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 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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron 鈥 Argentina鈥檚 Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous 鈥榯ear down this wall鈥 speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler鈥檚 List; and Jacques Derrida, France鈥檚 鈥榬ock star鈥 philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest, the disastrous D-Day rehearsal, and the death of one of the world鈥檚 oldest languages.
Episodes to download
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The opening of the Medellin Metro
Thu 26 Jun 2025
How a train system helped transform the 鈥渕urder capital of the world鈥 in 2015
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The funeral train for Robert Kennedy
Wed 25 Jun 2025
In June 1968, Robert Kennedy was killed during his campaign for the presidency
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The Czech Freedom Train
Tue 24 Jun 2025
On 11 September 1951, a Czech train was hijacked and driven into West Germany
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The Gratitude Train: France thanks America
Mon 23 Jun 2025
In 1949, the Gratitude Train arrived in the US, 49 wagons of thank you gifts from France
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Making Jaws
Fri 20 Jun 2025
On 20 June 1975 the film premiered, launching summer blockbusters and scaring beachgoers
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The signing of the Treaty of Versailles
Thu 19 Jun 2025
The signing of a peace agreement that marked the end of World War One took place in 1919
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Civil rights swim-in
Wed 18 Jun 2025
In 1964, a civil rights swimming protest ended when acid was poured into the pool
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Charleston church shooting
Tue 17 Jun 2025
Polly Sheppard, a survivor of the 2015 Charleston shooting, describes how it unfolded
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'Tripperburgen' the sexual health clinics that detained women
Mon 16 Jun 2025
In 1977, in the former East Germany, tens of thousands of women and girls were abused
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The Schengen Agreement
Fri 13 Jun 2025
In 1985, five European politicians agreed to scrap border checks between their countries
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Ronald Reagan鈥檚 鈥楾ear down this wall鈥 speech
Thu 12 Jun 2025
In 1987 the US President called on the Soviet Union leader to take down the Berlin Wall
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Lonesome George: The celebrity tortoise
Wed 11 Jun 2025
In 2012, Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his species died
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The woman born in a prisoner of war camp
Tue 10 Jun 2025
The Sino-Indian war in 1962, left a lasting legacy on Indian families of Chinese descent
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World War Two鈥檚 Rome escape line
Mon 9 Jun 2025
How an Irish priest saved thousands of allied prisoners of war and Jews in Rome in WW2
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Usonia: Frank Lloyd Wright鈥檚 鈥榰topian鈥 town
Fri 6 Jun 2025
1948 saw the start of a 鈥渦topian鈥 town of houses designed by America鈥檚 greatest architect
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The discovery of the first exoplanets
Thu 5 Jun 2025
In 1992, astronomer Alex Wolszczan discovered the first planets outside our solar system
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Favela life: The diary of Carolina Maria de Jesus
Wed 4 Jun 2025
In 1960, the diary of a poor Brazilian mum became an international bestseller.
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The world鈥檚 largest model train set
Tue 3 Jun 2025
In 2000, twins Frederik and Gerrit started building Miniatur Wunderland
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Dolly Rathebe: South Africa鈥檚 first international film star
Mon 2 Jun 2025
Jim Comes to Jo鈥檅urg, also known as African Jim, launched Dolly Rathebe鈥檚 career in 1949
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The Battle of the Beanfield
Fri 30 May 2025
In 1985, police and hippies clashed at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge, in England
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The legacy of The Pirate Bay
Thu 29 May 2025
In 2006 police raided the popular but controversial file-sharing website The Pirate Bay
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Chinua Achebe鈥檚 revolutionary book Things Fall Apart
Wed 28 May 2025
Achebe's English language novel from 1958 about life in Nigeria before colonialism
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The Tragically Hip's final gig
Tue 27 May 2025
In 2015 Canadian rockstar Gord Downie was given months to live, he went on one last tour
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'I wrote the Champions League anthem'
Mon 26 May 2025
The story of how one of the most iconic tunes in sport was created in 1992
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Vivian Maier: Secret street photographer
Fri 23 May 2025
The secret street photography of a US nanny in the 1950s and 1960s
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The founding of Magnum Photos
Thu 22 May 2025
On 22 April 1947, a group of famous war photographers founded the agency.
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Mart铆n Chambi: Peru's pioneering documentary photographer
Wed 21 May 2025
Chambi's dramatic black and white photographs showed indigenous people in a new light.
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Nigerian photographer鈥檚 iconic 'Hairstyles' series
Tue 20 May 2025
J. D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, known as Nigeria鈥檚 top photographer gained international acclaim
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Lunch atop a Skyscraper
Mon 19 May 2025
In 1932, a photo of ironworkers eating lunch at the top of a skyscraper was taken
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Sweden鈥檚 shocking sugar experiment
Fri 16 May 2025
In the 1940s, vulnerable hospital patients were fed sugar to see if their teeth decayed.