History. The BBC World Service began as the BBC Empire Service in 1932 as a shortwave service aimed principally at English speakers in the outposts of the British Empire. Overview: Empire and Sea Power, 1714 - 1837. How did Britain's naval strength, coupled with the beginnings of the industrial revolution, lead to the establishment of. Victoria's Empire sees Victoria Wood look at the British empire at the time Queen Victoria was on the throne. Queen Victoria never went overseas to see her. BBC Documentary | The IRA Crime Empire Watch more video for Ancient Discoveries: - Civilisation (1969) Full Part 1 to 13 : . This vivid colour photograph is 100 years old, a self-portrait by the Russian aristocrat Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, using a unique photographic technique. An exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian is the result of six years of research that concludes the ancient Incas knew a thing or two about water. Why was the Empire successful? The recipe for success. There were many reasons why the Ottoman Empire was so successful: Highly centralised; Power was.