"It was Back to the Future II that made a generation of children dream of travelling by hoverboard. In the 1989 film, the hero Marty McFly escapes from his arch nemesis Biff by jumping on a flying skateboard. But it wasn't until 2011 that inventor Shane Chen came up with the next best thing - a motorised skateboard that moves intuitively and gives the rider a feeling of floating."
"For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue."
"We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron - Argentina's Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous 'tear down this wall' speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler's List; and Jacques Derrida, France's 'rock star' philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world's oldest languages."
Back to the Future II inspired childhood hoverboard fantasies, and in 2011 inventor Shane Chen created a motorised skateboard that gives riders an intuitive, floating sensation. The device became a viral must-have in 2015 as celebrities posted videos, but widespread cheap knock-offs undermined Chen's profits and caused fires and injuries. Witness History is a nine-minute daily series that revisits significant global events through eyewitness accounts. Episodes range from high-profile moments such as Hitler's death, the first spacewalk and Jaws, to quirky or surprising stories like celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, civil rights swimming protests and the invention of superglue.
Read at BBC
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