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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 Man who Changed Parenting

    Wed 4 Mar 2015

    Baby and Child Care by Dr Benjamin Spock became a best-seller after publication in 1946

  • Britain's First Commercial Surrogate Mother

    Tue 3 Mar 2015

    In 1985 surrogate mother Kim Cotton triggered a national debate and a change in the law

  • The Sound of Music

    Mon 2 Mar 2015

    On the 50th anniversary of the film the Sound of Music, we talk to Johannes von Trapp

  • The Highway of Death

    Fri 27 Feb 2015

    Allied forces bombed Iraqi vehicles leaving Kuwait at the end of the first Gulf War

  • The Battle of Iwo Jima

    Thu 26 Feb 2015

    In February1945 US Marines fought the Japanese in one of the fiercest battles of WW

  • Spanish Coup Attempt

    Wed 25 Feb 2015

    In February 1981 armed Civil Guards tried to take control of the Spanish parliament.

  • The Looting of the Benin Bronzes

    Tue 24 Feb 2015

    The British attack Benin city in 1897 and steal its ancient artwork, the Benin bronzes.

  • Aldrich Ames CIA Traitor

    Mon 23 Feb 2015

    In February 1994, CIA officer Aldrich Ames was arrested for spying for the Russians

  • Saturday Night Fever

    Fri 20 Feb 2015

    The chart-topping Bee Gees sound track which made the movie a hit

  • Larnaca Airport Shootout

    Thu 19 Feb 2015

    In 1978 Egyptian and Cypriot troops fought each other during a hostage crisis in Cyprus

  • The Murder of Daniel Pearl

    Wed 18 Feb 2015

    In 2002 militants in Pakistan released a video of the killing of the US journalist

  • The Murder of Archbishop Janani Luwum

    Tue 17 Feb 2015

    Ugandan Archbishop Janani Luwum was killed after standing up to dictator Idi Amin in 1977

  • Martha Gellhorn

    Mon 16 Feb 2015

    In February 1998, the great war correspondent and writer, Martha Gellhorn, died

  • Aung San

    Fri 13 Feb 2015

    The Burmese independence leader was born on February 13th 1915

  • The Bombing of Dresden

    Thu 12 Feb 2015

    On February 13th 1945 the Allies began a series of air raids against the German city.

  • Minamata Mercury Poisoning

    Wed 11 Feb 2015

    In the late 1950s thousands of people in Japan were poisoned by industrial waste

  • Finland鈥檚 Winter War

    Tue 10 Feb 2015

    Finland's desperate fight for survival against the might of the Soviet Union in 1940.

  • Sophiatown Removals

    Mon 9 Feb 2015

    In 1955 apartheid South Africa evicted people from a multi-racial area of Johannesburg

  • The Conflict is Over

    Fri 6 Feb 2015

    In 1993 a message arrived in London which kickstarted the Northern Ireland Peace Process.

  • The Greensboro Sit-In

    Thu 5 Feb 2015

    Four young black men protested against racial segregation in North Carolina in Feb 1960.

  • McDonald's in Moscow

    Wed 4 Feb 2015

    In January 1990 the global fast food giant opened its first restaurant in the USSR

  • The Atomic Spy

    Tue 3 Feb 2015

    The first spy of the Cold War, Klaus Fuchs, gave the West's nuclear secrets to Moscow

  • Bertrand Russell

    Mon 2 Feb 2015

    Memories of the English analytic philosopher and political activist using 麻豆社 archive.

  • The Family Doctor Turned Murderer

    Fri 30 Jan 2015

    In January 2000, Harold Shipman was found guilty of killing 15 of his female patients

  • Black Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm

    Thu 29 Jan 2015

    The first major-party black candidate to make a bid for the US Presidency in 1972

  • Greenland nuclear bomber crash

    Wed 28 Jan 2015

    In 1968 a US B52 plane with nuclear bombs on board crashed at Thule, Greenland.

  • Auschwitz Train Escape

    Tue 27 Jan 2015

    How a handful of Belgian Jews escaped from a train heading to Auschwitz

  • Fleeing the Spanish Civil War

    Mon 26 Jan 2015

    In January 1939 tens of thousands of people fled the advancing forces of General Franco

  • Patrice Lumumba

    Fri 23 Jan 2015

    The African nationalist and Congo's first prime minister who was murdered in January 1961

  • The Death of Al Capone

    Thu 22 Jan 2015

    Al Capone's grand niece talks about her memories of the famous Chicago mobster

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