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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

  •

    Racial Equality in Britain - Learie Constantine

    Mon 1 Oct 2018

    The former West Indies cricketer took a London hotel to court in 1943

  • The Bridge Which United Sweden and Denmark

    Fri 28 Sep 2018

    The bridge which connected neighbours across the water and inspired a TV hit worldwide.

  • Fighting in the Iran-Iraq War

    Thu 27 Sep 2018

    The war lasted for 8 years and is thought to have left over a million people dead.

  • The Creation of the Cervical Cancer Vaccine

    Wed 26 Sep 2018

    The scientific breakthrough that saved the lives of thousands of women

  • Isadora Duncan - Dance Pioneer

    Tue 25 Sep 2018

    Sometimes called the 'Mother of Modern Dance'

  • The South African Army In Lesotho

    Mon 24 Sep 2018

    South Africa sent 600 soldiers into Lesotho to quell political unrest in September 1998

  • Brazil's Nuclear Accident

    Fri 21 Sep 2018

    Hundreds of people were contaminated when a disused radiotherapy machine was scrapped.

  • The Battle of Algiers

    Thu 20 Sep 2018

    The film that tells the true story of the Algerians' fight for their capital Algiers

  • The Arnhem Parachute Drop

    Wed 19 Sep 2018

    In 'Operation Market Garden' thousands of Allied troops parachuted into Nazi-held Holland

  • The Cuban Five

    Tue 18 Sep 2018

    The case of five Cuban spies arrested in Miami in September 1998

  • The Fifteen Guinea Special

    Mon 17 Sep 2018

    The train signaled the end of the steam age on Britain's main-line rail network in 1968

  • The Truth About Crop Circles

    Fri 14 Sep 2018

    Thought to be left by UFOs the phenomena was resolved when two men came forward in 1991.

  • How I Survived a Fire on a Plane

    Thu 13 Sep 2018

    One young man was the only passenger to survive a fire on a plane - find out how.

  • The Killing of Steve Biko

    Wed 12 Sep 2018

    The brutal death in custody of the anti-Apartheid activist in September 1977.

  • Appeasement

    Tue 11 Sep 2018

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

  • The Ship that Dumped America's Waste

    Mon 10 Sep 2018

    How campaigners fought to stop the 'Khian Sea' from off-loading tons of US waste abroad

  • WWI: The Hundred Days Offensive

    Fri 7 Sep 2018

    First-hand accounts of the Allied offensive that finally brought the bloody war to an end

  • From Leningrad to St Petersburg

    Thu 6 Sep 2018

    In a hugely symbolic act Leningrad returned to its historic name of St Petersburg in 1991

  • Living Under Gaddafi

    Wed 5 Sep 2018

    A military coup in Libya in September 1969 brought Muammar Gaddafi to power.

  • The Battle for Brick Lane

    Tue 4 Sep 2018

    In 1978 the racist murder of a young Bengali galvanised an immigrant community in London.

  • The First MRI Scan

    Mon 3 Sep 2018

    Dr Raymond Damadian attempted the first magnetic resonance scan of a human body.

  • Surviving the "Death Railway"

    Fri 31 Aug 2018

    A prisoner of war describes the deadly conditions building the bridge over the River Kwai

  • The Mine Disaster That Devastated Post-War Italy

    Thu 30 Aug 2018

    How an accident at Marcinelle in Belgium killed more than 100 Italian migrant workers.

  • The Lake Nyos Disaster

    Wed 29 Aug 2018

    The mysterious death of villagers and livestock in north-western Cameroon

  • Hitler's League Of German Girls

    Tue 28 Aug 2018

    An elderly German recalls her years as a leader in the Hitler Youth for girls.

  • Benidorm

    Mon 27 Aug 2018

    The story of the mayor who created one of the world's biggest holiday resorts.

  • Hitler's Architect

    Fri 24 Aug 2018

    Albert Speer was Hitler's architect. We talk to a journalist who interviewed him.

  • Baba of Karo

    Thu 23 Aug 2018

    The groundbreaking autobiography of a woman who grew up in 19th century Nigeria

  • USSR Wages War on Alcohol

    Wed 22 Aug 2018

    Sales of alcohol in the USSR were limited in 1985 in a bid to fight drunkenness.

  • Prague Spring

    Tue 21 Aug 2018

    The student who appealed for the world's help when Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia

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