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<iframe width="700" height="480" src="https://player.timelinenotation.com/todayinhistoryint/23040/embed" frameborder="0"></iframe>
00:00
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00:28
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Hi, Sen here. Welcome to another episode of Today in History.
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00:37
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You’ll hear today’s historical events twice. This first time through, don’t worry about understanding individual words and phrases. This helps to improve your English listening skills. And, you’ll probably still find that you pick up some of the general meaning anyway.
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01:04
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So, what happened today in history?
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01:11
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On July 27, 1927, Tunisian-French lawyer Gisèle Halimi was born in Tunis, Tunisia. Throughout her life she worked hard to defend human rights, especially those of women. She was key to making abortion legal in France, as well as removing the death penalty.
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01:42
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On July 27, 1972, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was born. He became Malaysia’s first astronaut when he flew to the International Space Station in 2007. On this trip, he also became the first Muslim to observe Ramadan in space. As well as an astronaut, Sheikh Muszaphar is a surgeon and part-time model.
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02:18
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Now for the second listen. You can focus more on the meaning of individual words and phrases this time. Remember, some of the difficult words will be explained afterwards. Or you can even find them in the episode notes.
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02:41
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On July 27, 1927, Tunisian-French lawyer Gisèle Halimi was born in Tunis, Tunisia. Throughout her life she worked hard to defend human rights, especially those of women. She was key to making abortion legal in France, as well as reGmoving the death penalty.
SaveCancel
03:11
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On July 27, 1972, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was born. He became Malaysia’s first astronaut when he flew to the International Space Station in 2007. On this trip, he also became the first Muslim to observe Ramadan in space. As well as an astronaut, Sheikh Muszaphar is a surgeon and part-time model.
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03:47
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Let’s take a look at some of the more difficult words. You might know that an ‘abortion’ is when a pregnancy is ended on purpose so that it doesn’t result in the birth of a child. And, ‘surgeon’? Well, this is a doctor who is specially trained to perform medical operations. Why not rewind and have another listen to these words.
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04:22
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That’s it for today. But if you’re interested in more historical facts, then be sure to check out tomorrow’s episode of Today in History.

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Episode notes:

abortion: the ending of a pregnancy so that it doesn’t result in the birth of a child
surgeon: a doctor who is specially trained to perform medical operations
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End
The births of human rights activist Gisèle Halimi, and Malaysia's first astronaut. Join us and discover what happened on this day in the past, all while improving your listening skills and learning a few new words along the way. Email us your feedback to podcasting@babbel.com. These events are written in a simple way for intermediate learners of English. Facts are accurate as of June 2021.