Lighting the Beacon

In 2017, audio producer Phil Smith travelled to Ukraine to attend his friend's wedding. There, somewhere between the cities of Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Odessa, he fell in love with the soundworld of the sleeper train: its steady hypnotic rhythms, the melody of hurtling through t ...  Show more

Relax with a mix of music and natural sounds, recorded by Radio 3 Sunday Breakfast listeners. Three dawn choruses from across the UK, starring woodland, garden and sea birds, follow on from the very different dusk chorus from the remote Greeenland town of Ilulissat, which feature ...  Show more

Leuchttürme stehen meist an der Küste, auf Inseln oder auch im Wasser vor der Küste. Sie leuchten weit aufs Meer hinaus und helfen so den Schiffen, ihren Weg zu finden. Manchmal warnen sie auch vor gefährlichen Stellen, an denen das Wasser nicht tief genug ist. Auch an Flüssen un ...  Show more

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 5, 2024 is: luminary • \LOO-muh-nair-ee\  • noun A luminary is a person of prominence or brilliant achievement. The word luminary may also refer to a celestial body, such as the sun or moon. // Luminaries of the art world cong ...  Show more

We look at the history of incorporating lights in winter holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah and how electricity changed things dramatically. We'll also dive into those over the top displays that sequence lights with sound and talk about why it was such a challenge for the elect ...  Show more

People have been burning fires on cliffs as long as other people have used boats, but after the Age of Exploration, lighthouses took their unmistakable form and the great stories of the people who kept the lights around the world began.