BBC - Days that Shook the World: Series 2 (2004)

Through dramatic reconstructions, eye-witness accounts and archive footage, each episode in the "Days That Shook the World" TV series pieces together the thrilling stories of the landmarks of our time; the moments in history - human tragedies, scientific breakthroughs and calamitous events that have profoundly affected the way the world thinks and acts. Days that Shook the World examines some of the most important days in history, creating a detailed and forensic analysis of 24 hours that changed the world. It covers some of the biggest themes in World history - from the history of flight, to the rise and fall of Communism.
This fresh and unusual BBC production explores mankind's defining moments. A gripping anatomy of some of the most important days in history, hour by hour as they unfolded. Incisive, fascinating & dramatic, the complete series builds a compelling picture of the seismic moments in world history.
From ancient Egypt to the Berlin Wall, these episodes look at events that had a lasting impact on human history, from technological breakthroughs to political tragedies. Finding new angles and putting events into historical context, the series spans centuries and continents with one common thread: On each of these days, the lives of millions were changed forever. Incredible breakthroughs, acts of shocking brutality, and stories of hope form the themes of these compelling programs.
As the clock ticks, the events of the day climax, and we learn just what happened and how the day affected the course of history. The series focuses on events that defined the 20th century, from the discovery of the first dinosaur remains to the Hindenburg disaster. The programmes also investigate Yuri Gagarin's space flight; the Great Train Robbery; the abdication of Edward VIII; the events leading to the fictional Day Of The Jackal; the theft of the Crown Jewels; the hoax that was Piltdown Man; and disasters such as the Oklahoma bombing and the Challenger explosion.

A Lion Television Production for BBC in Association with The History Channel

Part 1: Disaster in the Sky: The Hindenburg/Challenger Disaster
The fateful flights of the Hindenburg, in 1937, and the Challenger space shuttle, in 1986. THE HINDENBURG AIRSHIP CRASH. The human cost of aviation was keenly felt in 1937. The German airship Hindenburg was scheduled to make the first commercial crossing of the Atlantic. The tragic consequence was relayed via America's first pre-recorded network news broadcast. New Jersey, USA. It is May 6, 1937.The luxurious airship Hindenburg, pride of the German nation and a Titanic of the skies, is completing its transatlantic crossing from Friedrichshafen in Germany to America. On board are 61 crew and 36 passengers, each paying the equivalent of ?12,000 for their passage. The airship is approaching the American coast. A morning landing at Lakehurst air base, New Jersey, is anticipated. THE CHALLENGER EXPLOSION. Challenger Disaster. Recalling January 1986 when the ill-fated space shuttle exploded a minute after take-off. Florida, USA. It is January 27, 1986. Later today, NASA mission STS 51-L – the launch of the Challenger space-shuttle – will commence countdown and waning public interest in the American space programme will be rekindled.


Part 2: The Christmas Truce
The Christmas Truce (1914): the greatest demonstration of Christmas spirit, one incredible day when the guns were silent and the fighting stopped. World War I battle trenches, France. It is December 25, 1914. World War I (aka The Great War) began a new world order of violence that spawned the hallmarks of 20th-century conflict: machine guns, tanks, air raids, gas–and it turned the common soldier into a unit of sacrifice, to be processed on an industrial scale.The war machine was born, a machine that ran on men. In the course of four years, it would get through 20 million soldiers of all nationalities. But there was one day when the war machine faltered. The Christmas Truce marked a day when men who were meant to operate as killing machines stopped. A day when they put down their guns, shook hands, exchanged gifts and discovered they had more in common with each other than with their leaders, kings or governments. Enemies became friends, and for a brief time the world was at peace. It was Christmas Day, 1914.


Part 3: Attack on Pearl Harbor
The devastating pre-emptive strike that propelled America into World War II. Sailors, naval officers, nurses and pilots bring to life the extraordinary drama of 24 hours that would change the world. Hawaii, USA. It is December 7, 1941.Travelling under strict radio silence, aeroplanes and midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, commanded by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, carry out a surprise assault on the United States Navy base at Pearl Harbor, and against the Army Air Corps and Marine airfields nearby on Oahu. The Attack on Pearl Harbor describes the events that took on place on that day. The attack caught America completely by surprise. Striking when it was least expected (07.55 hours on a Sunday morning), the Japanese aircraft were able to pick off their targets from the mighty battleships of the US Pacific Fleet before people even realised what was happening. Just two hours later, five battleships had been sunk, another 16 damaged, 188 aircraft destroyed, more than 2,400 Americans were dead and another 1,178 injured.


Part 4: Grand Heist: The Theft of the Crown Jewels/The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery and the theft of the British crown jewels. London, England. It is May 9, 1671. At 7 am, Parson Blood arrives at the Tower of London to visit his close friend, Talbot Edwards, the Keeper of the Crown Jewels. With him are his nephew and two other men. Edwards is hoping for a match between his daughter and Blood's wealthy nephew. But Edwards is about to discover that the Parson isn't a parson at all and that their friendship has been a ruse to gain access to the most valuable stash of jewels in the country. In Grand Heist it is 1660, England's republican experiment failed with the death of Richard Cromwell, and the Commonwealth dream died. Many republicans were against the restoration of the monarchy, and found it difficult to accept Charles II and his foppish, Catholic retinue. Dissenters and terrorists were in abundance as Charles II implemented laws to curb the power of religious non-conformists and puritans. One such religious dissenter was an Irishman, self-styled Colonel Thomas Blood. The Great Train Robbery. The events of 8 August 1963, as thieves stole E2.5m from a mail train in rural Buckinghamshire - the biggest theft in world history at that point. Who really profited from one of Britain's most infamous robberies? The dramatization draws upon the touching story behind the architect of the robbery, Bruce Reynolds.


Part 5: Conspiracy to Kill: The Real Day of the Jackal/Wolf's Lair
Assassination attempts by secret organisations; with Adolf Hitler and Charles de Gaulle the intended victims. Paris, France. It is August 22, 1962. This evening, President General Charles de Gaulle is leaving the Elysee Palace for his country home on the outskirts of Paris.The national hero who led the French Resistance against Nazi Germany has become a divisive figure, adored by one half of France, and considered a traitor by the other for his controversial policy of independence for Algeria, officially ratified on 3 July.The Algerian Secret Army (OAS), an organisation representing French settlers in Algeria, are prepared to use violent methods to achieve their aims.They have made several assassination attempts already. In Conspiracy to Kill we see Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry masterminding the latest attempt. They have a vast network of sympathisers including De Gaulle's head of security and a priest who blesses their weapons but very little luck. Two weeks before the big day, their guns are stolen by a rival gang. So many people want De Gaulle dead, competition is their chief obstacle. This is contrasted by Colonel von Staffenberg's planting of a bomb under HItler's desk. 20 July 1944: a daring bid to assassinate Hitler takes place at his Polish field HO. Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg , one of many officers disillusioned with the Nazi leader, puts a bomb under the Fuhrer's desk. But the coup fails. Why?


Part 6: Reach for the Stars: Trials of Galileo/Yuri Gagarin's Flight
How views of the world were challenged by astronomer Galileo's ideas and the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. Reach for the Stars: GALILEO'S TRIAL. Rome,Vatican City. It is April 12, 1633.The 70-year-old esteemed scientist Galileo Galilei is in trouble with the Roman Catholic Church. In Reach for the Stars he stands accused on suspicion of heresy. His crime: to suggest that the Sun and not the Earth is the centre of the known universe, and that the Earth orbits the Sun, just like any other planet. Copernicus was the first person to challenge the Church's official view in 1514. In 1660, Dominican Friar Giordano Bruno was convicted of heresy by the Holy Office and burned at the stake. Since Copernicus' time in 1514, Rome had experienced a serious challenge from Protestant Reformation and could no longer afford dissent of that kind.
Exactly 328 years to the day later Soviet cosmonaut Major Yuri Gagarin steps from the earth into space. How the Soviets won the race to put a man in space on April 12 1961 when Yuri Gagarin took a flight no human had taken before. With the Americans close to their own manned mission, the Soviets took a gamble on their converted ballistic missile.


Part 7: Dinosaurs and Duplicity: Discovery of the First Dinosaur/Piltdown Man
The first discovery of a dinosaur, in 1824, and 1953's "Piltdown Man" hoax are recalled. DISCOVERY OF THE FIRST DINOSAUR. Sussex, England. It is September 1824, and amateur geologist, Dr Gideon Mantell, is about to become the first person to identify the bones of an ancient, plant-eating, giant reptile which will later be called a 'Dinosaur'. In Dinosaurs and Duplicity, we see that a few weeks earlier, his wife, Mary, had spotted a large fossilised tooth in some rubble left by workmen in the Sussex Weald and Dr Mantell has since collected several other giant teeth. He is convinced he has made a remarkable discovery, but the scientific establishment has so far dismissed the teeth as uninteresting. PILTDOWN MAN. It is November 20, 1953, and news is breaking that one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the century is an elaborate hoax. Forty years earlier, Charles Dawson, a solicitor and amateur antiquarian from Sussex, had announced the discovery of remains from the earliest known human being. Piltdown Man was heralded as the long-awaited 'missing link' between ape and man, proof of Darwin's theory of evolution. But the bones were in fact a cleverly constructed forgery.


Part 8: Terror - Made in America: Assassination of Abraham Lincoln/Oklahoma City bombing
Two events that shook America: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and the Oklahoma bombing in 1995. 130 years separate the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the slaughter of 168 innocents in the Oklahoma City bombing: actions of political extremists that will forever make a mark on America.THE ASSASSINATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. As the Civil War drew to a close, John Wilkes Booth hoped to rescue the South and become a hero. Days That Shook the World re-creates the dramatic episode that will forever leave its mark on history. Washington, DC, USA. It is April 14, 1865. At Ford's Theatre, the evening performance of Our American Cousin is about to begin. In the audience is the American President, Abraham Lincoln. In Terror - Made in America we see that at around 9.30 pm, a young actor named John Wilkes Booth arrives in the rear alley and asks Joseph Burroughs, a boy who works at the theatre, to hold his horse. After a drink in the saloon next door, Booth enters the front of Ford's Theatre and slowly makes his way towards the Presidential Box. THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING. Oklahoma City, USA. It is April 19, 1995. Timothy McVeigh, a 33-year-old veteran of the first Gulf War, drives a van packed with home-made explosives and parks it outside the Alfred P Murrah federal office building in downtown Oklahoma City. At 09.02 am, the van explodes. Half of the nine-storey building collapses, killing 168 people, including 19 children at a day-care centre, and injuring more than 500.The cost of the damage is later estimated at ?80 million. McVeigh believed he was striking a blow against a government at war with its own people. Witnesses help reconstruct the day of one of the bloodiest terrorist attacks on US soil.


Part 9: Cold War Spies: 1960 U-2 incident/Spy swap of Abel, Pryor and Powers
The shooting down of a top secret spy plane ultimately led to a dramatic spy swap on a Berlin bridge. Two Cold War tales are told in this look at a time of international tension and suspicion. Cold War Crisis: GARY POWERS U-2 SPY PLANE. Russia. It is May 1, 1960. The shooting down of America's U-2 spy plane put a resounding stop to the ostensibly thawing Cold War relations between the US and the USSR. In just two weeks' time a nuclear disarmament summit was due to take place, yet, behind this fa?ade, America had mobilised U-2, to photograph Soviet military installations. Witnesses - including the pilot Gary Powers - help to reconstruct that fateful day.The Cold War was a time of mistrust and suspicion, with espionage the favoured tactic to stay one step ahead of the enemy. But today it seems as if Cold War relations are at an all-time low. Just six months ago, Premier Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet Leader to visit America, and in barely two weeks' time a crucial disarmament summit is about to take place between Western nations and Soviet leaders in Paris. COLONEL RUDOLF ABEL. Berlin, the border between East and West Germanies. It is February 10, 1962. In Cold War Crisis we witness a scene later synonymous with Cold War espionage dramas, the most dramatic spy exchange of the Cold War is about to take place on a bridge in Berlin. It has taken nine days of heavy negotiations between an American lawyer and the Head of the KGB in Western Europe to get to this point. As they edge closer to each other on the bridge both sides look for traps. The stakes are too high for anything to go wrong.


Part 10: Affairs of the Crown: The Execution of Anne Boleyn/The Abdication of Edward VIII
The stories of two royal scandals - the trial and execution of Henry VIII's second queen Anne Boleyn in 1536 and the abdication from the throne in of Edward VIII in favour of his lover, American divorcee Wallis Simpson. THE EXECUTION OF ANNE BOLEYN. A reconstruction of the final hours of Anne Boleyn , who was crowned Queen in 1533 and executed after falling victim to a plot. London, England. It is May 19, 1536. Queen Anne is under arrest in the Tower of London. The woman responsible for scandalising England and causing the country's split with the Roman Catholic Church has been condemned for adultery and treason. Many of her subjects also consider her to be a witch. After just three years of marriage to King Henry VIII, 36-year-old Anne Boleyn is about to become the first English Queen in history to be executed. Affairs of the Crown tells the story of a queen who changed history, but paid the price. When Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen of England in May 1533, it was the moment of triumph for a woman who had gambled everything on the love of Henry VIII. Henry had been married for years to Catherine of Aragon, but had only a daughter and a barren wife to show for it when he met Anne. It was more than her beauty that attracted him; she was young and fertile. Anne was also clever, and was not prepared to become just the King's mistress. THE ABDICATION OF EDWARD VIII. When King Edward VIII fell in love with American divorcee Wallis Simpson the British monarchy was plunged into crisis. On 10 December 1936 the king was forced to choose between Simpson and the crown. Behind the scenes Wallis's solicitor was attempting to persuade her to withdraw her divorce application while the intervention of a solicitor's clerk threatened to prevent the couple from ever marrying.