http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU4giKZcGwE

Robert Mugabe was elected Zimbabwe’s first black Prime Minister on March 4, 1980, following his role as a rebel leader against white minority rule. Mugabe is the leader of Zimbabwe’s African National Union – Patriotic Front, or ZANU-PF. Shortly after coming to power, Mugabe established a one-party state. Mugabe also began killing opposition, and it is estimated that at least 20,000 people were killed between 1982 and 1985. Mugabe served as Prime Minister until 1987, when he became Zimbabwe’s first President. Wilf Mbanga was a close friend of Mugabe’s at the time of his election. In this video, Mbanga talks about how power changed his friend and how Mbanga eventually tried to distance himself from Mugabe.

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How Power Changed Robert Mugabe appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbrDszQIpLk

Herschel Walker is a former college and professional football player, bobsledder, sprinter and mixed martial artist. On October 12, 1989, the Minnesota Vikings traded to the Dallas Cowboys for Herschel Walker. The trade was the largest player trade in NFL history and involved 18 players and draft picks. The Dallas Cowboys at the time they traded Walker were desperate to improve. Meanwhile, Vikings General Manager Mike Lynn believed Walker could be the missing piece they needed to win a Super Bowl. In this video, former players and staff recall the impact the trade had on the two teams.

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The Herschel Walker Trade appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsSyjo-HP98

On February 25, 1987, Southern Methodist University’s football program became the first college football program to receive the Death Penalty by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions. The punishment came as the result of massive violations on the part of SMU of NCAA rules and regulations. The most serious of these violations was the use of a slush fund for secret payments to players from the mid-1970s through 1986. The Death Penalty under the NCAA is the canceling of an entire season, in this case SMU’s 1987 season. In this video, sophomore wide receiver Mitch Glieber talks about the penalty handed down by the NCAA and what it means for him.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axxcq4Yt2Ck

Salman Rushdie is a British Indian novelist whose works include Midnight’s Children, Shalimar the Clown and Haroun and the Sea of Stories. In 1988, Rushdie released his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses. The Satanic Verses was considered controversial and sparked protests from Muslims in several countries. On February 14, 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a fatwa calling for his assassination. Rushdie was subsequently put under police protection by the British government and spent ten years in hiding. The decree has since been lifted. In this video, Salman Rushdie discusses what it was like to have to go into hiding during that time and what it was like to write about the ordeal decades later.

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Salman Rushdie Discusses The Fatwa Issued Against Him appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCW1ju1-p2Y

Mary Lou Retton is an American gymnast who won the all-around gold medal in women’s gymnastics at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Retton was coached by Bela Karolyi, who had coached Nadia Comaneci in Romania before defecting to the United States. In this video, both Retton and Karolyi recall the moments leading up to Retton’s all-around gold medal win, which made her the first American to receive the all-around gold medal, as well as the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to hold the title.

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Mary Lou Retton Wins Gold appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx1U3DxJlGg

On January 10, 1984, The United States and The Vatican reestablished diplomatic relations after almost 117 years. In 1867, the United States Congress had placed a ban on public funding for a diplomatic envoy to the Vatican. The reversal in 1984 was not accepted by all. In this video, arguments both for and against diplomatic relations with The Vatican are expressed.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smY3waU-kuI

On December 31, 1988, Mario Lemieux became the only player in NHL history to score five goals five different ways in a single game: even-strength, power-play, short handed, penalty shot and empty net. Wayne Gretzky narrates this video of game footage from that night.

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Mario Lemieux Scores 5 Goals 5 Different Ways appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZMWtuJha4A

On December 30, 1981, Wayne Gretzky became the fastest National Hockey League player to score 50 goals in a season, accomplishing the feat in just 39 games. This clip shows Gretzky scoring the 50th goal, including the crowd’s reaction and the announcer’s coverage.

The post Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky Scores 50 Goals In 39 Games appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdD42SBovfY

Chico Mendes was a Brazilian rubber tapper who became a trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon Rainforest as well as for human rights. As part of the Rubber Tappers Union, Mendes asked the Brazilian government to set up reserves to make sure that the forest was being used without being damaged. The union also effectively stopped the destruction of the forest by blocking the way to rubber reserves. Mendes believed that the rubber tappers needed to diversify their work, focusing on products such as nuts, fruit and oil in addition to rubber. On December 22, 1988, Mendes was assassinated by a rancher. He was the 19th rural activist to be killed in Brazil that year. This video shows a brief interview with Mendes, as well as first-hand footage of rubber tappers successfully attempting to stop ranchers from cutting down trees.

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Chico Mendes & The Brazilian Rainforest appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uugzfJCi9Mw

The El Mozote Massacre took place in El Mozote, El Salvador, on December 11, 1981. The Salvadorian Army killed more than 800 civilians. Only one person, Rufina Amaya, survived the massacre. In this video, she recalls the day the massacre took place, saying: “They took me at about five in the afternoon. Only a few women and kids remained by this point. They took my four children from my arms. It took two soldiers because obviously I didn’t want to let them go. When I reached the end of the line, the women in front of me screamed and cried and asked from the heart to be saved and to be taken to San Miguel or Goter. They asked to be saved, but the soldiers didn’t listen. So when I saw the women begging for their lives and still being killed, I got on my knees in the dirt almost at the feet of the soldiers. I asked G-d to forgive me or save me. During the prayer I found a hiding place. There was a mound of wire, some branches and a small apple tree. I crawled in between those things and I put the branches over my feet to not be seen. I succeeded in staying there.”

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Sole Survivor Recalls El Mozote Massacre appeared first on Witnify.