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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

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    Josephine Baker - Black American Superstar

    Thu 10 Oct 2013

    In 1925 a young black American dancer became an overnight sensation in Paris

  • Tunnel Under the Berlin Wall

    Wed 9 Oct 2013

    In October 1964 a group of students helped 57 people escape from East Germany

  • Danish Jews Escape the Holocaust

    Tue 8 Oct 2013

    During WWII, most of the Jews in Denmark evaded Nazi plans to send them to death camps

  • The Murder of Anna Politkovskaya

    Mon 7 Oct 2013

    The outspoken Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered in October 2006

  • The Betty Ford Center

    Fri 4 Oct 2013

    How a First Lady's struggle with drugs led to the founding of a world famous rehab clinic

  • Israel's Nuclear Secrets

    Thu 3 Oct 2013

    In October 1986, Mordechai Vanunu revealed Israel's secret nuclear weapons programme

  • Australia's Asylum Stand-off

    Wed 2 Oct 2013

    In 2001, Australia refused entry to more than 400 refugees aboard a Norwegian freight ship

  • Mao's American Comrade

    Tue 1 Oct 2013

    Mao declares the formation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949

  • Appeasement

    Mon 30 Sep 2013

    In September 1938, Neville Chamberlain tried to negotiate with Hitler over Czechoslovakia.

  • The Kinsey Report into Female Sexuality

    Fri 27 Sep 2013

    Sex, 60 years ago: The Kinsey Report revealed all in 1953

  • Siege of Vukovar

    Thu 26 Sep 2013

    In 1991 the Yugoslav army pounded the Croatian town of Vukova for 87 days

  • The Death of Paquirri

    Wed 25 Sep 2013

    The fatal goring of the legendary bullfighter Francisco Rivera P茅rez in September 1984

  • Baywatch

    Tue 24 Sep 2013

    Executive producer Michael Berk on the birth of a global hit TV show in September 1989

  • Re-education in Communist China

    Mon 23 Sep 2013

    Hear from a British man who spent five years being 're-educated' in China in the 1950s

  • Duke Ellington Plays Afghanistan

    Thu 19 Sep 2013

    The jazz legend Duke Ellington played at a concert in Kabul In September 1963

  • Anthrax Attacks

    Wed 18 Sep 2013

    In Sept 2001 letters were sent to journalists containing the biological agent Anthrax

  • The Oslo Peace Accords

    Tue 17 Sep 2013

    In September 1993 a peace agreement was signed between Israel and the Palestinians

  • Evita's Odyssey

    Mon 16 Sep 2013

    The disappearance of the remains in 1955 of Evita Peron, the revered Argentine first lady

  • 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

    Fri 13 Sep 2013

    Four young black girls were killed in a racist bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, USA

  • Saving the Tiger

    Thu 12 Sep 2013

    In 1973 PM Indira Gandhi launched a campaign to save the Bengal Tiger from extinction

  • Military Coup in Chile

    Wed 11 Sep 2013

    On September 11th 1973, Gen Augusto Pinochet ousted the socialist government in Chile

  • US Airman Shot Down by Syria

    Tue 10 Sep 2013

    In December 1983, a US airman was shot down while attacking Syrian forces in Lebanon

  • The Attica Prison Riot

    Mon 9 Sep 2013

    In September 1971 prisoners in a high security jail in the US rose up against their guards

  • HMS Trinidad

    Fri 6 Sep 2013

    George Lloyd, a young English composer, wrote a march for the ship he served on in WWII

  • Special Operations Executive

    Thu 5 Sep 2013

    During WWII Britain set up a secret organisation to wage war in Nazi occupied Europe

  • Fleeing from Laos

    Wed 4 Sep 2013

    In 1973 the American war against communism in Laos ended leaving their allies behind

  • Jack The Ripper

    Tue 3 Sep 2013

    In September 1888, the most famous serial killer in history stalked the streets of London.

  • Eritrea's Long War

    Mon 2 Sep 2013

    A doctor who took part in Eritrea's 30 year struggle for independence from Ethiopia

  • Women Murdered in Mexico

    Fri 30 Aug 2013

    In 1993 young women began disappearing in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez.

  • Aboriginal Strike

    Thu 29 Aug 2013

    The first ever strike by Australian Aborigines to help free them from virtual slavery

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