The American Freedom Train and the invention of text messaging
Published: January 3, 2026
Duration: 1:00:30
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.
Our guest is Professor Barbara Keys, a specialist in US history at Durham University.
We start with a celebration of the American Freedom Train, as the US prepares to mark 250 years of independence.
Then, the South African railway enthusiast who created one of the most luxurious train services in the world.
We hear about the invention of text messaging and how it changed the way we communicate.
Plus, 75 years of Radio Free Europe...