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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The discovery of the Aztec Moon Goddess
Wed 20 Mar 2019
How an accidental discovery in Mexico led to the uncovering of the Aztecs麓 Great Temple.
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The first democratic elections in the USSR
Tue 19 Mar 2019
Soviet citizens voted in democratic elections for the first time in March 1989.
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The millionaire Nazi war criminal
Mon 18 Mar 2019
How the Dutch art collector Pieter Menten was exposed as a war criminal in the 1970s
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How Little America was built in Afghanistan
Fri 15 Mar 2019
In the 1950s, US engineers were sent to Afghanistan to build a dam.
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Slaughterhouse-Five
Thu 14 Mar 2019
In March 1969, American author Kurt Vonnegut published his cult anti-war novel.
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China's breakthrough malaria cure
Wed 13 Mar 2019
Chinese scientists used ancient traditional medicine to find a cure for malaria.
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Lenin and the deadly mushrooms
Tue 12 Mar 2019
A spoof TV show persuaded some Russians that Lenin took too many hallucinogenic mushrooms
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The fall of Singapore
Mon 11 Mar 2019
Life under Japanese occupation in Singapore during World War Two.
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Britain's first female black headteacher
Fri 8 Mar 2019
Yvonne Conolly was appointed head of Ringcross Primary school in North London in 1969
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The woman who asked Britain to return the Parthenon marbles
Thu 7 Mar 2019
Melina Mercouri asked Britain to return the Parthenon marbles removed by Lord Elgin.
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Speaking out against my abuser: Daniel Ortega
Wed 6 Mar 2019
How Nicaragua's president was accused of sexual abuse by his step-daughter
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The creation of the Barbie doll
Tue 5 Mar 2019
Hear from the woman who created the most famous doll in the world.
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Britain's first Muslim woman in government
Mon 4 Mar 2019
Sayeeda Warsi was appointed to the coalition government's Cabinet in May 2010
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Happy Beer Day!
Fri 1 Mar 2019
On March 1st 1989 Icelanders were allowed to buy beer for the first time in decades
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Asama Sanso: Japanese hostage crisis
Thu 28 Feb 2019
Armed left-wing extremists fought off Japanese police in the mountains in February 1972
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Sucked out of a plane
Wed 27 Feb 2019
Nine people died when a cargo door opened mid-flight over the Pacific in February 1989
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Swine flu shuts down Mexico City
Tue 26 Feb 2019
A highly infectious virus appeared in Mexico in 2009 and rapidly spread round the world
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How science ended the search for Josef Mengele
Fri 22 Feb 2019
A panel of scientists went to Brazil to identify the remains of the infamous Nazi in 1985
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The men who tried to warn us about smoking
Thu 21 Feb 2019
When doctors said cigarette smokers were dying prematurely the UK government did little.
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The curse of Agent Orange
Wed 20 Feb 2019
One woman's battle against the toxic legacy of the Vietnam War
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The Columbia space shuttle disaster
Tue 19 Feb 2019
The US space shuttle disintegrated on its way back to Earth on February 1, 2003.
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The true story of Roma
Mon 18 Feb 2019
The student massacre in M茅xico portrayed in Alfonso Cuar贸n's award-winning movie.
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Maastricht: The birth of the European Union
Fri 15 Feb 2019
In 1992 European ministers signed a treaty towards greater economic and political unity.
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Confessions of a Soviet alcoholic
Thu 14 Feb 2019
How a homeless Russian drunk wrote a secret classic
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British Cameroons' historic referendum
Wed 13 Feb 2019
The 1961 vote lies at the heart of the violent conflict in Cameroon's Anglophone region
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Women Airline Pilots
Tue 12 Feb 2019
Two of the first female airline pilots in the US remember their struggle
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Iceland Jails Its Bankers
Mon 11 Feb 2019
The man who jailed 40 top bankers in Iceland after the 2008 global credit crunch
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The Bombardment of Baghdad
Fri 8 Feb 2019
The people of Baghdad faced death when the US and its allies began their invasion of Iraq
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Disney Goes to Europe
Thu 7 Feb 2019
The first Disney theme park in Europe took years of negotiations to get off the ground.
