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
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Freeze
Wed 17 Jul 2013
In 1988 a group of students put on an exhibition called Freeze. It changed British art.
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The Hong Kong Handover
Tue 16 Jul 2013
Former Governor General, Chris Patten, remembers the day the territory returned to China.
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Women's Baseball in WWII
Mon 15 Jul 2013
In 1943, the first and only professional women's baseball league was launched in the US
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Disco Demolition Night
Fri 12 Jul 2013
How a disgruntled Chicago DJ hosted an anti-disco event which turned into a riot in 1979
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Skylab Falls to Earth
Thu 11 Jul 2013
The day when fragments of the US space station Skylab hit an Australian town in 1979
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The Death of Thich Quang Duc
Wed 10 Jul 2013
In June 1963, a Buddhist monk set himself on fire in central Saigon
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Iran Student Protest
Tue 9 Jul 2013
The Iranian student who became an unwitting symbol of the anti-government protests in 1999
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The Death of Jean Moulin
Mon 8 Jul 2013
The day the leader of the French Resistance was killed by German forces on July 08, 1943
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Yasser Arafat Arrives in Gaza
Fri 5 Jul 2013
When the Palestinian leader was allowed to return from exile to the Gaza strip in 1994
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Ludwig Wittgenstein
Thu 4 Jul 2013
How the publication of Philosophical Investigations in 1953 revolutionised philosophy
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Penguin Rescue
Wed 3 Jul 2013
The mission to save thousands of African penguins from an oil spill in July, 2000
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Chilean Students Set on Fire
Tue 2 Jul 2013
In July 1986 two students were set on fire by Chilean government soldiers
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The Battle of Gettysburg
Mon 1 Jul 2013
It is 150 years since the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the American Civil War
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Iraq's Sectarian Violence
Fri 28 Jun 2013
The recent surge in violence in Iraq has echoes of the sectarian conflict in 2006-07
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JFK in Ireland
Thu 27 Jun 2013
Novelist Colm Toibin recalls US President John F Kennedy's visit to Ireland in June 1963
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Smoking and Lung Cancer
Wed 26 Jun 2013
It took until the 1950s for researchers to connect smoking with lung cancer
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War Requiem by Benjamin Britten
Tue 25 Jun 2013
It is regarded as one of the most important pieces in 20th Century English music.
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Ultrasound
Mon 24 Jun 2013
It's 55 years since a picture of a foetus inside the womb was first published.
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The first woman in space
Fri 21 Jun 2013
In June 1963 Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova went into orbit.
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Murder in Managua
Thu 20 Jun 2013
In June 1979 an American TV reporter was shot dead by government forces in Nicaragua
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Rocky Horror Show
Wed 19 Jun 2013
It is 40 years since the opening of a comedy musical which would become a cult phenomenon
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The Execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Tue 18 Jun 2013
It is 60 years since the American couple were executed for spying
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Gay Marriage
Mon 17 Jun 2013
The first gay marriage in America took place more than 40 years ago in Minnesota.
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The Pentagon Papers
Fri 14 Jun 2013
In 1971 one man leaked thousands of pages of secret US government documents to the press.
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Post-war Berlin
Thu 13 Jun 2013
A child's eye view of life in Berlin in the aftermath of World War II
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Nigeria's Lost Election
Wed 12 Jun 2013
The election of Chief MKO Abiola 20 years ago, which was annulled by the military
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Escape from Alcatraz
Tue 11 Jun 2013
In June 1962 three prisoners escaped from the maximum security US jail.
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Robert Kennedy's Funeral Train
Fri 7 Jun 2013
How huge crowds of Americans mourned Bobby Kennedy after his 1968 assassination.
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Stalin's Gulag
Thu 6 Jun 2013
Millions of people were sent to brutal labour camps in the USSR under Joseph Stalin
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The Oklahoma Bomber
Wed 5 Jun 2013
Twelve years ago, Timothy McVeigh was executed for carrying out the 1995 Oklahoma bombing
