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
-
![]()
Lockerbie Bombing
Fri 20 Dec 2013
In 1988 a bomb, hidden in the hold, exploded when the airliner was above Scotland
-
![]()
The Assassination of Spain's Prime Minister
Thu 19 Dec 2013
On December 20 1973, the Spanish PM Luis Carrero Blanco, was killed by a massive bomb.
-
![]()
Indonesia Invades East Timor
Wed 18 Dec 2013
Days after declaring independence East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in 1975
-
![]()
The Kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr
Tue 17 Dec 2013
In December 1963 the 19-year-old son of Frank Sinatra was kidnapped for a ransom
-
![]()
International Space Station
Mon 16 Dec 2013
Bob Cabana and Sergei Krikalev were the first on board the International Space Station.
-
![]()
South Africa Wins the Rugby World Cup
Fri 13 Dec 2013
When South Africa hosted - and won - the Rugby World Cup in 1995 it unified the country
-
![]()
The Soweto Uprising
Thu 12 Dec 2013
In 1976 South African police opened fire on schoolchildren protesting in Soweto.
-
![]()
The ANC's Armed Struggle
Wed 11 Dec 2013
In 1961 the African National Congress decided to take up arms against Apartheid
-
![]()
Apartheid in the 1950s
Mon 9 Dec 2013
Following the death of Nelson Mandela we remember the system he was fighting against
-
![]()
The Destruction of the Mosque at Ayodhya
Fri 6 Dec 2013
In December 1993, Hindu activists demolished a Muslim holy site.
-
![]()
Prohibition in the USA
Thu 5 Dec 2013
For 14 years it was illegal to sell alcohol in the USA - prohibition only ended in 1933
-
![]()
Psychiatry and Homosexuality in the USA
Wed 4 Dec 2013
How Charles Silverstein challenged the view that homosexuality was a mental illness
-
![]()
Vietnamese Boat People
Tue 3 Dec 2013
After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, over a million people fled the country by boat.
-
![]()
Murder of Churchwomen in El Salvador
Mon 2 Dec 2013
In December 1980 three US nuns and a layworker were killed in El Salvador
-
![]()
Portugal Attacks Guinea
Fri 29 Nov 2013
Portuguese soldiers raided the independent West African nation of Guinea in 1970
-
![]()
The Tehran Conference of World War Two
Thu 28 Nov 2013
In November 1943 Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill all met together to discuss WW2
-
![]()
How Child Road Deaths Changed the Netherlands
Wed 27 Nov 2013
The 1970s road safety campaign which changed the face of the Netherlands.
-
![]()
The First Panda in America
Tue 26 Nov 2013
In 1936 socialite Ruth Harkness and her guide captured a panda cub and took it to the US
-
![]()
The Trojan Room Coffee Pot
Mon 25 Nov 2013
How a preoccupation with coffee became the inspiration for the first webcam in 1993
-
![]()
-
![]()
Birmingham Pub Bombings
Thu 21 Nov 2013
In 1974, bombs exploded at two busy pubs in Birmingham, killing 21 - the IRA were blamed
-
![]()
The Execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa
Wed 20 Nov 2013
In 1995, writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight Ogoni rights activists were executed in Nigeria
-
![]()
Lee Harvey Oswald in the USSR
Tue 19 Nov 2013
Before he shot President Kennedy, Oswald spent two and a half mysterious years in Minsk
-
![]()
The Jonestown Massacre
Mon 18 Nov 2013
In November 1978 an American cult leader ordered more than 900 people to kill themselves.
-
![]()
Yemen Civil War
Fri 15 Nov 2013
Red Cross doctors tried to help casualties from both sides in Yemen in the 1960s.
-
![]()
Baby Fae and the Baboon Heart Transplant
Thu 14 Nov 2013
In 1984 doctors in California tried a revolutionary operation on a two-week-old baby.
-
![]()
Death in the Boxing Ring
Wed 13 Nov 2013
In 1982, the boxer Deuk-Koo Kim died of brain damage after a world title fight
-
![]()
Dustbowl Storms in the US
Tue 12 Nov 2013
In November 1933, one of the first big dust-storms hit central United States
-
![]()
Armistice Day 1918
Mon 11 Nov 2013
On November 11th 1918 at 11am, the guns of World War One finally fell silent.
-
![]()
Canada's Biggest Peacetime Evacuation
Fri 8 Nov 2013
In 1979 a train carrying tonnes of dangerous chemicals crashed in Canada
