BBC - Days that Shook the World Series 2 (2004) Part 6 Reach for the Stars Trials of Galileo/Yuri Gagarin's Flight

Through dramatic reconstructions, eye-witness accounts and archive footage, each episode in the “Days That Shook the World” TV series pieces together the thrilling stories of the landmarks of our time; the moments in history - human tragedies, scientific breakthroughs and calamitous events that have profoundly affected the way the world thinks and acts. Days that Shook the World examines some of the most important days in history, creating a detailed and forensic analysis of 24 hours that changed the world. It covers some of the biggest themes in World history - from the history of flight, to the rise and fall of Communism. This fresh and unusual BBC production explores mankind's defining moments. A gripping anatomy of some of the most important days in history, hour by hour as they unfolded. Incisive, fascinating & dramatic, the complete series builds a compelling picture of the seismic moments in world history. From ancient Egypt to the Berlin Wall, these episodes look at events that had a lasting impact on human history, from technological breakthroughs to political tragedies. Finding new angles and putting events into historical context, the series spans centuries and continents with one common thread On each of these days, the lives of millions were changed forever. Incredible breakthroughs, acts of shocking brutality, and stories of hope form the themes of these compelling programs. As the clock ticks, the events of the day climax, and we learn just what happened and how the day affected the course of history. The series focuses on events that defined the 20th century, from the discovery of the first dinosaur remains to the Hindenburg disaster. The programmes also investigate Yuri Gagarin's space flight; the Great Train Robbery; the abdication of Edward VIII; the events leading to the fictional Day Of The Jackal; the theft of the Crown Jewels; the hoax that was Piltdown Man; and disasters such as the Oklahoma bombing and the Challenger explosion.

A Lion Television Production for BBC in Association with The History Channel

Part 6 Reach for the Stars Trials of Galileo/Yuri Gagarin's Flight

How views of the world were challenged by astronomer Galileo's ideas and the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. Reach for the Stars GALILEO'S TRIAL. Rome,Vatican City. It is April 12, 1633.The 70-year-old esteemed scientist Galileo Galilei is in trouble with the Roman Catholic Church. In Reach for the Stars he stands accused on suspicion of heresy. His crime to suggest that the Sun and not the Earth is the centre of the known universe, and that the Earth orbits the Sun, just like any other planet. Copernicus was the first person to challenge the Church's official view in 1514. In 1660, Dominican Friar Giordano Bruno was convicted of heresy by the Holy Office and burned at the stake. Since Copernicus' time in 1514, Rome had experienced a serious challenge from Protestant Reformation and could no longer afford dissent of that kind. Exactly 328 years to the day later Soviet cosmonaut Major Yuri Gagarin steps from the earth into space. How the Soviets won the race to put a man in space on April 12 1961 when Yuri Gagarin took a flight no human had taken before. With the Americans close to their own manned mission, the Soviets took a gamble on their converted ballistic missile.

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