Main content

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.

Updated: daily
Episodes available: indefinitely

Episodes to download

  •

    President Suharto Resigns

    Mon 21 May 2018

    On May 21st 1998 the president of Indonesia resigned after 31 years in power.

  • Defusing Nuclear Bombs: The Goldsboro 'Broken Arrow'

    Fri 18 May 2018

    How Lt. Jack ReVelle disarmed two thermonuclear bombs which crashed in North Carolina.

  • Look Back in Anger

    Thu 17 May 2018

    The play Look Back in Anger changed British theatre when it was staged in 1956

  • May 1968 Paris Riots

    Wed 16 May 2018

    A riot policeman's view of the violence which swept through France in 1968.

  • The First Montessori Nursery

    Tue 15 May 2018

    In 1907 Italian doctor, Maria Montessori, radically changed the way young children learn.

  • The Dambusters Raid

    Mon 14 May 2018

    The famous British raid on German dams during World War Two.

  • The Walker Spy Ring

    Fri 11 May 2018

    In 1985 members of the US spy ring were arrested for selling Navy secrets to the USSR.

  • The First Foetal Surgery

    Thu 10 May 2018

    On the 10th May 1981 a baby was born after a successful operation while in the womb.

  • The Last King of Bulgaria

    Wed 9 May 2018

    Bulgaria's former King Simeon II wins the country鈥檚 parliamentary election in 2001.

  • Africa United

    Tue 8 May 2018

    How 32 newly-independent nations came together to plan the future of their continent.

  • The First Diagnosis of Autism

    Mon 7 May 2018

    The condition was first described in 1943 by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner in the USA

  • When Margaret Thatcher Came to Power

    Fri 4 May 2018

    The British politician was the first woman elected to lead a Western European country.

  • WW2: Prisoner on the High Seas

    Thu 3 May 2018

    A surprise attack, a ship lost, a crew captured - memories of a merchant navy veteran

  • Takeshi's Castle

    Wed 2 May 2018

    A new sort of game show started on Japanese TV in May 1986

  • The Children's Crusade

    Tue 1 May 2018

    Thousands of black children protested on the streets of Birmingham Alabama in May 1963.

  • A New Approach to Shakespeare

    Mon 30 Apr 2018

    The Royal Shakespeare Company opened in Britain in 1961 and changed theatre forever.

  • Pablo Picasso

    Fri 27 Apr 2018

    The great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso died in April 1973; hear from someone who knew him

  • Scottish Prison Experiment

    Thu 26 Apr 2018

    A special unit in a Glasgow jail began offering art therapy to violent prisoners in 1973.

  • The Oslo Peace Talks

    Wed 25 Apr 2018

    How secret negotiations in Norway led to an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

  • Swimming The Bering Strait

    Tue 24 Apr 2018

    How an American swimmer crossed the "Ice Curtain" between the USA and the Soviet Union.

  • World War One: The Red Baron

    Mon 23 Apr 2018

    Veterans remember the famous German air ace who was killed in April 1918

  • Earth Day

    Fri 20 Apr 2018

    In 1970, 20 million Americans came out to demonstrate for a sustainable environment.

  • The Last Keeper of the Light

    Thu 19 Apr 2018

    The island of Skellig Michael has lighthouses, and a striking role in Star Wars films.

  • Rebuilding the Site of the Twin Towers

    Tue 17 Apr 2018

    How a team of architects were given the responsibility to repair New York's skyline.

  • World War One: Germany's Spring Offensive 1918

    Mon 16 Apr 2018

    Germany launched a huge offensive on the Western Front in a last gamble to win the war.

  • The Shooting of Rudi Dutschke

    Fri 13 Apr 2018

    The German student leader was shot in April 1968, leading to protests in West Berlin.

  • The Soviet Spy Scandal

    Thu 12 Apr 2018

    In 1971 during the Cold War, the UK expelled 90 Soviet diplomats suspected of spying.

  • The Zimbabwe Massacres

    Wed 11 Apr 2018

    Robert Mugabe sent troops to put down opposition supporters in western Zimbabwe in 1983.

  • The First Frozen Embryo Baby

    Tue 10 Apr 2018

    Zoe Leyland was born in Australia on April 11th 1984 after her mother's IVF treatment.

  • Woodfall Films

    Mon 9 Apr 2018

    The film company which changed British cinema.

  2. 1
  3. …
  4. 68
  5. 69
  6. 70
  7. 71
  8. 72
  9. …
  10. 134

This podcast belongs to