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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The French Army Mutiny of 1917
Fri 5 May 2017
After enduring years of slaughter during WW1, French army units finally mutinied
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Civil War in Tajikistan
Thu 4 May 2017
In 1992, shortly after the collapse of the USSR, a civil war erupted in Tajikistan.
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Magnum Photos
Wed 3 May 2017
The legendary photographic cooperative, Magnum, was founded 70 years ago
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The Invention of Liposuction
Tue 2 May 2017
It was a father and son team of Italian cosmetic surgeons who created liposuction.
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Ulrike Meinhof
Mon 1 May 2017
In May 1976 the German left-wing extremist Ulrike Meinhof killed herself in prison.
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Searching For Argentina's Disappeared
Fri 28 Apr 2017
How the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo challenged Argentina's military rulers.
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Bosnia: Rape as a Weapon of War
Thu 27 Apr 2017
During the Bosnian war of the early 1990's, thousands of women were raped.
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When the Syrian Army Withdrew from Lebanon
Wed 26 Apr 2017
On April 26th 2005, Syrian forces finally pulled out of Lebanon after almost 30 years.
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Revolutionary Psychiatrist RD Laing
Tue 25 Apr 2017
The man who changed the way people thought about mental illness.
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Bulgaria's "Revival Process"
Mon 24 Apr 2017
Bulgaria's brutal policy of forced assimilation against its Turkish minority in the 1980s
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The Suzuki Violin Method
Fri 21 Apr 2017
In post-WW2 Japan, Shinichi Suzuki developed a new method of teaching the violin.
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The Hubble Space Telescope
Thu 20 Apr 2017
When it began sending images back to Nasa they were out of focus - Mike Weiss fixed it
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Charlie Chaplin Returns to America from Exile
Wed 19 Apr 2017
Eugene Chaplin remembers his famous father's love-hate relationship with the USA
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The World Festival of Black Arts
Tue 18 Apr 2017
In April 1966 thousands of African artists and performers gathered in Senegal
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How Peru Mistook Missionaries For Drug Traffickers
Mon 17 Apr 2017
Hear from the American who survived being shot down in his plane over the Amazon jungle
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The Takeover of NTV in Russia
Fri 14 Apr 2017
NTV was the only nationwide independent TV channel in Russia. It was taken over in 2001.
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America's 504 Disability Rights Protests
Thu 13 Apr 2017
In April 1977, US disabled activists occupied a government building for nearly a month.
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UK Sikhs Fight For Religious Rights
Wed 12 Apr 2017
In 1969 Sikh bus drivers in Wolverhampton won the right to wear turbans on duty.
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The Katyn Massacre
Tue 11 Apr 2017
Tens of thousands of Polish officers were executed in the USSR during World War 2.
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Ethiopia's Red Terror
Mon 10 Apr 2017
In the 1970s Ethiopia's military regime launched a brutal campaign of repression
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Egypt's Facebook Girl
Fri 7 Apr 2017
Israa Abd El Fattah was one of the first Egyptian activists to use Facebook for protests.
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Princess Diana's Handshake with Aids Patient
Wed 5 Apr 2017
In April 1987 Princess Diana opened the UK's first purpose built HIV Aids unit
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The Nagorno-Karabakh war
Tue 4 Apr 2017
One man whose family were made refugees during the Nagorno-Karabakh war tells their story
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The Jane Fonda Workout
Mon 3 Apr 2017
In April 1982 the film star Jane Fonda launched her first workout video.
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The Collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf
Fri 31 Mar 2017
Glaciologist Pedro Svarka recalls the massive ice shelf tumbling into the Antarctic seas.
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Teletubbies
Thu 30 Mar 2017
In March 1997 the BBC launched one of the most successful children's TV programmes ever.
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Anthrax Leak in the Soviet Union
Wed 29 Mar 2017
In 1979, an outbreak of anthrax poisoning caused dozens of deaths in the Soviet Union.
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The Flavr Savr Tomato - The World's First Genetically Engineered Food
Tue 28 Mar 2017
In 1994, a tomato became the world's first genetically engineered food on sale
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The Murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero
Mon 27 Mar 2017
The outspoken cleric from El Salvador killed at the altar by a right-wing death squad.
