Wartime surrenders and the birth of Barbie

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear how Norwegian teachers resisted peddling Nazi propaganda during the German occupation of the Second World War and our guest, Dr Rachel Pistol, talks us through other exampl ...  Show more

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.We hear how a French curator uncovered lost documents showing that the Nazis researched the Bayeux Tapestry during World War Two. Our guest, Professor Catherine Clarke, takes us th ...  Show more

The first Barbie doll was sold in 1959. It took Ruth Handler, who created it, years to convince her male colleagues that it would sell.The plastic creation sold 350,000 in the first year and went on to take the world by storm selling millions. It’s now been turned into a live act ...  Show more

In the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire. The one in China was held at the Forbidden City in Beijing bringing an end to eight years of occupation. Thousands of people watched the incredible moment Japanese generals handed over ...  Show more

Barbie has inspired generations of children in her 59 years, always representing the historically novel idea that women have choices in their lives. She's both an icon and a record of just how far we've come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

She's an icon, a polymath, a fashionista, and she's absolutely everywhere right now.

Where did Barbie come from? What has she represented to the many who have bought and played with her? And what makes her an American doll?

In this episode, M.G. Lord joins ...