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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Vatican II: Reforming the Catholic Church
Wed 23 Jan 2019
Pope John XXIII wanted to modernise the Catholic Church, reforms took place in the 1960s.
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The Carry On Films
Tue 22 Jan 2019
The British comic film franchise which found fans around the world
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India's First Call Centre
Mon 21 Jan 2019
In the late 1990s a businessman started a new industry in India
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The Case of Dr Crippen
Fri 18 Jan 2019
How one of the most notorious murderers in Edwardian London was captured
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The Thames Whale
Thu 17 Jan 2019
In January 2006, millions of Londoners were entranced by the appearance of a whale.
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Strikers In Saris
Wed 16 Jan 2019
South Asian women led a strike against poor working conditions in a British factory.
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Mexico's Miracle Water
Tue 15 Jan 2019
Thousands of people flocked to the village of Tlacote hoping to be cured by magical water
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Judy Garland's Final Shows
Mon 14 Jan 2019
The world famous singer's final performances were in London in January 1969
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'Fat is a Feminist Issue'
Fri 11 Jan 2019
Susie Orbach's book led people to rethink body-image from a feminist perspective
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Diary of Life in a Favela
Thu 10 Jan 2019
The poor black single mother who stunned Brazil with a book about her life in 1960.
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When Stalin Rounded Up Soviet Doctors
Wed 9 Jan 2019
Hundreds of Soviet doctors were imprisoned or shot in the last year of Stalin's rule.
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Fidel Castro Takes Havana
Tue 8 Jan 2019
The end of the US-backed dictator and the start of communist rule in Cuba in January 1959
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The Doomsday Seed Vault
Mon 7 Jan 2019
In 2008, the first global seed vault was opened to safeguard the world's crops
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Vikings in North America
Fri 4 Jan 2019
The Canadian discovery that proved Vikings had crossed the Atlantic 1000 years ago
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Ceausescu's 'House of the People'
Thu 3 Jan 2019
The vast building that symbolised the excesses of Romania's brutal former dictator
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Barbara Cartland - Queen of Romance
Wed 2 Jan 2019
The romantic fiction writer is thought to have sold hundreds of millions of books
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Brazil's Marijuana Summer
New Year's Day 2019
In 1987 thousands of tin cans full of marijuana washed up on the beaches in Rio.
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Rebels Rout The Army In El Salvador
Mon 31 Dec 2018
The storming of the El Paraiso base by Marxist rebels in December 1983.
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When Animals Go To War
Fri 28 Dec 2018
In December 1943, a British charity created gallantry medals for animals serving in war.
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Trautonium: A Revolution in Electronic Music
Thu 27 Dec 2018
Meet the trautonium, the early electronic instrument promoted by the Nazis.
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The Soviet Afghan War Begins
Boxing Day 2018
The world held its breath in December 1979 as Soviet troops poured into Afghanistan
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UFO Sightings: The Rendlesham Forest Incident
Christmas Day 2018
At Christmas 1980 strange objects and lights were seen over a military base in England.
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Scotland's Stone of Destiny
Christmas Eve 2018
On Christmas Eve 1950 four students took the 'Stone of Destiny' from Westminster Abbey
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Stopping The 'Shoe Bomber'
Fri 21 Dec 2018
How a passenger helped subdue shoe-bomber Richard Reid on an American Airlines flight.
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The Woman Who Wrote Mary Poppins
Thu 20 Dec 2018
Writer PL Travers created a children's classic when she invented a magical nanny.
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Hacking The First Computer Password
Wed 19 Dec 2018
Scientists at MIT in the 1960s had to share computer time - but some people wanted more.
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Theatre in the Sahara
Tue 18 Dec 2018
Theatre director Peter Brook led a troupe of actors across the Sahara desert in 1972
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The US Apologises for Wartime Internment
Mon 17 Dec 2018
Japanese Americans win an apology and compensation for World War II internment.
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China and Japan at War
Fri 14 Dec 2018
Japanese troops reached the Chinese city of Nanjing in December 1937.
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Englandspiel: The Deadly WW2 Spy Game
Thu 13 Dec 2018
How Britain sent dozens of Dutch agents to their deaths in Nazi-occupied Netherlands
