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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

  • Oklahoma City Bombing

    Fri 17 Apr 2015

    On April 19 1995 a huge truck bomb killed 168 people in a government building in the USA.

  • Joe Orton

    Thu 16 Apr 2015

    He was the young working class playwright who changed British theatre.

  • Bloods and Crips truce

    Wed 15 Apr 2015

    In April 1992, the main black street gangs in Los Angeles started a historic truce.

  • Train puts Letchworth Garden City on the Map

    Tue 14 Apr 2015

    In April 1905 the arrival of a passenger train put Letchworth Garden City on the map

  • The Khmer Rouge take power

    Mon 13 Apr 2015

    In April 1975 the four-year rule of the brutal Khmer Rouge began in Cambodia.

  • Glenn Gould Retires

    Fri 10 Apr 2015

    On 10 April 1964, famously eccentric pianist Glenn Gould gave his last live performance

  • The 鈥楧eath of a Princess鈥� film

    Thu 9 Apr 2015

    In 1980 a film about a public execution caused a row between Britain and Saudi Arabia

  • India's State of Emergency

    Wed 8 Apr 2015

    In 1975, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency

  • The Fall of Idi Amin

    Tue 7 Apr 2015

    In 1979 Tanzanian troops invaded Uganda and ousted its brutal dictator.

  • The Marshall Plan

    Fri 3 Apr 2015

    In April 1948 the US agreed to spend millions of dollars on rebuilding post-war Europe.

  • Tenerife Air Crash

    Thu 2 Apr 2015

    In 1977 the worst ever air accident took place when two jumbo jets collided in Tenerife.

  • 1943 Bengal Famine

    Wed 1 Apr 2015

    In 1943, during WW2, famine stuck Bengal in British-run India, killing millions.

  • Unearthing the Terracotta Army

    Tue 31 Mar 2015

    In March 1974 farmers uncovered an intricately carved clay head whilst digging a well

  • Ireland Smoking Ban

    Mon 30 Mar 2015

    In March 2004 Ireland banned smoking in the workplace

  • The Beeching Report

    Thu 26 Mar 2015

    In March 1963 the British government announced plans to slash the country's rail network

  • The John and Yoko Bed-in

    Wed 25 Mar 2015

    In 1969 John Lennon of the Beatles and his new wife Yoko Ono staged a bed-in for peace

  • A Cure for Tuberculosis

    Tue 24 Mar 2015

    Professor Denny Mitchison was a pioneer in the search for a cure for tuberculosis.

  • The Invention of the Black Box

    Mon 23 Mar 2015

    The story of the Black Box flight recorder and the man behind it, David Warren

  • Algeria's War of Independence

    Fri 20 Mar 2015

    In March 1962, a ceasefire was agreed in the Algerian war for independence from France

  • Escape from East Berlin

    Thu 19 Mar 2015

    How a student helped East Berliners escape Communism in the boot of a diplomat's car

  • Golda Meir

    Wed 18 Mar 2015

    In March 1969, Golda Meir became Israel's first female prime minister

  • The Biggest Art Heist in US History

    Tue 17 Mar 2015

    Thieves bluff their way into a Boston museum, stealing art worth around $500 million

  • British Theatre Trial

    Mon 16 Mar 2015

    How a play 'The Romans in Britain' caused a scandal in London's National Theatre in 1982

  • Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy

    Fri 13 Mar 2015

    The secret romance between the Greek shipping magnate and JFK's widow in the 1960s

  • Suite Francaise

    Thu 12 Mar 2015

    The extraordinary story of the manuscript of the French novel Suite Francaise, now a film

  • Kosovo Killings

    Wed 11 Mar 2015

    When Serb forces attacked the home of KLA leader Adem Jashari more than 50 people died

  • The Mysterious Death of an MP in Kenya

    Tue 10 Mar 2015

    Leading Kenyan MP JM Kariuki disappeared in strange circumstances in March 1975

  • Alexander McQueen

    Mon 9 Mar 2015

    The fashion designer who shocked the world in 1995 with an outrageous collection.

  • The German Invasion of Czechoslovakia

    Fri 6 Mar 2015

    Hitler sent his troops into Czechoslovakia on the morning of 15 March 1939.

  • Stalin's Interpreter

    Thu 5 Mar 2015

    Valentin Berezhkov was Stalin's translator during the World War Two

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