Thanks for joining me for another episode of Today in History. I’m Sen, your host.

Today, we will hear about some exciting female achievements, but also about a man who fought and died for human rights.

As usual, you’ll hear the events twice. So, remember, don’t worry too much about focusing on the meaning the first time round. That’s what the second listen is for.

So, what happened on this day in history?

On July 25, 1984, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya became the first woman to walk in space. Two years earlier, in 1982, she had become the second woman to go to space. Since then, 63 more women have done the same.

On the same day in 2007, Pratibha Patil became the first female president of India. Her term lasted 5 years. During this time, she gave speeches on the importance of women’s rights in India and focused her attention on the country’s agricultural crisis. However, she was also criticized for taking her family on presidential foreign trips.

On July 25, 2020, Uzbek activist Azimzhan Askarov died in prison in Kyrgyzstan. After 15 years as a painter, he began working on human rights issues in the mid 1990s. He set up an organization called Vozduh. It investigated police violence and prison conditions in southern Kyrgyzstan. In 2010, he was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. He always said he was innocent, and the UN later found he was denied a fair trial.

Now for the second listen. This time, focus more on the meaning.

On July 25, 1984, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya became the first woman to walk in space. Two years earlier, in 1982, she had become the second woman to go to space. Since then, 63 more women have done the same.

On the same day in 2007, Pratibha Patil became the first female president of India. Her term lasted 5 years. During this time, she gave speeches on the importance of women’s rights in India and focused her attention on the country’s agricultural crisis. However, she was also criticized for taking her family on presidential foreign trips.

On July 25, 2020, Uzbek activist Azimzhan Askarov died in prison in Kyrgyzstan. After 15 years as a painter, he began working on human rights issues in the mid 1990s. He set up an organization called Vozduh. It investigated police violence and prison conditions in southern Kyrgyzstan. In 2010, he was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. He always said he was innocent, and the UN later found he was denied a fair trial.

Did any words catch your attention? ‘Cosmonaut’ is simply the term for a Soviet or Russian person who is trained to travel into space. The word ‘agricultural’ describes something which is linked to or used in farming. And if someone has been ‘denied’ something, it means they have not been allowed to have or do something. Remember, you can always listen to these words again by just rewinding.

That’s it for today. But, I’ll be back tomorrow with another episode of Today in History.

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Episode notes:

cosmonaut: a Russian person who is trained to travel into space
agricultural: something relating to or used in farming
to deny: to not allow someone to have or do something