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 Search for Iran's Nuclear Programme
Thu 2 Aug 2018
In 2003 Iran agreed to let the IAEA into the country to inspect its nuclear facilities.
-
![]()
The Retirement Home For Dancing Bears
Wed 1 Aug 2018
The Bulgarian sanctuary that cares for bears once forced to dance.
-
![]()
Shambo The Sacred Bull
Tue 31 Jul 2018
How a bull's health led to a stand-off between monks and the Welsh government in 2007.
-
![]()
WW1: Britain's Conscientious Objectors
Mon 30 Jul 2018
Thousands went to prison for refusing to join Britain's war effort.
-
![]()
Women At West Point
Fri 27 Jul 2018
In July 1976, female cadets were admitted to the US Military Academy for the first time.
-
![]()
Winston Churchill's Election Defeat
Thu 26 Jul 2018
In July l945 Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill was ousted in a general election
-
![]()
The Whitewashing of Zimbabwe's Ancient History
Wed 25 Jul 2018
The contentious history of the ruined city of Great Zimbabwe - finally revealed.
-
![]()
The Kitchen Debate
Tue 24 Jul 2018
When two Cold War leaders argued about living standards in their countries.
-
![]()
South Korea's Summer Of Terror
Mon 23 Jul 2018
How thousands of suspected communist sympathisers were killed in South Korea in 1950.
-
![]()
A Vet Remembers The Hyde Park Bombing
Fri 20 Jul 2018
Two IRA bombs in London parks killed 11 military personnel and 7 horses on 20th July 1982
-
![]()
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Thu 19 Jul 2018
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed in July 1968
-
![]()
The Bombing of the King David Hotel
Wed 18 Jul 2018
The attack by an armed Jewish group on British HQ in Palestine that left 91 dead.
-
![]()
The Virgin Lands Campaign
Tue 17 Jul 2018
To fight food shortages in the 1950s the USSR embarked on a major agricultural project
-
![]()
The Killing of the Russian Tsar
Mon 16 Jul 2018
The Russian Tsar and his family were shot in a cellar in Yekaterinburg on 17 July 1918
-
![]()
Italy's 'Ghost Shipwreck'
Fri 13 Jul 2018
How journalists located the wreck of a boat that capsized killing nearly 300 migrants
-
![]()
The Spiegel Affair
Thu 12 Jul 2018
How a magazine article about West Germany's defence strategy led to a government crisis.
-
![]()
Smiling Buddha: India's First Nuclear Test
Wed 11 Jul 2018
How India secretly developed and exploded its first atomic device in 1974
-
![]()
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Tue 10 Jul 2018
Published in 1958 the Nigerian writer's first novel revolutionised African fiction.
-
![]()
Kosovo: 'Madeleine's War'
Fri 6 Jul 2018
Ex-US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on why she argued for Nato action in Kosovo
-
![]()
Playgrounds Made of Junk
Thu 5 Jul 2018
Post-war Britain saw a rise in "adventure playgrounds" born out of bomb-sites
-
![]()
The Toilet
Wed 4 Jul 2018
The controversial art installation which upset Russians but is now seen as a masterpiece
-
![]()
Flight 655: When The US Shot Down An Airliner
Tue 3 Jul 2018
All 290 on board were killed when a US warship downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988
-
![]()
The Search For Deep Throat
Mon 2 Jul 2018
In July 2005, the most famous informant in American history Deep Throat revealed himself
-
![]()
The President and the Gun Lobby
Fri 29 Jun 2018
Former President George Bush Senior's public row with the National Rifle Association.
-
![]()
Whiskey On The Rocks
Thu 28 Jun 2018
The Cold War stand-off when a Soviet submarine was stranded on a Swedish rock.
-
![]()
-
![]()
Veronica Guerin - Dying for the Story
Tue 26 Jun 2018
The Irish journalist murdered for her work exposing drug barons in the 1990s
-
![]()
The King of Lampedusa
Mon 25 Jun 2018
How 4,000 Italian troops surrendered to a young Jewish pilot from London, during WW2.
-
![]()
How the World Woke Up to Global Warming
Fri 22 Jun 2018
James Hansen got US politicians to listen to his warnings about climate change in 1988.
-
![]()
Demoted For Being Gay
Thu 21 Jun 2018
When the Israeli Army punished Colonel Uzi Even for being gay, he fought back.
