Seventy-two years ago this week, the world teetered on the brink of war as Germany issued demands for a portion of Czechoslovakia known as the Sudetenland. As the fate of the Czech people hung in the balance, Britain and Germany underwent talks and negotiations to resolve the crisis and a new word, Appeasement started to make its way into daily usage.

Here are a series of news reports and analysis from CBS on September 26, 1938 with Edward R. Murrow in London, Robert Trout and H.V. Kaltenborn in New York discussing the events of the day and speculating on the outcome.

The world was holding its collective breath and Radio news came into its own as a viable source of information for the first time. The Czech crisis was a culminating moment in Network radio as reports came in live from overseas adding a new dimension as well as a new urgency to the concept of broadcast journalism as it had never happened before.

The news on this May 10th in 1940 was totally consumed with the goings on in Europe. The German Army staged a massive invasion of the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) and the airwaves were filled with bulletins flying in every few seconds. It was also, coincidentally, the day Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned from Number 10 Downing Street and former First Lord of The Admiralty Winston Churchill assumed the position.

No small task, considering there were rumors rife of an imminent invasion of Britain and citizens were warned to be on the lookout for German paratroopers.

Here is an hour, almost continuous, of news reports and bulletins as they occurred via NBC and the BBC, containing both the resignation address of Chamberlain and an urgent appeal for aid from Dutch Foreign Minister John Loudon to the U.S.

Strange and unsettling times, and all on May 10th in 1940.

(Belgian prisoners and German captors - a common sight in May 1940)

Seventy years ago this week, the war in Europe inched closer to the brink when Germany launch a full-scale invasion of Belgium, Luxembourg and Holland on May 10th. On the same day, Neville Chamberlain offered his resignation and the duties of Prime Minister went to First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill.

H.V. Kaltenborn: “Let us, in this evening hour, attempt to summarize what has happened during the day, in which three neutral countries were invaded; Luxembourg. Belgium and Holland. In which there were two cabinet changes. A complete change of leadership in England and the addition of further parties to the cabinet in France.”

All signs were pointing to an eventual invasion of Britain as each country was invaded and fell under Nazi rule. And, despite assurances to the contrary, it was only a matter of time before the U.S. would get involved. But that wouldn't be for another year.