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History told by the people who were there. For nine minutes every weekday, Witness History takes you back to moments which have shaped our world.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines鈥� life and Omar Sharif鈥檚 legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives鈥� ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

Updated: daily
Episodes available: indefinitely

Episodes to download

  • The Assassination of Indira Gandhi

    Wed 29 Oct 2014

    Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot by her bodyguards on 31 October, 1984

  • New York Jewel Heist

    Tue 28 Oct 2014

    In Oct 1964 cat-burglars carried out one of the most audacious jewel robberies ever

  • The October War

    Mon 27 Oct 2014

    In 1973, the Arabs launched an attack on Israel in a war both sides claimed they'd won

  • The Murder that Shocked Brazil

    Fri 24 Oct 2014

    In October 1975 the journalist Vladimir Herzog was killed by the secret police in Brazil.

  • Turkey and the Kurds

    Thu 23 Oct 2014

    In 1999 the leader of Turkey's Kurdish rebel group was arrested

  • Ethiopia's 1984 Famine

    Wed 22 Oct 2014

    In 1984 Ethiopia suffered one of its worst ever famines - the pictures shocked the world

  • The Death of Dele Giwa

    Tue 21 Oct 2014

    In October 1986, the acclaimed Nigerian journalist, Dele Giwa, was assassinated in Lagos

  • The Vagina Monologues

    Fri 17 Oct 2014

    In 1996 the play 'The Vagina Monologues was first performed in New York.

  • London Dock Strike of 1889

    Thu 16 Oct 2014

    In 1889 London's despised dockers went on strike. It went on to form the labour movement

  • The Leipzig Demonstrations

    Wed 15 Oct 2014

    Mass demonstrations in Leipzig triggered the collapse of communism in East Germany

  • The Fall of Nikita Khrushchev

    Tue 14 Oct 2014

    In October 1964 the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was ousted in a Kremlin coup

  • The Band that Made The Beatles

    Mon 13 Oct 2014

    In 1957 Lennon and McCartney performed together for the first time in The Quarrymen

  • Handing Over Hong Kong

    Fri 10 Oct 2014

    The negotiations that promised 'One country two systems' when the territory changed hands

  • How the IPCC was formed

    Thu 9 Oct 2014

    An international conference in 1985 changed the history of climate change

  • The Death of Che Guevara

    Wed 8 Oct 2014

    A prominent figure in the Cuban Revolution, Guevara was captured and killed in Bolivia

  • The Boer War 1899-1902

    Tue 7 Oct 2014

    The conflict between white Afrikaner settlers and the British empire in South Africa

  • Sabotage of Nazi Nuclear Programme

    Mon 6 Oct 2014

    In October 1942 Norwegian commandos began a series of raids on a heavy water plant

  • Willie Nelson's Farm Aid

    Fri 3 Oct 2014

    Country music legend Willie Nelson holds the first benefit concert for American farmers.

  • Japan's Bullet Train

    Thu 2 Oct 2014

    In October 1964, Japan launched the fastest train the world had ever seen

  • The world's first civil union

    Wed 1 Oct 2014

    In 1989, Denmark became the first country to celebrate same-sex civil unions

  • The Death of James Dean

    Tue 30 Sep 2014

    On 30 September 1955 the Hollywood actor, James Dean, crashed his car and died

  • The Taliban take Kabul

    Mon 29 Sep 2014

    In September 1996 the Taliban took over the Afghan capital Kabul

  • The Sinking of the 'Joola' Ferry

    Fri 26 Sep 2014

    In 2002 the 'Joola' ferry sank off Senegal with the loss of more than 1800 lives

  • The Cuban Five

    Thu 25 Sep 2014

    Five Cuban spies were arrested in Miami by the FBI in September 1998

  • Friends

    Wed 24 Sep 2014

    The American TV show Friends hits TV screens

  • The World's First Hand Transplant

    Tue 23 Sep 2014

    On 23 September 1998, Clint Hallam received the world's first hand transplant

  • The Overthrow of Bokassa

    Mon 22 Sep 2014

    On 20 September 1979 the Central African dictator Jean Bedel-Bokassa left power

  • Black September

    Fri 19 Sep 2014

    In 1970 the Jordanian military fought against the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

  • South Africa invades Lesotho

    Thu 18 Sep 2014

    South Africa sent 600 soldiers into Lesotho to quell political unrest in September 1998

  • Los Topos - Mexico's Earthquake Rescuers

    Wed 17 Sep 2014

    How an earthquake in Mexico City in 1985 led to the creation of an elite rescue group

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