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 British Miners' strike
Mon 19 Dec 2011
Christmas 1984 - a time of hardship for the protesters against the closure of coal mines
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Spice Girls
Sun 18 Dec 2011
Christmas 1996 and the Spice Girls are number one. 'Girl Power' is taking over the world.
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Bangladesh wins independence
Thu 15 Dec 2011
An inside account of the moment Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971.
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ANC Bomb
Tue 13 Dec 2011
The ANC party took its first violent action in 1961, a bomb at municipal offices in Durban
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Manuel Noriega
Mon 12 Dec 2011
Twenty years ago the leader of Panama Manuel Noriega, was removed from power by the USA.
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The Mozote massacre
Thu 8 Dec 2011
In December 1981 hundreds of peasants were killed by the army in El Salvador.
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Economic crisis in Argentina
Wed 7 Dec 2011
It is 10 years since the height of the financial crisis in Argentina.
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Pearl Harbour
Tue 6 Dec 2011
It is 70 years since Japanese planes attacked the US Navy base in Hawaii.
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The Bermuda Triangle
Mon 5 Dec 2011
The story of the Bermuda Triangle began when five US Navy planes went missing in 1945.
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Ryan White
Wed 30 Nov 2011
The story of a young haemophiliac who was banned from school after testing HIV positive.
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The Winter of Discontent
Tue 29 Nov 2011
In 1979 British public sector workers went on strike over pay.
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The Battle in Seattle
Mon 28 Nov 2011
In November 1999 police battled with anti-globalisation protestors for control of Seattle.
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Plane spotters
Sun 27 Nov 2011
In November 2001 a group of British tourists were arrested and put on trial in Greece.
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Thalidomide
Thu 24 Nov 2011
Fifty years ago the drug thalidomide was found to cause serious damage to unborn children
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Ned Kelly's Last Stand
Wed 23 Nov 2011
How the infamous Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, was finally captured in 1880.
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Mobutu Sese Seko of Congo
Tue 22 Nov 2011
How Mobutu Sese Seko run a kleptocratic dictatorship in Congo for 32 years.
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Georgia's Rose Revolution
Tue 22 Nov 2011
In November 2003 a popular uprising unseated the government of Georgia.
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President Sadat of Egypt visits Israel
Sun 20 Nov 2011
How Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to visit Israel in 1977.
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Kim Philby the spy
Wed 16 Nov 2011
How a Soviet agent managed to fool the British intelligence service for years.
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Cathy Come Home
Tue 15 Nov 2011
It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness.
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Great Lisbon Earthquake
Tue 15 Nov 2011
How an earthquake in 1755 flattened Lisbon and led to a revolution in European thought.
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Student Uprising in Greece in 1973
Mon 14 Nov 2011
Alan Johnston reports on a student uprising against military rule in Greece in 1973.
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Oh What A Lovely War
Thu 10 Nov 2011
In the 1960s, radio and stage shows helped provoke a change in attitudes to World War I.
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San Salvador offensive
Wed 9 Nov 2011
In November 1989 the civil war in El Salvador hit the capital city.
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The Death of Leonid Brezhnev
Tue 8 Nov 2011
The Soviet leader died in November 1982 after years of ill health.
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