Tag Archives: This Day in History

Battle of Hong Kong Special

12 Monday Dec 2016

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A one-legged Chinese Admiral and triad vigilantes make the most out of the period during the Battle of Hong Kong when the Imperial Japanese Army held the mainland side of the water and the British/Indian/Canadian/Hong Kong forces retreated within their island ‘fortress’. We experience the Battle through the words of ordinary people who were there.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

This episode was first broadcast in December 2015 on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

Nazis invite USSR into Axis Alliance

31 Monday Oct 2016

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Noreen and Paul visit Berlin in November 1940 where Stalin’s Foreign Minister, Molotov, is wooed by Ribbentrop and Hitler: they want the USSR, already in bed with Germany in the Molotov-Ribbentrop (or Nazi-Soviet) Pact to join the Axis Alliance and carve up most of the world.
However, Churchill gatecrashes the party.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

This episode was first broadcast on 19 November 2015 on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

Sun Yat-sen and the 1911 Chinese Revolution

24 Monday Oct 2016

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Noreen and Paul delve into the reasons why China discarded their emperors and empresses for an unemployable medical doctor – and why he handed rule to an opportunist who makes Donald Trump look shy.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

This episode was first broadcast on 11 October 2016 on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

USA, Taiwan and Mao goes nuclear

10 Monday Oct 2016

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We focus on the Taiwan Strait Crises of the 1950s and how close the world came to nuclear war. We see how the tail wagged the dog as little Taiwan bent the US to its will in the 1950s. And, throughout the crisis, we will see how Mao’s provocations entice the USSR to help China’s nuclear development.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

This episode was first broadcast on 14 January 2016 on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

Madman Nuclear Alert 1969

03 Monday Oct 2016

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We look at war between the two communist giants, the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union – a conflict which began in March 1969. And we’re going to be joined by a special guest who, as a US air force pilot, found himself too close for comfort to the Soviet fleet off China’s coast just as they prepared to strike China in 1969…

We hear about Bruce Gordon’s experience of Pearl Harbor, what it takes to be a fighter pilot and why he learned cricket.

In 1969, Bruce was based in Osan, South Korea. One day Bruce came across a Russian fleet lying off the coast of North Korea. He buzzed the ships to see what was going on.  He watched what appeared to be a fishing boat pull away from the largest Russian warship at HIGH SPEED – he knew fishing boats didn’t travel at high speed…

And you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out more about Bruce’s story. You could also take a look at his book, The Spirit of Attack.  (On air I also mention an insightful book – Dr Li Zhisui’s The Private Life of Chairman Mao.)

This episode was first broadcast on 17 March 2016 on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Each month, Paul Letters examines events from this month in history. Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

Filipinos ‘massacre’ Americans / How Chiang Kai-shek threw away China

26 Monday Sep 2016

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Our irregular guest historian Bruce Gordon joins us. As well as being an eye witness to the Pearl Harbor attack, a US air force pilot in Vietnam and Korea and – inadvertently – saving the planet from World War III (click here for that podcast), Bruce was born in the Philippines. He has written about the 1899-1902 ‘Phil-Am War’, and today he tells us about the Filipinos’ day of victory and why subsequent American revenge still affects US-Philippine relations today.

Later on, Noreen and Paul discuss how the Communists won the Chinese Civil War despite the cards appearing to be stacked in the Nationalists’ favour. How Chiang dealt with communist sleeper agents didn’t help.

On air, I recommend both The China History Podcast and Jung Chang/Ian Halliday’s biography, Mao: The Unknown Story.

This episode was first broadcast on 21 September 2016. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically. Each month on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show (RTHK Radio 3), Paul Letters examines events from this month in history. Recorded on RTHK Radio 3’s 1-2-3 Show, at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ feed, with photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague.

Cover work by Gill Bertram.

WW3:Cuba / The living pop star who ‘died’ in 1969 / WW2 China v China v Japan [sic]

19 Monday Sep 2016

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Why World War III didn’t happen – when it looked odds on in October 1962.

And we look at the three-way war in China in 1940.

We investigate the ‘evidence’ that made the world believe a famous pop star, who is still alive today, “died” in 1969.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ feed, with photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague.

Each month on RTHK Radio 3, Noreen Mir and Paul Letters examine events from this month in history. Recorded on RTHK Radio 3’s 1-2-3 Show, at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong. 

Cover work by Gill Bertram.

JFK v Nixon / Why Japan joined the Axis powers / Sporting cheats

12 Monday Sep 2016

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We look at the first US presidential election debate in history, and we’ll see how an afternoon by a hotel pool helps win that election and save humanity from World War III.

And we examine what provoked the Japanese to join in alliance with Germany and Italy – signing the Tripartite Pact – in September 1940.

Finally, we ask, who is the biggest cheat in sporting history? 24th September is the anniversary of one big sporting cheat, and you tell us who you think are the biggest, baddest or most audacious cheats in sporting history.

This episode was first broadcast on  24 September 2015  on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Each month, Paul Letters examines events from this month in history. Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

Battle of Shanghai / Mona Lisa

05 Monday Sep 2016

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In the first half, we take ourselves to Shanghai in August 1937 and the forgotten battle for the city. We’ll see why Chiang Kai-shek decided to take a stand in Shanghai, making the Battle of Shanghai the first major clash between the Imperial Japanese forces and the Nationalist Chinese. Saturday shoppers strolling near the river suffer a tragic shock.

In the second half, we’re going to answer my seven-year-old son’s question: Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting on Earth? Da Vinci’s masterpiece only became the most famous painting in the world because of a couple of events 150 and 115 years ago…

This episode was first broadcast on 30 August 2016  on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Each month, Paul Letters examines events from this month in history. Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

Churchill & Chiang / ‘I Have a Dream’ / Best clothing invention

29 Monday Aug 2016

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Chiang Kaishek and Winston Churchill in 1940: Churchill the Appeaser and Chiang the Artful?

Also, we ask what is it about Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech that makes it so good? And we mention probably the greatest oratory on race delivered since the “I have a dream” speech

And, seamlessly(!), we celebrate the birthday of probably the world’s best clothing-related invention.

This episode was first broadcast on  28 August 2015  on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Each month, Paul Letters examines events from this month in history. Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

 

The Burma Road: Churchill appeases Japan / A punk band, a writer and God end communism in Eastern Europe / Amelia Earhart’s disappearance

22 Monday Aug 2016

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Why did Churchill appease the Japanese in 1940 and close the Burma Road?

How did a punk band, a writer and God end communism in Eastern Europe?

We look the great Amelia Earhart, whose aircraft disappeared over the Pacific on July 2nd 1937 – and now the hunt is back on to find her.

This episode was first broadcast on 2 July 2015 on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Each month, Paul Letters examines events from this month in history. Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.

Poland to Paris in 1940 / Japanese expansion & Pearl Harbor before ‘Pearl Harbor’ / North Korea invades South: why?

15 Monday Aug 2016

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Join us for a trip through June 1940 and June 1950. Get to know the Norwegian whose treachery added his name to the dictionary in at least five European languages. Find out why Mussolini waited until June to join in the war and why that delay helped my Polish grandmother to escape. Join us – and my gran – in Paris when it is declared an ‘open city’ in June 1940.

In June 1940 Japan appeared to have its hands full fighting China, so why did it choose now to add to its enemies in Asia? And why did the US decide in June 1940 to move most of its fleet to Pearl Harbor? The answer to both of these questions lies in Amsterdam as much as Paris.

Also, this month: what made North Korea think it could get away with invading the South in June 1950? The story involves British communist spies and the loose words of an American Secretary of State.

And listen out for the Donald Duck/Alcoholics Anonymous connection…

This episode was first broadcast on 10 June 2015 on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show, RTHK Radio 3. Click ‘Subscribe’ to receive future podcasts automatically (or see the This Month in History website). Each month, Paul Letters examines events from this month in history. Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ Twitter feed and photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague (aChanceKill.com).

Podcast cover work by Gill Bertram.