Hello, this is the History Hour Podcast from the BBC World Service with me Max Pearson, the past brought to life by those who were there.

This week from the 1980s, Rupert Murdoch's challenge to the British Trade Unions.

For 17 years there, I lay down and had these people run over me with bad idle wasteful practices.

The industrial relations in Fleet Street were a nightmare. The whole area was a jungle.

Also we'll look at Sharia law in northern Nigeria and... and the moment when the Cape's Crusader burst onto American TV screens.

But we begin by recalling an event which has been marked across America this month

because it's 30 years since the space shuttle Challenger exploded during the launch phase of what was supposed to be a routine mission.

Apart from the loss of life, six astronauts and a civilian teacher were killed,

the Challenger disaster was a terrible blow to the American Space Program and to America's wider prestige

and sense of self-confidence.

Chloe Hatche Mathieu We have main engine start, four, three, two, one, and lift off, lift off of the 25th

space shuttle mission and it has cleared the tower.

It's January 28th, 1986 and Mission 51L has just launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

On board are six astronauts and the first civilian to be chosen to go into space.

A 37 year old social studies children from Krista's School in New Hampshire.

Also watching is Krista standby Barbara Morgan,

a teacher from Idaho.

I remember saying by Krista, by crew

and waving and God speed and I'm so excited for you. I remember thinking gosh I wish I were with you.

Challenger now heading down range.

Seconds after takeoff, a small component on one of the solid rocket boosters fails. No one on board or at the

control center notices. And even if they had, there was nothing they could have done. There were

...