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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Cirque du Soleil
Boxing Day 2019
The ground-breaking circus was formed by a group of street performers in Quebec in 1984.
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The secret history of Monopoly
Christmas Day 2019
The true story of one of the world's most popular board games, Monopoly.
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The invasion of Afghanistan
Christmas Eve 2019
On 24 December 1979 Soviet troops started pouring into Afghanistan
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Fighting cancer
Mon 23 Dec 2019
Pioneering work in the 60s into combination chemotherapy to try to find a cure for cancer
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Bee crisis: Colony Collapse Disorder
Thu 19 Dec 2019
Why the mysterious loss of honey bees in the US triggered a global panic.
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The Romanian revolution
Wed 18 Dec 2019
In December 1989 a wave of protests finally deposed communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu
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Women and the Sabarimala temple
Tue 17 Dec 2019
How Indian women fought for the right to be allowed into a Hindu holy site
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Black GIs during World War Two
Mon 16 Dec 2019
How soldiers who had been relegated to support roles were asked to volunteer for combat
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The attack on India's parliament
Fri 13 Dec 2019
In December 2001 armed men attacked India's parliamentary compound in broad daylight
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The killing of Amadou Diallo
Thu 12 Dec 2019
When New York police shot a young immigrant 41 times, thousands took to the streets
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The IRA siege at Balcombe Street
Tue 10 Dec 2019
In December 1975, the IRA took a middle-aged couple hostage in Central London.
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The battle of the Louvre pyramid
Mon 9 Dec 2019
How Paris was eventually won round to the Louvre museum's great glass pyramid
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The Cuban writer who defied Fidel Castro
Fri 6 Dec 2019
In 1990 Reinaldo Arenas died of Aids in New York, leaving behind a powerful autobiography
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Jaslyk – Uzbekistan’s infamous prison
Thu 5 Dec 2019
A prison camp in the Uzbek desert became notorious for torture and human rights abuses.
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The British sculptor who won over the world
Wed 4 Dec 2019
Henry Moore revolutionised sculpture by creating immense works and setting them outside.
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Shackleton
Tue 3 Dec 2019
How a doomed Antarctic expedition in 1914 became a legendary story of survival
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The killing of Pablo Escobar
Mon 2 Dec 2019
The Colombian drug trafficker was shot dead by police on December 2nd 1993
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The first confirmed case of HIV in America
Fri 29 Nov 2019
Robert R was a teenager who died of an undiagnosed illness in Missouri in 1969
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Handing back Uluru
Thu 28 Nov 2019
In 1985 Australia's famous natural landmark Uluru was returned to aboriginal ownership
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From cakes to computers
Wed 27 Nov 2019
How the Lyons catering company pioneered LEO, the first electronic office system
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India's economic revolution
Tue 26 Nov 2019
In the 1990s India began to open up its state-controlled economy
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The man who gave his voice to Stephen Hawking
Mon 25 Nov 2019
American scientist Dennis Klatt pioneered synthesised speech using his own voice.
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Exploring Arabia's Empty Quarter
Fri 22 Nov 2019
How Wilfred Thesiger travelled in one of the world's harshest environments in the 1940s.
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The man who got Delhi on track
Thu 21 Nov 2019
India's capital city built a Metro to tackle its traffic and air pollution problems
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I saw the soldiers who killed El Salvador's priests
Wed 20 Nov 2019
Lucia Cerna was the only witness to a murder that shocked El Salvador in November 1989
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The 'Woman in Gold'
Tue 19 Nov 2019
How one of Klimt's most famous paintings was returned to the family who'd owned it
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The first Tasers
Mon 18 Nov 2019
Why Los Angeles police began using a new weapon in the early 1980s.
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The first Indian to win Miss World
Fri 15 Nov 2019
Reita Faria was the first Indian to win the Miss World beauty competition in 1966
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The Love Canal disaster
Thu 14 Nov 2019
How the Love Canal neigbourhood in the US came to symbolise the dangers of toxic waste
