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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

  •

    Christian Dior's New Look

    Wed 17 Feb 2016

    In February 1947, French designer Christian Dior transformed post-war fashion.

  • The Attempt to Kill Khaled Meshaal

    Tue 16 Feb 2016

    In 1997 Israeli secret agents tried to assassinate a Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal.

  • Seven Years In Tibet

    Mon 15 Feb 2016

    The Austrian mountaineer who lived in the forbidden land of Tibet in the 1940s and 50s.

  • Black Sabbath

    Fri 12 Feb 2016

    On Friday 13 February 1970, heavy metal band Black Sabbath released their first album

  • Britain's Secret Code-Breakers

    Thu 11 Feb 2016

    Witness talks to one of Britain's secret army of World War Two code-breakers

  • Pakistan's Women Only Police Station

    Wed 10 Feb 2016

    In 1994 Pakistan opened the country's first all-female police station

  • The Arab Spring and Syria

    Tue 9 Feb 2016

    The story of the first protests against the Assad regime in 2011

  • The Last of the Red Hot Mamas

    Mon 8 Feb 2016

    The larger than life vaudeville star - Sophie Tucker - died on February 9th 1966.

  • Prozac

    Fri 5 Feb 2016

    In the spring of 1988 a new kind of anti-depressant went on the market.

  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

    Wed 3 Feb 2016

    In 1938, the first animated feature film was released, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

  • The 鈥楢bscam鈥� Corruption Investigation

    Tue 2 Feb 2016

    The FBI sting operation that ensnared corrupt politicians using a fictitious Arab sheikh.

  • Spanish Embassy Killings

    Mon 1 Feb 2016

    In January 1980, 37 people died as police stormed Spain's embassy in Guatemala

  • The First Batman TV Series

    Fri 29 Jan 2016

    In January 1966 Batman and Robin appeared on the small screen for the first time

  • Sharia Returns to Nigeria

    Thu 28 Jan 2016

    In 2000, Zamfara became the first Nigerian state to implement full Sharia law

  • The Challenger Disaster

    Wed 27 Jan 2016

    On 28 January 1986 The Challenger space shuttle launch went horribly wrong

  • The First Fleet Lands in Australia

    Tue 26 Jan 2016

    Britain established a penal colony in Australia.In January 1788

  • The Wapping Dispute

    Mon 25 Jan 2016

    In January 1986 newspaper owner Rupert Murdoch took on the British print unions.

  • The Funeral of Jan Palach

    Fri 22 Jan 2016

    Hundreds of thousands of people mourned the student activist in Prague in January 1969.

  • The Poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko

    Thu 21 Jan 2016

    In 2004, a Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was mysteriously poisoned

  • The Soldier Who Never Surrendered

    Wed 20 Jan 2016

    In 1972 a Japanese soldier was found hiding in the jungle on the Pacific island of Guam.

  • Mexico's Tequila Crisis

    Tue 19 Jan 2016

    In January 1995 Mexico was forced to seek a multi-billion dollar bailout from the US

  • The Adventures of Tintin

    Mon 18 Jan 2016

    One of the most famous cartoon characters in history was born in January 1929 - Tintin.

  • Nigeria's First Coup

    Fri 15 Jan 2016

    In 1966 a small group of Nigerian army officers launched the country's first ever coup

  • The Freedom Tower in Tehran

    Thu 14 Jan 2016

    Hossein Amanat was the young architect employed to build a tower for Iranian royalty.

  • The First Alzheimer's Patient

    Wed 13 Jan 2016

    The tragic case that led to the discovery of Alzheimer's disease.

  • Russia's Forbidden Art

    Tue 12 Jan 2016

    The Russian painter who created a world-famous collection of forbidden Soviet art

  • A Mass Shooting in America

    Mon 11 Jan 2016

    In October 2006 a man killed five Amish schoolgirls and injured five more in Pennsylvania

  • Chairman Mao's Little Red Book

    Thu 7 Jan 2016

    How the thoughts of China's communist leader became an unexpected global best-seller

  • Fidel Castro Takes Havana

    Wed 6 Jan 2016

    In Jan 1959 leftist revolutionaries ended decades of rule by Cuba's US-backed dictator

  • The Eames Chair

    Tue 5 Jan 2016

    In 1956, Charles and Ray Eames launched the Eames Chair.

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