June 16th - June 22nd

Fascinating, surprising, and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.

BBC Radio 4 explores the history books and archives to see what has happened on this same week throughout history. With short looks at the events that have shaped the world and made us who we are today.

This week. June 16th - June 22nd - 16th of June 1961. At Le Bourget Airport in Paris, the ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev dramatically defects, claiming asylum in the French capital city. - 17th of June 1631. Arjumand Banu, the wife of the Emperor Shah Jahān, died after giving birth to her 14th child. The Taj Mahal was then built in her honour. - 18th of June 1822. To commemorate the Duke of Wellington's victory at Waterloo, a statue of Achilles was unveiled in his likeness. However, it caused a bit of a scandal amid polite London society.

Presented by Jane Steel and Ron Brown Produced by Amanda Litherland and Luke Doran