Witness History Podcast
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.
Episodes to download
-
![]()
The Murder of Selena Quintanilla-Perez
Mon 31 Mar 2014
On March 31 1995, rising Latino superstar Selena was shot dead by her fan club manager.
-
![]()
The First Outbreak of the Ebola Virus
Fri 28 Mar 2014
Almost 300 people died before the outbreak in Zaire in 1976 was eventually contained
-
![]()
The Conviction of Jack Kevorkian
Thu 27 Mar 2014
In March 1999, US doctor Jack Kevorkian was convicted for performing euthanasia
-
![]()
The First Democratic Elections in the USSR
Wed 26 Mar 2014
In March 1989, Soviet citizens were given a chance to vote for non-communists candidates
-
![]()
Maori Song Rocks New Zealand
Tue 25 Mar 2014
How Poi E became the first Maori language song to reach number one in New Zealand
-
![]()
Missing Plane Mystery
Mon 24 Mar 2014
In 1947 a passenger plane vanished without trace, only to reappear 53 years later
-
![]()
Uganda Cult Deaths
Fri 21 Mar 2014
Hundreds of doomsday cult members were found murdered in Uganda in March 2000
-
![]()
The Development of the First AIDS Drug
Thu 20 Mar 2014
AZT was approved within two years, the fastest approval in US history at the time
-
![]()
A Failed Royal Kidnapping
Wed 19 Mar 2014
Princess Anne escaped a kidnap attempt by a lone gunman in London in March 1974
-
![]()
Germany's Guest Workers
Tue 18 Mar 2014
In the 1960s foreign workers were invited to power the country's economic regeneration
-
![]()
The Torrey Canyon Disaster
Mon 17 Mar 2014
An oil tanker hit the rocks off the the south-west coast of England in March 1967
-
![]()
1989 and the Lebanese Civil War
Fri 14 Mar 2014
Fighting intensified in the Lebanese capital Beirut in March 1989
-
![]()
Taiwan '228 Incident'
Thu 13 Mar 2014
In 1947, Chiang Kai-Shek's Chinese nationalist troops killed 20,000 civilians in Taiwan
-
![]()
The Creation of Barbie
Wed 12 Mar 2014
The woman who created the most famous doll in the world - Barbie
-
![]()
The Madrid Train Bombings
Tue 11 Mar 2014
The bombing of commuter trains in Spain's capital that killed 191 people and injured 1800
-
![]()
Suffragette Art Attack
Mon 10 Mar 2014
In 1914 a suffragette attacked a painting in London's National Gallery with a cleaver
-
![]()
Ghana Veterans and the 1948 Accra Riots
Fri 7 Mar 2014
In 1948 Ghana was rocked by riots following the killing of Ghanaian WW2 veterans
-
![]()
Soviet Mission to Halley's Comet
Thu 6 Mar 2014
In 1986, two Soviet space probes intercepted Halley's Comet
-
![]()
The Miss World Protest
Wed 5 Mar 2014
In 1970 feminists stormed the stage at the Miss World pageant in London.
-
![]()
British Miners' Strike
Tue 4 Mar 2014
In March 1984, coal miners across the UK went on strike over planned pit closures
-
![]()
The Maharishi's World Tour
Mon 3 Mar 2014
In spring 1959, an Indian guru toured the world teaching Transcendental Meditation.
-
![]()
Hugo Chavez's First Coup
Fri 28 Feb 2014
Left-leaning army officers staged an unsuccessful coup in Venezuela in February 1992
-
![]()
The Downfall of Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Thu 27 Feb 2014
In February 2004 the president of Haiti was forced out of power by a countrywide uprising
-
![]()
The Khrushchev Thaw
Wed 26 Feb 2014
In the 1950s Soviet citizens were allowed to buy tape recorders for the first time.
-
![]()
Spitting Image
Tue 25 Feb 2014
In February 1984 an outrageous satirical puppet show hit British television screens
-
![]()
Stalin's 1944 Deportations
Mon 24 Feb 2014
How nearly half a million Chechen and Ingush people were deported from the North Caucasus
-
![]()
Protests for the Mother Tongue
Fri 21 Feb 2014
In February 1952 thousands marched in Dhaka in defence of the Bengali language
-
![]()
The Fall of Albania's Enver Hoxha
Thu 20 Feb 2014
In February 1991 protesters pulled down the giant statue of Albania's communist dictator.
-
![]()
The Death of Deng Xiaoping
Wed 19 Feb 2014
Deng Xiaoping's translator, Victor Gao remembers the architect of China's transformation
-
![]()
The True Story of "Whisky Galore"
Tue 18 Feb 2014
In February 1941, a ship carrying nearly 30,000 cases of whisky was wrecked in Scotland.
