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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Abebe Bikila the barefoot runner
Thu 9 Aug 2012
At the 1960 Olympics in Rome an Ethiopian athlete stunned the world.
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Twenty-five years of Botox
Wed 8 Aug 2012
It's quarter of a century since the world's most popular cosmetic treatment was discovered
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Bering Strait Swimmer
Tue 7 Aug 2012
How an American swimmer crossed the "Ice Curtain" between the USA and the Soviet Union.
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Omarska concentration camp
Mon 6 Aug 2012
The story of a survivor of Omarska concentration camp in Bosnia.
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The Death of Marilyn Monroe
Fri 3 Aug 2012
It's 50 years since the death of Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood's ultimate sex symbol.
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The Kon-Tiki adventure
Thu 2 Aug 2012
The story of Thor Heyerdahl's crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki.
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USS Nautilus: Under the North Pole
Wed 1 Aug 2012
The first voyage to the North Pole under the icecap. Ken Carr remembers Nautilus's mission
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The Battle of Passchendaele
Tue 31 Jul 2012
It was one of the defining battles of the First World War
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Megan's law
Mon 30 Jul 2012
Eighteen years ago a little girl was raped and murdered - her killing changed US law.
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The Farewell dossier
Thu 26 Jul 2012
How a mole in the KGB sent secrets to France and the USA in 1981.
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The first IVF baby
Tue 24 Jul 2012
In July 1978 the first baby to be conceived in a laboratory was born in England.
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Roosevelt in the Amazon
Mon 23 Jul 2012
How the American president Theodore Roosevelt nearly died in the Amazon in 1914.
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The arrest of Jack Mapanje
Fri 20 Jul 2012
It is 25 years since the poet was imprisoned without trial in Malawi.
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CIA mind control experiments
Thu 19 Jul 2012
Beginning in the 1950s the CIA made attempts to brainwash psychiatric patients.
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Miguel Angel Blanco
Wed 18 Jul 2012
How the killing of a young Basque councillor sparked huge anti-ETA protests in Spain.
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The Murder of Versace
Tue 17 Jul 2012
In July 1997 the Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace, was shot dead.
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New York Blackout
Mon 16 Jul 2012
It is 35 years since the streets of the Big Apple were plunged into darkness.
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Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Fri 13 Jul 2012
How working with Paul Simon made South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo global stars.
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Bush House in wartime
Thu 12 Jul 2012
The BBC World Service is leaving Bush House in central London after 70 years there.
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Irving T Bush - Builder of Bush House
Wed 11 Jul 2012
The story of the American businessman who built the home of the BBC World Service.
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Angola Mercenaries
Tue 10 Jul 2012
In July 1976 four foreign mercenaries were executed for their part in Angola's civil war.
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London suicide bombings
Fri 6 Jul 2012
On 7 July 2005, London was thrown into chaos by four bomb attacks.
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Algerian independence
Thu 5 Jul 2012
It is 50 years since the end of French colonial rule in Algeria.
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The Muslim Brotherhood - Hassan al-Banna
Wed 4 Jul 2012
Egypt now has a president from the Muslim Brotherhood - hear how it started 84 years ago.
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Mass Wedding in New York City
Tue 3 Jul 2012
In 1982 4,000 people got married in a mass blessing carried out by Reverend Sun Myung Moon
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The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Mon 2 Jul 2012
In July 1937 the female flyer disappeared in her plane somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.
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Hong Kong Handover
Fri 29 Jun 2012
In 1997 Hong Kong was handed back to China after 150 years of British rule.
