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.
Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.
When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs, from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015, to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations.
You’ll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
You’ll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden’s Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles’ George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy’s show to a sudden end.
And if you’re curious about inventions, we’ll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created.
If you’re new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you.
Episodes to download
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The Khrushchev Thaw
Wed 26 Feb 2014
In the 1950s Soviet citizens were allowed to buy tape recorders for the first time.
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Spitting Image
Tue 25 Feb 2014
In February 1984 an outrageous satirical puppet show hit British television screens
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Stalin's 1944 Deportations
Mon 24 Feb 2014
How nearly half a million Chechen and Ingush people were deported from the North Caucasus
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Protests for the Mother Tongue
Fri 21 Feb 2014
In February 1952 thousands marched in Dhaka in defence of the Bengali language
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The Fall of Albania's Enver Hoxha
Thu 20 Feb 2014
In February 1991 protesters pulled down the giant statue of Albania's communist dictator.
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The Death of Deng Xiaoping
Wed 19 Feb 2014
Deng Xiaoping's translator, Victor Gao remembers the architect of China's transformation
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The True Story of "Whisky Galore"
Tue 18 Feb 2014
In February 1941, a ship carrying nearly 30,000 cases of whisky was wrecked in Scotland.
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Fighting the Contras
Fri 14 Feb 2014
Sandinista 'Daniel Alegria' on the brutal fight with US-backed Contra rebels in Nicaragua
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The Exile of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Thu 13 Feb 2014
On 13 February 1974 the Russian dissident writer was sent into exile in the West
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Women and the Iranian Revolution
Wed 12 Feb 2014
In 1979, the Islamic Revolution changed Iranian women's lives forever.
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The Search for Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction
Tue 11 Feb 2014
In 2004, the US began to realise Saddam Hussein may not have been stockpiling WMDs
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The Buildup to World War Two
Mon 10 Feb 2014
In 1939 tension was growing in Europe, over Nazi Germany's expansionist plans
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Beatlemania
Fri 7 Feb 2014
On 7 February 1964 the pop group the Beatles were met by hysterical crowds in the USA
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War Brides
Thu 6 Feb 2014
In 1946 tens of thousands of British women went to Canada on the first 'war brides' ship
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Colossus: the World's First Electronic Computer
Wed 5 Feb 2014
In February 1944, the first electronic computer began attacking coded Nazi messages
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The Death of Chinese Cockle Pickers
Tue 4 Feb 2014
In February 2004, 23 Chinese immigrants drowned off the coast of north-west England
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The Georgian-Abkhaz War
Mon 3 Feb 2014
In 1992 a war erupted in the separatist Georgian territory of Abkhazia
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American Football and Brain Injuries
Fri 31 Jan 2014
The death of former NFL star Mike Webster led to questions about safety in 2002
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US Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Cuba
Thu 30 Jan 2014
In January 1961, the US closed down its embassy in Cuba and withdrew all diplomatic staff
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Gay Pride in Russia
Wed 29 Jan 2014
In 2006, Russian activists broke the law to stage the first gay pride march in Moscow.
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The Cairo Fire 1952
Tue 28 Jan 2014
In January 1952 hundreds of buildings were deliberately set ablaze in downtown Cairo
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WW2, the Holocaust and Rome
Mon 27 Jan 2014
In 1943, Rome's Jewish citizens were promised safety if they gave gold to the Nazis.
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The Creation of Modern Nigeria in 1914
Fri 24 Jan 2014
Rare archive recordings of people who lived through the unification of Nigeria in 1914
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The Execution of Ted Bundy
Thu 23 Jan 2014
In January 1989, US serial killer Ted Bundy was executed by electric chair in Florida
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The Siege of Leningrad
Wed 22 Jan 2014
In January 1944 the WW2 blockade of Leningrad finally ended after almost 900 days
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World's First Nuclear-Powered Submarine
Tue 21 Jan 2014
The world's first nuclear-powered submarine was launched on 21st January 1954.
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The Minnesota Starvation Experiment
Mon 20 Jan 2014
The WW2 attempt to understand how best to care for starving civilians in war-torn Europe
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The Battle of Monte Cassino
Fri 17 Jan 2014
The allies launched a major offensive against the Germans in Italy in January 1944
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The First Battle of Fallujah
Thu 16 Jan 2014
In 2004, US forces began battling insurgents based in the Iraqi city of Fallujah
