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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Body Worlds Exhibition
Tue 20 Jun 2017
In 1995 Tokyo University staged the first exhibition to feature plastinated human corpses
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Italy's 'State-within-a-State'
Mon 19 Jun 2017
In 1982 Italian banker Roberto Calvi was found dead in London in mysterious circumstances
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The Sinking of the Lancastria
Fri 16 Jun 2017
We hear from one of the last survivors of a forgotten World War Two disaster
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The Woman Who Stopped Equal Rights in America
Wed 14 Jun 2017
In June 1982 Phyllis Schlafly defeated a law to guarantee gender equality in the US.
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Algeria's Berbers
Tue 13 Jun 2017
In June 2001 hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated for Berber rights in Algiers.
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The Montserrat Volcano
Mon 12 Jun 2017
In June 1997 a devastating eruption took place on the Caribbean island of Montserrat
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The Six Day War: A Jordanian view
Thu 8 Jun 2017
Captain Nabih El Suhaimat fought to defend East Jerusalem from the Israelis
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The Six Day War: An Israeli view
Wed 7 Jun 2017
In 1967, Israel captured the whole of Jerusalem on the third day of the Six Day War
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The Killing of Robert Kennedy
Tue 6 Jun 2017
The Democrat Senator and Presidential hopeful died on June 6th 1968 after being shot.
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Escape From Slavery
Mon 5 Jun 2017
The story of the Pakistani boy forced into bonded labour at the age of four.
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America's First Female Rabbi
Fri 2 Jun 2017
In June 1972 Sally Priesand became the first woman to be ordained as a rabbi in the USA.
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Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy
Thu 1 Jun 2017
Actor Barbara Leigh-Hunt on her role in one of the most controversial Hitchcock movies
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Rock Concert for Chernobyl
Wed 31 May 2017
In May 1986, a small group of musicians staged the first charity rock concert in the USSR
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India's "Mr Sanitation"
Tue 30 May 2017
In 1968 Dr Bindeshwar Pathak began his mission to improve toilet facilities for the poor.
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Operation Lifeline: Canada's Refugee Revolution
Mon 29 May 2017
In 1979 Canadians began a revolutionary scheme to aid thousands of Indochinese refugees
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Pakistan's First Nuclear Test
Fri 26 May 2017
In May 1998 Pakistan responded to an Indian nuclear test with an explosion of its own
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The Killing of Poet Roque Dalton
Thu 25 May 2017
In May 1975 one of Latin America's leading young poets was shot dead in El Salvador.
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When Irish Pubs Saved the Economy
Wed 24 May 2017
When Ireland's banks went on strike in 1970, people cashed their cheques in pubs.
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The Roma Victims of the Holocaust
Tue 23 May 2017
In 1942, the fascist government of Romania deported its Roma citizens to Transdniestria
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The Death of Neda Agha Soltan
Fri 19 May 2017
The young woman, killed at a protest in 2009, who became a symbol for opposition in Iran
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Alexander Hamilton
Thu 18 May 2017
A Broadway musical has made an 18th century American politician famous once more.
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Brown vs The Board of Education
Wed 17 May 2017
In 1954 the US Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional.
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Weight Watchers
Tue 16 May 2017
How a New York housewife started a worldwide weight loss business in May 1963.
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The George Wallace Assassination Attempt
Mon 15 May 2017
How one of America's most controversial politicians was shot while running for president.
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The Trial of Maurice Papon
Fri 12 May 2017
French minister Maurice Papon went on trial for helping the Nazis to deport French Jews
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Wine Shock: 'The Judgement of Paris'
Thu 11 May 2017
In 1976, unknown Californian wines beat top French wines in a blind wine tasting in Paris
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Americans told 'Eat Less' to Live Longer
Wed 10 May 2017
In 1977 a US government body first warned Americans that their diet was killing them.
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The Soviet James Bond
Tue 9 May 2017
In 1973, the most successful TV spy series ever to be broadcast in the USSR, went on air.
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Shenzhen - Special Economic Zone
Mon 8 May 2017
In May 1980 Communist China allowed capitalist activity for the first time.
