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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Clearing landmines in Cambodia
Thu 17 Apr 2025
Aki Ra laid hundreds of landmines for the Khmer Rouge, but began clearing them in 1992
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The Khmer Rouge take power in Cambodia
Wed 16 Apr 2025
In April 1975 the four-year rule of the brutal Khmer Rouge began in Cambodia
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The invention of the white LED lightbulb
Tue 15 Apr 2025
In 1993, a lightbulb moment led to the invention of the first white light emitting diode
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The Bali Nine drug smuggling case
Mon 14 Apr 2025
In 2005, nine Australians were caught trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia
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Germany’s ‘Green Belt’
Fri 11 Apr 2025
In December 1989, environmentalists met to secure the future of Germany’s ‘Green Belt’
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Oklahoma City bombing
Thu 10 Apr 2025
On 19 April 1995, a huge truck bomb killed 168 people in a US government building
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Liberia’s women in white who helped end civil war
Wed 9 Apr 2025
In 2003 the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace began protests calling for peace
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The Reichstag fire
Tue 8 Apr 2025
In February 1933, the home to the German Parliament in Berlin was burned down.
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The UN retreat from Somalia
Mon 7 Apr 2025
In 1995, a United Nations mission to restore peace in Somalia ended in disaster
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Resusci Anne: the world’s first life-saving resuscitation dummy
Fri 4 Apr 2025
In May 1960 a Norwegian toy-maker unveiled a life-sized, life-like training manikin
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JFK’s 1963 Ich Bin Ein Berliner speech
Thu 3 Apr 2025
The US President spoke at the newly constructed Berlin Wall at the height of the Cold War
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The Wonder Woman of DC Comics
Wed 2 Apr 2025
In 1976 Jenette Kahn became the first female head of DC Comics, home of the superheroes
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The invention of superglue
Tue 1 Apr 2025
In 1951, Harry Coover noticed a chemical he was working with was sticking to everything
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The 'ghost town' of Namibia
Mon 31 Mar 2025
In 1908, the first Kolmanskop diamond was found. It's now abandoned, buried in the desert
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The father of Ethio-Jazz
Fri 28 Mar 2025
In 1966, Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke recorded a new genre of music, Ethio-jazz
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Harold Riley’s 'one of a kind' portrait of Nelson Mandela
Thu 27 Mar 2025
A specially commissioned portrait of Nelson Mandela by Harold Riley was unveiled in 2005
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The suspicious death of Rear Admiral Durović
Wed 26 Mar 2025
In 1991, a Yugoslav People’s Army commander died in mysterious circumstances
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Goodluck Jonathan’s phone call that changed Nigeria
Tue 25 Mar 2025
President Goodluck Jonathan's call to Muhammadu Buhari to concede election defeat in 2015
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The Germanwings plane crash
Mon 24 Mar 2025
General David Galtier who led the search operation recalls the 2015 crash
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The visionary behind the European Space Agency
Fri 21 Mar 2025
In October 2012, a visionary letter about the European Space Agency was sent into space
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The historic handshake in space
Thu 20 Mar 2025
In July 1975, Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts met in space and shook hands
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In event of moon disaster: 'The speech that never was'
Wed 19 Mar 2025
Richard Nixon's contingency speech in case the moon landing astronauts never made it home
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First spacewalk
Tue 18 Mar 2025
On 18 March 1965, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to spacewalk
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The rocket that revived Brazil’s space programme
Mon 17 Mar 2025
On 23 October 2004, Brazil launched its first rocket following a devastating accident
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Bardo Museum attack in Tunisia
Fri 14 Mar 2025
In March 2015, 22 people were killed when two gunmen stormed the building
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The Gambia’s ‘Queen of Recycling’
Thu 13 Mar 2025
In 1997, a Gambian woman started an environmental initiative
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The Capitol Crawl
Wed 12 Mar 2025
On 12 March 1990, hundreds of wheelchair users crawled up the steps of the US Capitol
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King Kong: South Africa's first all-black musical
Tue 11 Mar 2025
South Africa’s first musical with an all-black cast opened to critical acclaim in 1959
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The invention of GPS
Mon 10 Mar 2025
The Global Positioning System, also known as GPS, was created in the late 1970s
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How bloodshed in Selma led to the US Voting Rights Act 1965
Fri 7 Mar 2025
In 1965, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was brought in to end racial discrimination
