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 Soweto Uprising
Wed 6 Feb 2019
A former schoolgirl remembers the demonstration that sparked an uprising in South Africa.
-
![]()
The Capture of Che Guevara
Tue 5 Feb 2019
How the Marxist revolutionary was captured and killed in Bolivia.
-
![]()
The Death of Hitler
Mon 4 Feb 2019
A first-hand account of Hitler from one of his secretaries who was there at the very end
-
![]()
Women and the Iranian Revolution
Fri 1 Feb 2019
Many women supported Iran's 1979 Revolution but some later became disillusioned
-
![]()
Iran Hostage Rescue Mission
Thu 31 Jan 2019
The US sent special forces to try to rescue hostages from their Embassy in Tehran in 1980
-
![]()
Iran Hostage Crisis
Wed 30 Jan 2019
Barry Rosen was one of the Americans held hostage for 444 days in Tehran.
-
![]()
Ayatollah Khomeini Returns From Exile
Tue 29 Jan 2019
In February 1979 an Islamic revolution began when Iran's exiled religious leader returned
-
![]()
Musicians of the Iranian Revolution
Mon 28 Jan 2019
How Iran's state employed musicians started recording revolutionary songs.
-
![]()
The Publisher Who Tried to Change the World
Fri 25 Jan 2019
Virago Press opened as a feminist publisher in 1972 to promote women's writing
-
![]()
Vatican II: Reforming the Catholic Church
Wed 23 Jan 2019
Pope John XXIII wanted to modernise the Catholic Church, reforms took place in the 1960s.
-
![]()
The Carry On Films
Tue 22 Jan 2019
The British comic film franchise which found fans around the world
-
![]()
India's First Call Centre
Mon 21 Jan 2019
In the late 1990s a businessman started a new industry in India
-
![]()
The Case of Dr Crippen
Fri 18 Jan 2019
How one of the most notorious murderers in Edwardian London was captured
-
![]()
The Thames Whale
Thu 17 Jan 2019
In January 2006, millions of Londoners were entranced by the appearance of a whale.
-
![]()
Strikers In Saris
Wed 16 Jan 2019
South Asian women led a strike against poor working conditions in a British factory.
-
![]()
Mexico's Miracle Water
Tue 15 Jan 2019
Thousands of people flocked to the village of Tlacote hoping to be cured by magical water
-
![]()
Judy Garland's Final Shows
Mon 14 Jan 2019
The world famous singer's final performances were in London in January 1969
-
![]()
'Fat is a Feminist Issue'
Fri 11 Jan 2019
Susie Orbach's book led people to rethink body-image from a feminist perspective
-
![]()
Diary of Life in a Favela
Thu 10 Jan 2019
The poor black single mother who stunned Brazil with a book about her life in 1960.
-
![]()
When Stalin Rounded Up Soviet Doctors
Wed 9 Jan 2019
Hundreds of Soviet doctors were imprisoned or shot in the last year of Stalin's rule.
-
![]()
Fidel Castro Takes Havana
Tue 8 Jan 2019
The end of the US-backed dictator and the start of communist rule in Cuba in January 1959
-
![]()
The Doomsday Seed Vault
Mon 7 Jan 2019
In 2008, the first global seed vault was opened to safeguard the world's crops
-
![]()
Vikings in North America
Fri 4 Jan 2019
The Canadian discovery that proved Vikings had crossed the Atlantic 1000 years ago
-
![]()
Ceausescu's 'House of the People'
Thu 3 Jan 2019
The vast building that symbolised the excesses of Romania's brutal former dictator
-
![]()
Barbara Cartland - Queen of Romance
Wed 2 Jan 2019
Exploring the life of bestselling writer Dame Barbara Cartland.
-
![]()
Brazil's Marijuana Summer
New Year's Day 2019
In 1987 thousands of tin cans full of marijuana washed up on the beaches in Rio.
-
![]()
Rebels Rout The Army In El Salvador
Mon 31 Dec 2018
The storming of the El Paraiso base by Marxist rebels in December 1983.
-
![]()
When Animals Go To War
Fri 28 Dec 2018
In December 1943, a British charity created gallantry medals for animals serving in war.
-
![]()
Trautonium: A Revolution in Electronic Music
Thu 27 Dec 2018
Meet the trautonium, the early electronic instrument promoted by the Nazis.
-
![]()
The Soviet Afghan War Begins
Boxing Day 2018
The world held its breath in December 1979 as Soviet troops poured into Afghanistan
