Ronald Reagan and Lonesome George
The President's 'Tear down this wall' speech, and the extinction of a tortoise species
The History Hour · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Dolly Jørgensen, Professor of History at the University of Stavanger in Norway and a specialist in the history of extinction.
We start in 2012 with the death of a famous Galapagos tortoise called Lonesome George, who was the last of his species.
Then, the incredible tale of how an Irish priest, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, saved thousands of prisoners of war and Jews in Rome during World War 2.
We hear how the Sino-Indian War of 1962 left a painful legacy for Indian families of Chinese descent.
Plus, one of the signatories of the Schengen Agreement recalls the day it was signed in 1985.
Finally, Ronald Reagan's former speechwriter looks back on the President's 1987 'Tear down this wall' speech, delivered in Berlin.
Contributors:
Dolly Jørgensen - Professor of History at the University of Stavanger. James Gibbs - Vice President of Science and Conservation at the Galapagos Conservancy. Hugh O’Flaherty - relative of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. Joy Ma - Indian woman of Chinese descent born in the Deoli camp. Robert Goebbels - signed the Schengen Agreement. Peter Robinson - US President Reagan's former speechwriter.
(Photo: Lonesome George the tortoise. Credit: Rodrigo Buendia/AFP Getty Images)