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’ life and Omar Sharif’s 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’ 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 Fall of Nikita Khrushchev
Tue 14 Oct 2014
In October 1964 the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was ousted in a Kremlin coup
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The Band that Made The Beatles
Mon 13 Oct 2014
In 1957 Lennon and McCartney performed together for the first time in The Quarrymen
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Handing Over Hong Kong
Fri 10 Oct 2014
The negotiations that promised 'One country two systems' when the territory changed hands
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How the IPCC was formed
Thu 9 Oct 2014
An international conference in 1985 changed the history of climate change
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The Death of Che Guevara
Wed 8 Oct 2014
A prominent figure in the Cuban Revolution, Guevara was captured and killed in Bolivia
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The Boer War 1899-1902
Tue 7 Oct 2014
The conflict between white Afrikaner settlers and the British empire in South Africa
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Sabotage of Nazi Nuclear Programme
Mon 6 Oct 2014
In October 1942 Norwegian commandos began a series of raids on a heavy water plant
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Willie Nelson's Farm Aid
Fri 3 Oct 2014
Country music legend Willie Nelson holds the first benefit concert for American farmers.
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Japan's Bullet Train
Thu 2 Oct 2014
In October 1964, Japan launched the fastest train the world had ever seen
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The world's first civil union
Wed 1 Oct 2014
In 1989, Denmark became the first country to celebrate same-sex civil unions
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The Death of James Dean
Tue 30 Sep 2014
On 30 September 1955 the Hollywood actor, James Dean, crashed his car and died
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The Taliban take Kabul
Mon 29 Sep 2014
In September 1996 the Taliban took over the Afghan capital Kabul
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The Sinking of the 'Joola' Ferry
Fri 26 Sep 2014
In 2002 the 'Joola' ferry sank off Senegal with the loss of more than 1800 lives
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The World's First Hand Transplant
Tue 23 Sep 2014
On 23 September 1998, Clint Hallam received the world's first hand transplant
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The Overthrow of Bokassa
Mon 22 Sep 2014
On 20 September 1979 the Central African dictator Jean Bedel-Bokassa left power
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Black September
Fri 19 Sep 2014
In 1970 the Jordanian military fought against the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.
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South Africa invades Lesotho
Thu 18 Sep 2014
South Africa sent 600 soldiers into Lesotho to quell political unrest in September 1998
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Los Topos - Mexico's Earthquake Rescuers
Wed 17 Sep 2014
How an earthquake in Mexico City in 1985 led to the creation of an elite rescue group
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Lord of the Flies
Tue 16 Sep 2014
It is 60 years since William Golding's acclaimed novel was first published
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Rabin and Arafat Shake Hands
Mon 15 Sep 2014
In 1993, the Israeli prime minister and the PLO leader shook hands and made history
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Voting Against the War on Terror
Fri 12 Sep 2014
Three days after 9/11 Congresswoman Barbara Lee became the most hated woman in America
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Flower of Scotland
Thu 11 Sep 2014
How a 1968 song by the folk band, The Corries, became Scotland’s unofficial anthem
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Sri Lanka Massacre
Wed 10 Sep 2014
The massacre of 184 Tamils by the Sri Lankan army in 1990 during the country's civil war
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DNA Fingerprinting
Tue 9 Sep 2014
It is 30 years since a British scientist found out how to identify people by their DNA
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Madame Mao
Mon 8 Sep 2014
Mao Zedong died on 9 September 1976. His widow Jiang Qing wanted power after his death.
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The Persecution of Pakistan's Ahmadiyya Sect
Fri 5 Sep 2014
Pakistan declared that members of the Ahmadiyya sect were not Muslims in September 1974
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Myanmar Currency Chaos
Thu 4 Sep 2014
The crisis following the withdrawl of most circulating banknotes in Myanmar in 1987
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Surviving Auschwitz
Wed 3 Sep 2014
Kitty Hart-Moxon's story of how she survived two years in the notorious Nazi death camp
