Witness History 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.
Episodes to download
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The start of the Open University
Mon 4 Jan 2016
A new university in Britain offers a radically different approach to higher education.
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Vietnamese Boat People Arrive in Britain
New Year's Day 2016
Some of the first Vietnamese refugees arrive in Britain after a dramatic rescue at sea.
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The Millennium Bug
Thu 31 Dec 2015
How the world waited for a potential global computer meltdown on New Year's Eve 1999
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The Poster Boy for the Communist System
Wed 30 Dec 2015
In 1935, Alexei Stakhanov, a coal miner, became a Soviet celebrity.
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Rasputin
Tue 29 Dec 2015
In 1916, the infamous holy man Grigori Rasputin, was murdered by Russian aristocrats
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The Donner Party
Mon 28 Dec 2015
In 1846, a group of US pioneers were trapped in the mountains over the winter.
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The Beagle 2 Mission to Mars
Christmas Day 2015
On Christmas Day 2003, a British space craft was due to land on Mars to look for life
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It's a Wonderful Life
Christmas Eve 2015
A former Hollywood child star remembers filming the classic Christmas movie in 1946.
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Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita
Tue 22 Dec 2015
One of the 20th Century's most scandalous books was published in 1955
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The Death of General Patton
Mon 21 Dec 2015
America's legendary military commander, General George Patton, died in December 1945
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India Disability Rights
Fri 18 Dec 2015
In 1995 the first disability rights legislation was passed by India's parliament.
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Star Wars: C3PO's Story
Thu 17 Dec 2015
The actor behind the galaxy's most famous protocol droid remembers the first Star Wars
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The Rubik's Cube
Wed 16 Dec 2015
In 1974, Ern艖 Rubik invented the world's best selling puzzle: the Rubik's Cube
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A Pakistani View of the Bangladesh War of Independence
Tue 15 Dec 2015
The story of a Pakistani soldier caught up in the Bangladesh liberation war.
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The 1960 Coup Against Haile Selassie
Mon 14 Dec 2015
How Ethiopia's Emperor was almost overthrown in a bloody coup
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The Velvet Underground
Fri 11 Dec 2015
The seminal alternative rock band play their first gig at a high school in New Jersey.
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The KKK and the Killing of Viola Liuzzo
Thu 10 Dec 2015
In 1965, three KKK members were convicted of conspiring to kill a civil rights activist
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The Battle of Tora Bora
Wed 9 Dec 2015
After the Taliban lost control of Afghanistan in 2001 the hunt for Osama bin Laden began.
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WW1: The Siege of Kut, Iraq
Tue 8 Dec 2015
Thousands of British and Indian troops spent five months trapped in Kut, Iraq in WW1
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Gay and lesbian support for the British miners' strike
Mon 7 Dec 2015
In 1984 a group of lesbians and gay men organised to support striking coal-miners.
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Cuban Fighters in Angola
Fri 4 Dec 2015
Thousands of Cuban troops fought with Angola's Marxist government forces in the civil war
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The First Heart Transplant
Thu 3 Dec 2015
On 3 December 1967, two brothers carried out the first heart transplant operation
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Surviving Pearl Harbor
Wed 2 Dec 2015
How one US Navy mechanic made it through the surprise Japanese attack on his Pacific base
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The Bari Raid 1943
Tue 1 Dec 2015
How a devastating air raid on Bari during WW2 led to the deadly release of mustard gas
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Nigeria's "War Against Indiscipline"
Mon 30 Nov 2015
In 1984 General Buhari's military regime launched an unusual campaign to clean up Nigeria
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Surviving Ravensbruck
Fri 27 Nov 2015
The story of a survivor of Ravensbruck, the Nazis' concentration camp for women
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Britain's Palestine Patrols
Thu 26 Nov 2015
How the Royal Navy stopped Jewish refugee ships trying to reach Palestine in the 1940s.
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Cuba's 'Special Period'
Wed 25 Nov 2015
In the 1990s the Cuban economy came close to collapse after Soviet aid dried up
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The DB Cooper Mystery
Mon 23 Nov 2015
In November 1971 a hijacker parachuted from a US plane with a $200,000 ransom
