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The Year That Rocked the World

5 episodes 94%4KCC

1989 unfolds as revolutions, inventions, disasters, and defiant voices reshape history.

Step into the year when the Berlin Wall fell, the worldwide web began to take shape, and global headlines swung from celebration to catastrophe. This series connects politics, science, culture, and crisis across 1989, revealing why its turning points still define the modern world. Sign up to see how one extraordinary year changed everything.

Episode guide

5 episodes
1
11989
The USSR began to lose grip on power in Eastern Europe, climaxing in the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The Chinese Government stamped hard on student protests in Beijing. There was an environmental disaster in Alaska and an earthquake sent shock waves in California.
52 min
2
21981
In 1981, Prince Charles finally found his bride and thus began a year of royal festivity in the UK, culminating in the wedding of the century. Elsewhere in the world, events took an uglier turn with the attempted assassinations of various prominent leaders.
52 min
3
31977
1977 held celebrations in the form of Queen Elizabeth the Second’s Silver Jubilee, Space Shuttle Columbia’s first test flight, and the release of Star Wars; it was also a year of terrorism, hijacks, and assassinations.
52 min
4
41997
The coming collapse of the planet as we knew it hit the agenda of world leaders for the first time. A historic empire fell as technological and wizarding empires were created. A sporting superstar was born and icons were wrenched away at the height of their fame.
52 min
5
52004
A future world leader became the star of a reality series. The seeds for ISIS were sown as the former leader of Iraq faced justice. One man risked his life to combat supersize meals. A space-airline was born and we explored the red planet.
52 min
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