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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 Curious Story of Mary Toft

    Fri 23 Sep 2016

    In September 1726, a woman called Mary Toft claimed she was giving birth to rabbits.

  • The First Legal 'Physician-Assisted Suicide'

    Thu 22 Sep 2016

    On September 22nd 1996 an Australian doctor helped a cancer sufferer to die.

  • Domestic Violence in Brazil

    Wed 21 Sep 2016

    In 2006 Brazil passed the ground-breaking "Maria da Penha" law to tackle domestic abuse.

  • Voting Against the War on Terror

    Tue 20 Sep 2016

    Only one Congresswoman voted against the 'war on terror'. Her name was Barbara Lee.

  • The West Australian Gold Rush

    Mon 19 Sep 2016

    In September 1892 gold was discovered in Western Australia

  • The Capture of Abimael Guzman

    Fri 16 Sep 2016

    In September 1992 security forces in Peru arrested the leader of the Shining Path rebels.

  • The First Tanks

    Thu 15 Sep 2016

    Tanks were first used in warfare on 15 September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme

  • Anthrax Attacks

    Wed 14 Sep 2016

    Shortly after the 9/11 attacks in the USA someone started posting Anthrax to politicians

  • The Great Fire of Smyrna

    Tue 13 Sep 2016

    In 1922 a huge fire destroyed the ancient city of Smyrna on the Aegean, thousands died

  • The Lascaux Caves

    Mon 12 Sep 2016

    In September 1940 a group of French schoolboys found a network of ancient cave paintings.

  • Estonia's Bootleg Vodka Poisoning

    Fri 9 Sep 2016

    In September 2001, 68 people died after an outbreak of alcohol poisoning in Estonia.

  • How Europe won over the British left

    Thu 8 Sep 2016

    A speech by Jacques Delors helped change British trade unionists' attitude to Europe

  • Star Trek - The Early Years

    Wed 7 Sep 2016

    In September 1966 the cult American science fiction series first went on air.

  • Remembering Chairman Mao

    Tue 6 Sep 2016

    On September 9th 1976 the founding father of Chinese Communism, Mao Zedong, died.

  • Italy's Partisan Fighters

    Mon 5 Sep 2016

    The brother and sister who took part in the struggle to free Italy from fascism in WW2.

  • The Day Sweden Turned Right

    Fri 2 Sep 2016

    In September 1967 Swedish traffic changed to driving on the right-hand side of the road.

  • The Mexican American War

    Thu 1 Sep 2016

    Testimonies from the conflict that changed US-Mexican relations forever

  • The Last Case of Smallpox in the UK

    Wed 31 Aug 2016

    Alasdair Geddes on finding smallpox in Janet Parker in 1978 and the events that followed

  • The Fall of Bukhara

    Tue 30 Aug 2016

    In 1920, the Central Asian Muslim kingdom of Bukhara was taken over by Communists.

  • Burning Man

    Mon 29 Aug 2016

    It's thirty years since the birth of the counter-culture festival Burning Man.

  • Fania All Stars - Legends of Salsa

    Fri 26 Aug 2016

    How a Latin music supergroup helped spread salsa music from New York to the world.

  • Helmand Convoy

    Thu 25 Aug 2016

    An audacious military mission to bring electricity to southern Afghanistan.

  • The Dance Theatre of Harlem

    Wed 24 Aug 2016

    In August 1969, the first classical ballet company to focus on black dancers was formed

  • The Stockholm Syndrome

    Tue 23 Aug 2016

    The hostage who trusted her kidnapper more than the police

  • The "Don't Die of Ignorance" Aids Campaign

    Mon 22 Aug 2016

    In 1986 the British government launched the first ever public health campaign on Hiv Aids

  • John Muir and America's Wild Places

    Fri 19 Aug 2016

    The Scottish-born naturalist considered the father of the National Parks in the USA.

  • Conflict over a Tree in the DMZ

    Thu 18 Aug 2016

    In August 1976, two US soldiers were killed in the zone between North and South Korea.

  • Studio Ghibli - Japanese Animation

    Wed 17 Aug 2016

    In August 1986 the first Studio Ghibli film hit Japanese cinema screens.

  • Bibles in US Schools

    Tue 16 Aug 2016

    In 1963 a third of schools in the US had to change their rules on Bible reading.

  • The murder of Federico Garcia Lorca

    Mon 15 Aug 2016

    How the great poet and dramatist was murdered at the start of the Spanish Civil War.

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