Yolanda's blog

It's been 30 years since one of the 20th century's biggest historic events: the fall of the Berlin Wall. Although the East German dictatorship subsequently collapsed, cultural and political divisions remain, more than a generation after reunification. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports on the wall's legacy, the polarizing issue of immigration and the lingering stain of anti-Semitism.

Everyone knows the story of the first Thanksgiving, when a small group of Massachusetts's settlers celebrated making it through the year by feasting with their Native-American neighbors. But the story of Thanksgiving goes back much further, to ancient harvest festivals, and the holiday has been transformed over time into today's celebration marked by family, food and football. HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is a warm look at this particularly American celebration. Discover how New York was the first state to officially declare a day of Thanksgiving, and how President Lincoln first made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Explore period accounts and art that bring Thanksgiving celebrations through the centuries to life, and find out the origins of traditions like the Macy's parade. And why do we serve turkey on Thanksgiving anyway? It's an intriguing look at the sometimes surprising tales behind one of America's most beloved holidays.

Sky's Mark Stone visits where the first and last British soldiers are buried in the First World War. Both Private John Parr and Private George Ellison's headstones can be seen at the same cemetery in Mons, Belgium. Theresa May will visit the same location to mark the start of a series of high-profile events reflecting the centenary of 1918. A Peace Forum in Paris has been organised by French President Emmanuel Macron and will be attended by world leaders including the US and Russian presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Guy Fawkes was born in April 1570 in York. Although his immediate family were all Protestants, in keeping with the accepted religious practice in England at the time, his maternal grandparents were 'recusant' Catholics, who refused to attend Protestant services. When Guy was eight, his father died and his widowed mother married a Catholic, Dionis Baynbrigge. It was these early influences that were to forge Fawkes' convictions as an adult. Fawkes and Spain By the time he was 21 he had sold the estate his father had left him and gone to Europe to fight for Catholic Spain against the Protestant Dutch republic in the Eighty Years War. His military career went well and by 1603 he had been recommended for a captaincy. He had also adopted the Italian variant of his name, becoming known as 'Guido'. In the same year, he travelled to Spain to petition the king, Philip III, for support in fomenting a rebellion in England against the "heretic" James I. Despi...

By the end of World War II, the city of Berlin, like Germany as a whole, was divided. The eastern part of the city was dominated by a USSR-led communist regime, and the western part had a democratic government influenced by America and Great Britain. In 1961, the Berlin Wall was raised, not only physically dividing the city into East and West Berlin, but also psychologically and emotionally splitting the people. Travel between the two sides was prohibited. Since the reunification of Germany and the demolition of the wall in 1989, city planners have been trying to rebuild the city, tearing down the old buildings of communist East Berlin and replacing them with new structures. But the new buildings have sparked controversy over what should be preserved and what should be torn down. Listen to this story to hear different perspectives and ideas about how the city should handle the buildings of the past and move toward a unified future. What is the main idea of this story? Why do many B...

What events brought the ancient stone from the quarry to the archeologists? What details from the story suggest that the markings on the stone are writing and not art? Why might some of the symbols on the stone be familiar to archaeologists? Why do you think ancient writings such as these were connected to religion and ritual practices? Why is it now important for researchers to find additional artifacts similar to the Olmec stone? SCRIPT

Discover how and when Americans celebrated Independence Day in the past. Although Benjamin Franklin thought we'd celebrate the 2nd of July; the 4th of July is closest to our hearts. Did you know New York City has the biggest fireworks display in the United States and that three U.S. presidents died on July 4?

Americans must continue to embrace the message of the civil rights movement, President Obama told a crowd of thousands Saturday, speaking from a site he said symbolized "the daring of America's character."  In a speech at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where 50 years ago, police beat and tear-gassed protesters, Obama issued his call to action. "Fifty years from 'Bloody Sunday,' our march is not yet finished. But we are getting closer," he said. The March 7, 1965, violence against the peaceful civil rights advocates making the 50-mile march from Selma to Alabama's capital of Montgomery shocked the country and ramped up calls for equal rights for black voters. READ MORE...

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States of America commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the National Day of the United States.

Franz Ferdinand, aged 51, was heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire .  He was married to Sophie Chotek von Chotvoka and had three children. Franz Ferdinand was, however, very unpopular because he had made it clear that once he became Emperor he would make changes. Franz Ferdinand decided to visit Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovnia, to make an inspection of the Austro-Hungarian troops there. The inspection was scheduled for 28th June 1914. It was planned that Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie would be met at the station and taken by car to the City Hall where they would have lunch before going to inspect the troops. A Serbian terrorist group, called The Black Hand, had decided that the Archduke should be assassinated and the planned visit provided the ideal opportunity. Seven young men who had been trained in bomb throwing and marksmanship were stationed along the route that Franz Ferdinand's car would follow from the City Hall to the inspection. The first two t...