Saddam Hussein was the President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, during which time he developed a reputation for enforcing one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships. His regime was responsible for countless massacres, which targeted Kurds, Shia Muslims and opponents of the Ba’ath Party, among others. In just 50 minutes, you will find out about the events that led...
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Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 and the leader of the USSR from 1924 to 1953. Known in particular for his rule of terror over the USSR, Stalin governed Russia with an iron fist, propelling the country into rapid industrialization through his infamous five-year plans, introducing forced labor camps known as...
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The 1948 Palestine War, known in Hebrew as the War of Independence, is essential for understanding the Arab-Israeli conflict and the political situation in the modern Middle East. It was the first in a long series of conflicts between Jews and Arabs in the region, and tensions between the two groups persist today. Indeed, civil war broke out after the...
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The Attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 is one of the most famous events of the Second World War. Led by the Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the offensive caused the USA to join the Allies in their fight against the Germans, the Italians and the Japanese. In just 50 minutes, you will find out how this brutal attack played...
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The Battle of Algiers unfolded over nine months in 1957 and was a particularly painful and brutal period in the Algerian War, which saw the citizens of this French colony fight for their independence. The French authorities responded to a campaign of guerrilla warfare by the National Liberation Front (FLN) with forced disappearances, torture and summary executions, which tarnished their reputation later on. In...
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The Battle of Britain was the most colossal air combat in history, pitting the forces of Nazi Germany against Great Britain, which by that point stood alone in Europe, its allies having already been beaten down by Adolf Hitler's forces. The battle took place in the autumn of 1940, at an early stage in the Second World War. The stakes could not...
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The Battle of Kursk was one of the major clashes between German and Soviet troops during the Second World War and one of the most important tank battles in history. Having launched Operation Barbarossa to invade the USSR in 1941, the Nazis sought to regain the initiative on the Eastern Front with this new offensive in the summer of 1943. However, the Red Army was...
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The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the major battles of the Second World War, and saw the German Wehrmacht and Stalin's Red Army fight savagely, often in close quarters, for control of the city. The combat also involved civilians and was unprecedented in its scale; the Battle of Stalingrad is now widely regarded as one of the largest and bloodiest battles in history. It marked...
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