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.
Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.
When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs, from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015, to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations.
You’ll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
You’ll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden’s Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles’ George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy’s show to a sudden end.
And if you’re curious about inventions, we’ll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created.
If you’re new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you.
Episodes to download
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Surviving the "Auschwitz of the Balkans"
Tue 1 Aug 2017
Croatian fascists killed Serbs, Jews and Roma people in Jasenovac camp during WW2.
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The Death of Evita
Mon 31 Jul 2017
Remembering Argentina's controversial First Lady Eva Peron, who died on July 26 1952.
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Pioneer North Sea Divers
Fri 28 Jul 2017
In the 1970s, deep sea divers were at the sharp end of the North Sea oil boom
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Chiang Kai Shek: The Man Who Lost China
Thu 27 Jul 2017
The Chinese civil war remembered by the Nationalist leader's former chief aide.
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When homosexuality was a crime
Wed 26 Jul 2017
Hear one man's story of living in fear before 1967 when Britain legalised homosexuality
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Khrushchev's Soviet Housing Programme
Tue 25 Jul 2017
In the 1960s, many Soviet families moved to a flat of their own for the first time.
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The Welsh Language Act
Mon 24 Jul 2017
In July 1967 there was a breakthrough for the Welsh language.
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US Psychological Warfare in Vietnam
Fri 21 Jul 2017
How American military PSYOP teams waged war in Vietnam in the 1960s
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The Bonus Army
Thu 20 Jul 2017
In summer 1932, thousands of American First World War veterans marched on Washington
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The Killing of Gianni Versace
Wed 19 Jul 2017
In July 1997 the Italian fashion designer was shot on the steps of his Florida mansion.
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Nintendo's Family Computer
Tue 18 Jul 2017
The home gaming console was a breakthrough in the world of computer games.
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The Mont Blanc Tunnel
Mon 17 Jul 2017
In July 1965 an 11-km tunnel dug deep beneath the Alps was opened to traffic
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The Oka Crisis
Fri 14 Jul 2017
Indigenous Canadians spent the summer of 1990 in a stand off with police.
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Castlemorton Common: Britain's Biggest Illegal Rave
Thu 13 Jul 2017
In the summer of 1992 thousands of ravers and New Age travellers gathered for a festival.
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The Rudolf Nureyev Phenomenon
Wed 12 Jul 2017
In 1961, one of the world's best ballet dancers, Rudolf Nureyev, defected from the USSR.
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The Imprisonment of Irina Ratushinskaya
Tue 11 Jul 2017
The dissident poet was sentenced to 7 years in a Soviet labour camp.
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The First Tamil Suicide Bombing
Fri 7 Jul 2017
In July 1987 Tamil separatist rebels attacked a Sri Lankan army camp.
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The Staffordshire Hoard
Thu 6 Jul 2017
In 2009, a metal detectorist found the largest ever hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver
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No Sex in the USSR
Wed 5 Jul 2017
Why a Russian woman blurted out "We have no sex in the USSR" on international TV.
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Around the World in a Balloon
Tue 4 Jul 2017
In 2002 Steve Fossett succeeded in flying solo around the world in a hot air balloon.
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The Roswell Incident
Mon 3 Jul 2017
It was probably the most famous ever story of an alien spacecraft - on earth
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The Disputed Resort of Taba
Thu 29 Jun 2017
Israel and Egypt both laid claim for years to the Red Sea resort of Taba
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Lonely Planet
Wed 28 Jun 2017
The travel guide that helped tourists make their way around the world on a budget.
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The Hippie Trail
Tue 27 Jun 2017
In the 1960s and 70s, thousands of westerners travelled to India by overland bus.
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The First Budget Flights Across the Atlantic
Mon 26 Jun 2017
How a small Icelandic company broke the mould in air travel in the 1950s.
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Italy's Shame: The Massacre in Ethiopia
Fri 23 Jun 2017
In 1937 Italian forces occupying Addis Ababa murdered thousands of Ethiopian civilians
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The Killing of Vincent Chin
Thu 22 Jun 2017
The movement sparked by the brutal murder of a Chinese-American by 2 white men.
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Persecution of Christians In the Korean War
Wed 21 Jun 2017
In 1950, tens of thousands of Christians were persecuted during the Korean War.
