Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes. We hear about Polish war hero Irena Sendler who saved thousands of Jewish children during the World War Two. Expert Kathryn Atwood explains why women’s stories of bravery from that time are not as prominent as men’s. Plus, the invention of ‘Baby’ – one of the first programmable computers. It was developed in England at the University of Manchester. Gill Kearsley has been looking through the archives to find out more about the 'Baby In the second half of the programme, we tell stories from Iran. Journalist Sally Quinn looks back at the excess of the Shah of Iran’s three-day party, held in 1971. Two very different women – the former Empress of Iran, Farah Pahlavi, and social scientist Rouhi Shafi – describe how it feels to be exiled from their country. Finally, Barry Rosen shares the dramatic story of when he was held hostage in the US embassy in the Tehran for 444 days. (Photo: Children rescued from the Warsaw Ghetto by Irena Sendler. Credit: Getty Images)
Hello and welcome to the History Hour podcast from the BBC World Service.
With me, Max Pearson.
The past brought to life by those who were there.
This week, stories from Iran's history, including a lavish party for the Shah.
Anybody who could wear a tiara and get away with it or a crown did.
And the necklaces and the bracelets and the earrings were just incredible.
Two women, one the empress no less, exiled from Iran after the Islamic revolution and the US embassy hostage crisis in Tehran that lasted 444 days.
I want you to sign this admitting to your spying.
And I said no.
And he said, I'm gonna count from 10 to one and if you don't sign it, I'm gonna blow your head off.
That's all coming up later in the podcast, but we're going to begin.
During one of the darkest moments of the Second World War and with a young Polish woman who risked her life to save thousands of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto.
Jane Wilkinson has this remarkable story.
Heroes do extraordinary things and to me what I did was not extraordinary, it was just normal.
Those are the words of Irina Sendler, interviewed for a 1992 documentary film.
Back in 1939, she was a 29 year old Catholic working in the Warsaw Welfare Department when the war began.
At dawn on September 1st, the German war machine steamrollers into Poland.
The German air force begins its systematic bombing of undefended cities and towns of helpless women and children.
Poland's agony has come.
British Pathe A year later, Poland was still under German occupation.