Female heroes of WW2 and the Iranian Revolution

The History Hour

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 Second World War.

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.

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.

Contributors: Irena Sendler – WW2 hero. Kathryn J Atwood – author. Sally Quinn - journalist. Farah Pahlavi – former Empress of Iran. Rouhi Shafi – social scientist who fled Iran. Barry Rosen – former hostage.

(Photo: Children rescued from the Warsaw Ghetto by Irena Sendler. Credit: Getty Images)