The Day of The Siege

The 1863 Vicksburg campaign was to prove decisive to the outcome of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Known as the 'Gibraltar of the West', Vicksburg was the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. In a masterly campaign Grant used riverboats and steamers to land his army south of the city. He then defeated the armies of Generals 'Joe' Johnston and John C. Pemberton. Pemberton allowed his force to become bottled up in Vicksburg and after an epic 47-day siege he was forced to surrender the remnants of his force to Grant on 4 July 1863, one day after Lee's defeat at Gettysburg.

7th July 2005: four bombs explode in London - the first suicide bombings on English soil. Hour by hour, day by day, the story of the biggest police investigation in British history.

The Normans, a three-part series on BBC that will examine the extraordinary expansion and unchecked ambition of this warrior race between the 10th and 13th centuries. Presented by Professor Robert Bartlett, the series will bring the history of the Normans to life by uncovering the personal stories of shadowy figures like Tancred of Hauteville, best remembered as a poor 11th-century Norman lord who fathered no less than 12 sons, two of whom left their homeland and risked their lives to become great rulers in the Mediterranean and Middle East.