Witness History: Archive 2011

Fifty years ago, the sedative drug thalidomide was withdrawn from sale in Germany and the UK. It became clear that, if taken by women in early pregnancy, it can cause serious - in many cases, fatal - damage to the unborn child. Photo: Getty Images

Ned Kelly, the infamous Australian outlaw was captured in the remote settlement of Glenrowan in 1880. In a dramatic last stand, Kelly and his gang took hostages and tried to derail a police train. Kelly was hanged a few months after his capture. The rest of the gang were killed. Witness brings together eye-witness accounts of the last stand. The programme also hears from the Australian historian Professor Carl Bridge. PICTURE: Ned Kelly is shot and captured while wearing his armour (HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES).

Of the "Big Men" who ruled Africa after independence, few were as notorious as Mobutu Sese Seko. During his 32 years in power, Mobutu renamed Congo as Zaire and stole many millions of dollars. As the people of Congo prepare to vote for a new president, a former advisor to Mobutu remembers his years in power. Witness also hears from Michaela Wrong, author of "In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz". PHOTO: Mobutu shares a joke with a foreign visitor (HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES)

In November 2003 a popular uprising unseated the government of Georgia. Demonstrators waving roses burst into Parliament and Eduard Shevardnadze was forced to stand down. Hear from one of the people on the streets of Tbilisi that day.

In 1977, Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to visit Israel and address the Israeli parliament, or Knesset. At the time, Egypt was still formally at war with Israel - a country which no Arab nation then recognised. Sadat's visit led to a formal peace treaty betweem the two countries. Louise Hidalgo talks to the Egyptian cameraman, Mohamed Gohar - a favourite of Sadat's. PHOTO: Sadat addressing the Knesset (AFP/Getty Images)

The diminutive weight-lifter, Precious McKenzie, was a prodigious talent, but apartheid prevented him from competing for South Africa. Precious had to move to Britain and work in a factory in Northampton. While doing so, he finally achieved international success at the 1966 Commonwealth Games. Precious went on to become a familiar figure on British TV in the 1970s. Emily Williams talks to him for Sporting Witness. PHOTO: Precious McKenzie shows off his medal collection (Hulton Archive/Getty Images).

He was one of the great pioneers of electrical power. In November 1915 the New York Times announced that he and his rival, Thomas Edison, would share the Nobel Prize for Physics. But the two men never received the prize. Image: A statue of Nikola Tesla in his home village of Smiljan. Credit: AFP/Getty Images.

How a Soviet agent managed to fool the British intelligence service for years. Even after he'd been identified as a spy by the Americans, Kim Philby was allowed to stay in Britain. Photo: Kim Philby (right) protesting his innocence to the media. Credit: Getty Images.

It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness. The hardhitting film, directed by Ken Loach, told the story of a young woman who fell on hard times and lost her home, her husband and then her children.

On All Saints Day 1755, the Portuguese city of Lisbon was hit by a triple disaster - an earthquake, followed by a tsunami and a fire. One of the most splendid cities in Europe suffered massive damage and thousands of people were killed. The disaster also led to debate across Europe about whether earthquakes were a natural phenomenon or a message from God. Witness brings together accounts by British survivors of the earthquake, and hears from Edward Paice, author of Wrath of God - the Great Lisbon Earthquake. Image: Lisbon before the earthquake (Hulton Archive/Getty Images).