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
-
![]()
The Rwandan genocide
Wed 6 Apr 2011
A plane crash on 6 April 1994, set off a wave of killing in Rwanda which lasted 100 days
-
![]()
The death of Kurt Cobain
Tue 5 Apr 2011
Thirty years ago, the lead singer of the rock band Nirvana was found dead in his home
-
![]()
-
![]()
-
![]()
Poll tax riots
Thu 31 Mar 2011
The anti-poll tax demonstration of March 1990 brought thousands onto the streets of London
-
![]()
-
![]()
-
![]()
War in East Pakistan
Mon 28 Mar 2011
In 1971, war began between East and West Pakistan - leading to the creation of Bangladesh
-
![]()
Posh and Becks - the wedding
Fri 25 Mar 2011
In July 1999 two members of British celebrity royalty tied the knot
-
![]()
The BBC Russian service
Thu 24 Mar 2011
For 65 years the BBC World Service has broadcast in Russian, this weekend it stops
-
![]()
Leonardo da Vinci v Michelangelo
Wed 23 Mar 2011
Over 500 years ago in Renaissance Italy, a battle was underway between two great painters.
-
![]()
-
![]()
Tokaimura nuclear accident
Mon 21 Mar 2011
In September 1999 there was a nuclear accident at Tokaimura in Japan
-
![]()
Isherwood in Berlin
Fri 18 Mar 2011
The English author Christopher Isherwood lived in Berlin throughout the 1930s.
-
![]()
Ordination of Women Priests
Thu 17 Mar 2011
Angela Berners-Wilson on her experiences that day, and her long fight to become a priest
-
![]()
Halabja
Wed 16 Mar 2011
In March 1988 Iraqi forces attacked the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons
-
![]()
-
![]()
Air strikes on Libya 1986
Mon 14 Mar 2011
It is almost 25 years since the US decided to take military action against Libya
-
![]()
-
![]()
Dunblane school shooting
Thu 10 Mar 2011
The lasting emotional impact of a gun attack at a small Scottish school in 1996
-
![]()
Zeebrugge ferry disaster
Wed 9 Mar 2011
Survivors recall when a Belgian ferry capsized and killed more than 190 people
-
![]()
Political Activist Rosa Luxemburg
Tue 8 Mar 2011
A revolutionary theorist and feminist icon, Lenin called her the Eagle of the Revolution
-
![]()
-
![]()
Witness: Weathermen radicals in the USA
Fri 4 Mar 2011
The inside story of how three Weatherman revolutionaries died in New York in March 1970
-
![]()
Rhodesian republic
Thu 3 Mar 2011
In 1970, the white minority thought they could rule Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, for ever
-
![]()
The Krakow Ghetto
Wed 2 Mar 2011
In March 1941 the Nazi authorities in Krakow moved the city's Jews into a ghetto
-
![]()
Libya 1969 coup
Tue 1 Mar 2011
It is over 40 years since Colonel Gaddafi took power in Libya in a military coup
-
![]()
Assassination of Malcolm X
Mon 28 Feb 2011
How black leader Malcolm X was assassinated in New York in February 1965.
-
![]()
Nicaraguan elections
Fri 25 Feb 2011
It is 21 years since the left-wing Sandinista government in Nicaragua lost power
-
![]()
Khrushchev's Secret Speech
Thu 24 Feb 2011
How Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev secretly denounced Stalin as a tyrant
