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 White Rose
Fri 22 Feb 2013
Seventy years ago, three German students were executed for protesting against Hitler.
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Welsh Dam Attack
Thu 21 Feb 2013
In 1963 Welsh nationalists took up arms against the construction of a controversial dam
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People Power in the Philippines
Wed 20 Feb 2013
How four days of huge protests brought down Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
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The Lost Egyptian Tomb
Mon 18 Feb 2013
In 1995, archaeologists in Egypt's Valley of the Kings made a remarkable discovery
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Human Shields in Iraq
Fri 15 Feb 2013
The British bus driver who took peace campaigners to Iraq ahead of the 2003 invasion
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The fall of Singapore
Thu 14 Feb 2013
In February 1942 Britain's stronghold in South East Asia fell to the Japanese.
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The Algerian Massacres
Wed 13 Feb 2013
In the 1990s, the Algerian military was locked in a brutal struggle with radical Islamists
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The Murder of James Bulger
Tue 12 Feb 2013
The killing of a toddler in Liverpool 20 years ago that shocked Britain
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The Last Days of Sylvia Plath
Mon 11 Feb 2013
It is fifty years since the suicide of American poet Sylvia Plath
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Shergar - the kidnapping
Fri 8 Feb 2013
It is 30 years since the Derby winner was abducted from a stud farm in Ireland.
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Marcel Proust
Thu 7 Feb 2013
The great French writer remembered by one of his friends and by his faithful maid.
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"Ghana Must Go"
Tue 5 Feb 2013
Thirty years ago, Nigeria expelled up to 2 million African migrants. Most were Ghanaian
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Hugo Chavez and the failed coup
Mon 4 Feb 2013
In February 1992 a group of Venezuelan army officers staged a coup, among them Hugo Chavez
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The battle of Stalingrad
Fri 1 Feb 2013
It is 70 years since German troops lost their battle to take the Soviet industrial city.
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Peter the Great in London
Wed 30 Jan 2013
How the young Tsar's visit to 17th Century England inspired him to modernise Russia
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The building of the Eiffel tower
Tue 29 Jan 2013
Work on the Eiffel Tower started in 1887 but many Parisians were opposed it
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Lagos Armoury Explosion
Mon 28 Jan 2013
Survivors relive the tragedy of the arms dump explosion in Lagos, Nigeria, 2002
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Jimi Hendrix
Fri 25 Jan 2013
The legendary guitarist's English girlfriend remembers his early days in 60s London.
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Hitler's will
Thu 24 Jan 2013
In January 1946 a young British woman was given Hitler's will to translate.
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The Capture of USS Pueblo
Wed 23 Jan 2013
American spy ship USS Pueblo was captured by North Korean forces forty-five years ago
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The Hunger Winter
Tue 22 Jan 2013
How millions of Dutch faced starvation at the end of World War Two
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The death of Bassel al Assad
Mon 21 Jan 2013
It is 19 years since the heir to the Syrian presidency died in a car crash.
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The Arrest of Klaus Barbie
Fri 18 Jan 2013
Thirty years ago, the former Gestapo chief, Klaus Barbie, was arrested in Bolivia.
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Black Stars of Ghana
Thu 17 Jan 2013
Striker Osei Kofi on how the Ghanaian football team dominated Africa in the 1960s.
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Roe v Wade
Wed 16 Jan 2013
In 1973 the landmark decision was made in the US Supreme Court which made abortion legal
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The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Mon 14 Jan 2013
The US government's experiment on a group of African-American men without their knowledge
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The Boxing Day tsunami and Aceh
Fri 11 Jan 2013
When the earthquake and tsunami of December 2004 hit Indonesia, over 130,000 people died.
