Hello and welcome to 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 a couple of automotive stories from the past.

First how Britain played a part in the post-war emergence of the VW Beetle,

There was one snag in wet weather it smelled a fish badly,

and the surprising story of lead in petrol.

If you look at the rate of murder and violent crime in the US,

it almost follows exactly the increase and decrease in the amount of lead added petrol.

Plus we'll take you into the nightmare world of Soviet psychiatry

and how getting Japanese women back into the workforce gave rise to womanomics.

This is not something that is along, you know,

feminist lines or anything like that,

but was really quite critical for Japan's economy.

That's coming up later, but let's begin with those... critical for Japan's economy.

That's coming up later, but let's begin with those stories involving the history of the

motor car.

It's 75 years since the birth, or perhaps rebirth, of one of the most iconic vehicles of the 20th century, the Volkswagen

Beetle.

It was the German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler who ordered the design of a people's car for ordinary

German families. But ironically, was a British Army officer who at the end of

World War II oversaw the start of production of what would become one of the best-selling

cars of all time. Louis Hidalgo has been listening back through the BBC Archives to bring us his story.

...