Thirty years ago on December 13 1981, martial law was declared in Poland. This drastic step, taken by the then Prime Minister General Wojciech Jaruzelski was intended to suppress political opposition and restore communist party control throughout the land. A shocked world watched as high-profile oppositionists, including Jacek Kuroń and Jan Józef Lipski, vanished in the crackdown.

Monday 5th December marks the 110th birthday of the late Walter Elias 'Walt' Disney, the American film producer, animator and co-founder of the Walt Disney Company.

Greenwood and Earnshaw’s Chemistry of the Elements has today been translated into several European and Asian languages, and is widely regarded around the world as being one of the most influential chemistry bibles of our time.

Alice Herz-Sommer, the renowned Czech pianist and the oldest known survivor of the Holocaust and the Theresienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp, celebrates her 108th birthday this weekend.

Web of Stories is delighted to announce the availability of a unique series of videos of Sir Ken Adam talking candidly about his life and career from childhood to the present day.

Best known for his pioneering research on the ageing process, Leonard Hayflick is an internationally recognised microbiologist whose work has revolutionised cell biology. Web of Stories presents a comprehensive and insightful video archive of the man behind the ‘Hayflick limit’.

As Awakenings author Oliver Sacks releases his latest book, Hallucinations, this month, discover more about the man and his ground-breaking work as he shares personal memories about his life with Web of Stories.

As legendary watchmaker George Daniels’ entire personal collection goes under the hammer at Sotheby’s on 6 November, now is the time to buy a slice of history and find out more about the man behind the dials.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise which began in 1962 with the innovative Dr No. To celebrate, you can watch the legendary production designer Sir Ken Adam’s videos on Web of Stories where he shares his behind-the-scenes memories of the iconic movie brand.

Wolfgang Suschitzky, the Austrian-born cinematographer, celebrates his 100th birthday this week. To mark his life and career, Web of Stories is proud to present a wonderful video archive of ‘Su’, which traces his earliest memories of Vienna through to his work on the 1971 movie Get Carter.

What is life as a boxer really like? Discover more on Web of Stories by watching an in-depth series of recorded interviews with those who know the sport best. Bernard Hopkins, Johnny Nelson, Clifton Mitchell, and trainer Brendan Ingle all reveal the tales of their careers in and out of the ring.

Described as ‘Britain’s most famous and controversial art critic’, Brian Sewell is as well known for his acerbic wit and scathing critiques as those whose work he reviews. Discover more about his life by watching his truly insightful video stories, told in his own unique style, at Web of Stories.

As The Amazing Spider-Man hits the big screen on 3 July, American comic book writer Stan Lee is once again propelled into the spotlight. Find out more about the man who brought us Spider-Man, X-Men and The Hulk as he shares the stories of his creations in his own words at Web of Stories.

As his outstanding collection of vintage motor cars goes under the hammer at Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, Web of Stories celebrates the life and work of legendary English watchmaker, George Daniels.

As the National Science Museum hosts a major new exhibition to mark the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth this week, Web of Stories celebrates the groundbreaking work of the father of computer science with video recordings from those who knew him.

Web of Stories is delighted to release several brand new recordings with award-winning American writer, Philip Roth as he recounts, with light-hearted honesty, elements of his life, including the inspiration for some of his work

The National Gallery in London first opened its doors to the public on 10 May 1824. Take a peek behind the scenes by watching architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, and the Gallery’s first Associate Artist, Paula Rego, share their Gallery experiences in a series of enthralling recordings

Saturday 5 May marks the anniversary of philosopher Karl Marx's birth in 1818. To commemorate this date, why not watch the extraordinary Web of Stories recordings of Polish political activist Jacek Kuroń as he reminisces about his life, including his involvement with Marxism and communism.

Monday 23 April marks the birth and death of William Shakespeare, so why not mark the date by watching the fascinating recordings of renowned theatre director Sir Peter Hall as he looks back over his remarkable career in British theatre and reminisces about his creation of the Royal Shakespeare Company?

Friday 13 April marks the fourth anniversary of the death of John Wheeler, one of the world’s most influential physicists. Web of Stories was fortunate enough to capture Wheeler discussing his work in his own words and these fascinating clips can be seen on our website

Nobel Prize winner James Watson celebrates his 84th birthday on 6 April and you can watch him discuss pivotal moments from his illustrious career, including one of the most celebrated scientific achievements of a generation, in a series of compelling in-depth recordings at Web of Stories.

As the exhibition ‘Jonas Mekas and Robert Polidori: Portraits’ gains critical acclaim at New York’s Edwynn Houk Gallery, watch Mekas tell the remarkable tales of his life and work in his own captivating words.

To celebrate World Poetry Day on Wednesday 21 March, a day of recognition for the importance of poetry across the world, Web of Stories is releasing brand new recordings of Lithuanian award-winning poet Tomas Venclova reflecting on his writing and the spellbinding stories of his life

As a new portrait of scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock goes on display in the National Portrait Gallery, watch him recount, in enthralling detail, memories of his life’s work

As Andrzej Wajda, Poland’s most prominent filmmaker, celebrates his birthday on Tuesday 6 March, learn more about his background and enthralling, award-winning work by watching him recount events from his fascinating life.

Thursday 1 March marks the birthday of acclaimed American poet Richard Wilbur, so what better way to mark the occasion than to watch him recount the absorbing story of his life and prize-winning work?

Italian biologist Renato Dulbecco has died at his home in California aged 97. Joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1975 for furthering the understanding of cancer caused by viruses, Dulbecco had also created a vaccine using a mutant form of the polio virus and had played a significant role in initiating the Human Genome Project.

Dolly the Sheep made headlines around the world when news broke that the first mammal had been successfully cloned. To mark the anniversary of her death on 14 February 2003, watch the late John Maynard Smith, renowned environmental biologist and geneticist, share his views on her creation and reflect on his highly influential career

To celebrate the birthday of the most famous biologist in history, Charles Darwin, on 12 February, visit the Web of Stories video recordings of the award-winning evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr who shares his thoughts on Darwin’s remarkable, world-changing theories

On 31 January 1950 President Truman gave the order to create the hydrogen bomb. To mark the anniversary of this event, listen to physicist Edward Teller sharing, in his own words, the fascinating story of his part in its creation, which changed the world forever.

Anniversary of Ava Gardner's death: Web of Stories presents Billy Williams' recollections of working with the screen siren.

Watch Quentin Blake tell his life story and how he started work on the As Large As Life exhibition at London's Foundling Museum at WebofStories.com

On Tuesday 10th January, Donald Ervin Knuth, the American computing pioneer and author of the classic The Art of Computer Programming, celebrates his 74th birthday.

Freeman Dyson celebrates his 90th birthday

As world-renowned British neurologist Oliver Sacks celebrates his 80th birthday on 9 July, he remains one of the most prolific names in his field. Web of Stories is proud to present a range of insightful recordings as Sacks recounts memories of his life and work.

As 19 April marks the 70th anniversary of the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto, Web of Stories is proud to share a rare, first-hand account of this with exclusive footage of Marek Edelman, one of the last commanders of the uprising, sharing his life story.

As he celebrates his 80th birthday on 19 March 2013, renowned American writer Philip Roth shares with Web of Stories intimate and enthralling details of his life and work.

It’s 60 years since the discovery of the structure of DNA, and what better way to mark the occasion than to watch Noble prize-winning biologists Crick and Watson recount their memories of this groundbreaking work in a series of compelling recordings?

Web of Stories is delighted to announce the availability of a unique series of videos of Desmond Morris talking candidly about his life and career from childhood to the present day. The recordings, which were made in June 2014, are free to view on the Web of Stories website (www.webofstories.com).

As novelist, Oscar-winning screenwriter, biographer, short-story writer and critic Frederic Raphael celebrates his 83rd birthday, Web of Stories is proud to release over 100 insightful recordings recounting his life and work

We all have moments when we look for inspiration, and who knows when these moments will strike?