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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

  •

    The Bonus Army

    Thu 20 Jul 2017

    In summer 1932, thousands of American First World War veterans marched on Washington

  • The Killing of Gianni Versace

    Wed 19 Jul 2017

    In July 1997 the Italian fashion designer was shot on the steps of his Florida mansion.

  • Nintendo's Family Computer

    Tue 18 Jul 2017

    The home gaming console was a breakthrough in the world of computer games.

  • The Mont Blanc Tunnel

    Mon 17 Jul 2017

    In July 1965 an 11-km tunnel dug deep beneath the Alps was opened to traffic

  • The Oka Crisis

    Fri 14 Jul 2017

    Indigenous Canadians spent the summer of 1990 in a stand off with police.

  • Castlemorton Common: Britain's Biggest Illegal Rave

    Thu 13 Jul 2017

    In the summer of 1992 thousands of ravers and New Age travellers gathered for a festival.

  • The Rudolf Nureyev Phenomenon

    Wed 12 Jul 2017

    In 1961, one of the world's best ballet dancers, Rudolf Nureyev, defected from the USSR.

  • The Imprisonment of Irina Ratushinskaya

    Tue 11 Jul 2017

    The dissident poet was sentenced to 7 years in a Soviet labour camp.

  • The birth of UKIP

    Mon 10 Jul 2017

    In 1993, academic Dr Alan Sked started an anti-EU political party

  • The First Tamil Suicide Bombing

    Fri 7 Jul 2017

    In July 1987 Tamil separatist rebels attacked a Sri Lankan army camp.

  • The Staffordshire Hoard

    Thu 6 Jul 2017

    In 2009, a metal detectorist found the largest ever hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver

  • No Sex in the USSR

    Wed 5 Jul 2017

    Why a Russian woman blurted out "We have no sex in the USSR" on international TV.

  • Around the World in a Balloon

    Tue 4 Jul 2017

    In 2002 Steve Fossett succeeded in flying solo around the world in a hot air balloon.

  • The Roswell Incident

    Mon 3 Jul 2017

    It was probably the most famous ever story of an alien spacecraft - on earth

  • Euro Disney

    Fri 30 Jun 2017

    In 1992 Disney opened its first theme park in Europe.

  • The Disputed Resort of Taba

    Thu 29 Jun 2017

    Israel and Egypt both laid claim for years to the Red Sea resort of Taba

  • Lonely Planet

    Wed 28 Jun 2017

    The travel guide that helped tourists make their way around the world on a budget.

  • The Hippie Trail

    Tue 27 Jun 2017

    In the 1960s and 70s, thousands of westerners travelled to India by overland bus.

  • The First Budget Flights Across the Atlantic

    Mon 26 Jun 2017

    How a small Icelandic company broke the mould in air travel in the 1950s.

  • Italy's Shame: The Massacre in Ethiopia

    Fri 23 Jun 2017

    In 1937 Italian forces occupying Addis Ababa murdered thousands of Ethiopian civilians

  • The Killing of Vincent Chin

    Thu 22 Jun 2017

    The movement sparked by the brutal murder of a Chinese-American by 2 white men.

  • Persecution of Christians In the Korean War

    Wed 21 Jun 2017

    In 1950, tens of thousands of Christians were persecuted during the Korean War.

  • Body Worlds Exhibition

    Tue 20 Jun 2017

    In 1995 Tokyo University staged the first exhibition to feature plastinated human corpses

  • Italy's 'State-within-a-State'

    Mon 19 Jun 2017

    In 1982 Italian banker Roberto Calvi was found dead in London in mysterious circumstances

  • The Sinking of the Lancastria

    Fri 16 Jun 2017

    We hear from one of the last survivors of a forgotten World War Two disaster

  • The Woman Who Stopped Equal Rights in America

    Wed 14 Jun 2017

    In June 1982 Phyllis Schlafly defeated a law to guarantee gender equality in the US.

  • Algeria's Berbers

    Tue 13 Jun 2017

    In June 2001 hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated for Berber rights in Algiers.

  • The Montserrat Volcano

    Mon 12 Jun 2017

    In June 1997 a devastating eruption took place on the Caribbean island of Montserrat

  • The Six Day War: A Jordanian view

    Thu 8 Jun 2017

    Captain Nabih El Suhaimat fought to defend East Jerusalem from the Israelis

  • The Six Day War: An Israeli view

    Wed 7 Jun 2017

    In 1967, Israel captured the whole of Jerusalem on the third day of the Six Day War

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