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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

  •

    When France said 'Non' to Britain joining the EEC

    Thu 11 Jan 2018

    In 1963, France stopped Britain from joining the European Economic Community, now the EU

  • The Algerian Massacres

    Wed 10 Jan 2018

    The story of one atrocity in Algeria's battle with radical Islamists in the 1990s

  • The First iPhone

    Tue 9 Jan 2018

    The touchscreen smartphone changed mobile technology for ever.

  • The Boy Who Stayed Awake For Eleven Days

    Mon 8 Jan 2018

    California high school student Randy Gardner set a world record in 1964.

  • Iran Student Protests 1999

    Fri 5 Jan 2018

    A young man became an unwitting symbol of the anti-government protests

  • I Hijacked A Plane To Save My Children

    Thu 4 Jan 2018

    How one woman fled Brazil's military dictatorship with her kids on a hijacked plane.

  • Spelling Bee - The Children's Competition that Grips America

    Tue 2 Jan 2018

    The first child of South Asian background to become America's Spelling Bee champion.

  • Boris Yeltsin's Surprise Resignation

    New Year's Day 2018

    On New Year's Eve 1999 the Russian President went on TV and said he was leaving office.

  • Voyager: Around The World On One Tank of Fuel

    Fri 29 Dec 2017

    How two pilots became the first to fly non-stop around the world without refuelling

  • The Climbers of Leningrad

    Thu 28 Dec 2017

    Mountaineers risked their lives to camouflage landmarks in the Russian city during WW2.

  • "Spend, Spend, Spend" - The Miner's Wife Who Won Big

    Wed 27 Dec 2017

    How Viv Nicholson became a celebrity in Britain after winning the football pools in 1961.

  • The First Kwanzaa

    Boxing Day 2017

    The African-American winter holiday was invented in Los Angeles in 1966.

  • Trivial Pursuit

    Christmas Day 2017

    The game has become a holiday tradition with families around the world.

  • To Kill a Mockingbird

    Fri 22 Dec 2017

    Louise Hidalgo speaks to Gregory Peck's son Carey about the film of Harper Lee's novel.

  • BR Ambedkar

    Thu 21 Dec 2017

    The Indian independence leader and campaigner for Dalit rights died in December 1956.

  • The Exam That Changed China

    Wed 20 Dec 2017

    The return of university entrance exams showed the Cultural Revolution had really ended.

  • The Development of WiFi

    Tue 19 Dec 2017

    Australian scientists were central to the development of wifi.

  • Somalia's Islamic Courts Union

    Mon 18 Dec 2017

    How the Islamic movement brought a brief moment of peace to Mogadishu after years of war

  • The Disappearance of Harold Holt

    Fri 15 Dec 2017

    The Australian Prime Minister went for a swim on December 17th 1967 - and never came back

  • The Great London Smog

    Thu 14 Dec 2017

    Thousands died as a thick polluted fog engulfed London in 1952

  • The Unsung Hero of Heart Surgery

    Wed 13 Dec 2017

    The African-American lab technician whose surgery helped save millions of babies..

  • Otis Redding

    Tue 12 Dec 2017

    The great soul singer who was killed in a plane crash in December 1967

  • Hypnotising Saddam's Son

    Mon 11 Dec 2017

    How an American hypnotist went to Iraq to treat Uday, the eldest son of Saddam Hussein.

  • Art in Revolutionary Russia

    Fri 8 Dec 2017

    Avant-garde art flourished in Russia after the 1917 revolution but was later suppressed

  • The Discovery of Whale Song

    Thu 7 Dec 2017

    Whales were being hunted to extinction until a biologist realised they could sing.

  • Finland Wins Independence From Russia

    Wed 6 Dec 2017

    In December 1917 Finland became an independent country for the first time.

  • Britain's withdrawal from South Yemen

    Tue 5 Dec 2017

    In 1967 Britain's departure from Aden leads to the creation of an independent South Yemen

  • Mount Rushmore

    Mon 4 Dec 2017

    Construction on one of America's most famous monuments started in 1927.

  • Science City in Siberia

    Fri 1 Dec 2017

    Thousands of scientists moved to deepest Siberia to dedicate their lives to research.

  • The Poisoning of Litvinenko

    Thu 30 Nov 2017

    Former colonel in the Russian secret service Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London.

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