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 Dance Theatre of Harlem
Wed 24 Aug 2016
In August 1969, the first classical ballet company to focus on black dancers was formed
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The "Don't Die of Ignorance" Aids Campaign
Mon 22 Aug 2016
In 1986 the British government launched the first ever public health campaign on Hiv Aids
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John Muir and America's Wild Places
Fri 19 Aug 2016
The Scottish-born naturalist considered the father of the National Parks in the USA.
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Conflict over a Tree in the DMZ
Thu 18 Aug 2016
In August 1976, two US soldiers were killed in the zone between North and South Korea.
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Studio Ghibli - Japanese Animation
Wed 17 Aug 2016
In August 1986 the first Studio Ghibli film hit Japanese cinema screens.
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Bibles in US Schools
Tue 16 Aug 2016
In 1963 a third of schools in the US had to change their rules on Bible reading.
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The murder of Federico Garcia Lorca
Mon 15 Aug 2016
How the great poet and dramatist was murdered at the start of the Spanish Civil War.
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The Kray Gang
Fri 12 Aug 2016
Maureen Flanagan on her relationship with London's gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray.
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Fleeing Deportation to the USSR
Thu 11 Aug 2016
After WW2, many Soviet citizens who had ended up outside the USSR, refused to go home.
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The Nairobi Embassy Bombing
Wed 10 Aug 2016
In 1998, al-Qaeda killed more than 200 people in attacks on US embassies in East Africa.
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The Excavation of Masada
Tue 9 Aug 2016
Nearly two thousand years ago, Masada in Israel was the site of a mass suicide.
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The Twin Towers High-Wire Walk
Mon 8 Aug 2016
Philippe Petit recalls his daring feat high above the New York streets in August 1974
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American Air Traffic Controllers' Strike
Fri 5 Aug 2016
In August 1981 over 11,000 air traffic controllers were fired after two days on strike.
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Lebanon's Baalbek Festival
Thu 4 Aug 2016
The Middle East's oldest arts festival, in Baalbek in Lebanon, started 60 years ago
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The Reclusive JD Salinger
Wed 3 Aug 2016
It's 65 years since JD Salinger's classic novel The Catcher in the Rye was published
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Jacqueline Du Pre
Tue 2 Aug 2016
Jacqueline Du Pre makes one of the most famous classical recordings of the 20th Century
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The University of Texas Shooting
Mon 1 Aug 2016
In August 1966 14 people were shot dead in America's first mass shooting at a university
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Spying for America in Russia
Fri 29 Jul 2016
The story of Russian spy Alexandr Ogorodnik and his CIA handler, Marti Peterson.
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The Tangshan Earthquake
Thu 28 Jul 2016
In 1976, one of the deadliest earthquakes in history hit the city of Tangshan in China
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Meeting Picasso
Wed 27 Jul 2016
In the summer of 1951 art historian John Richardson met Pablo Picasso for the first time.
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The First CIA Coup in Latin America
Tue 26 Jul 2016
In 1954 CIA-backed officers overthrew Guatemala's elected government.
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Race Riots in Liverpool
Mon 25 Jul 2016
In 1981 police used CS gas for the first time in mainland Britain to control race riots
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The Beilis Case: an Anti-Jewish Trial
Fri 22 Jul 2016
In 1913, a Russian Jew, Mendel Beilis, was falsely accused of a murder.
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The Death of Bruce Lee
Wed 20 Jul 2016
The film star and martial arts legend died suddenly in Hong Kong in 1973.
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Medicare
Mon 18 Jul 2016
In July 1966, the US government health insurance programme Medicare came into force.
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Dutch Elm Disease
Fri 15 Jul 2016
In the 1970s Dutch Elm disease killed millions of Elm trees in England, France and the US
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1916: Central Asia Rebels Against the Russian Empire
Thu 14 Jul 2016
In 1916, Muslims in Central Asia rose up against Russian imperial rule.
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Child refugees from the Spanish Civil War
Wed 13 Jul 2016
In 1937, Britain took in 4000 Basque children at the height of fighting in northern Spain
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The Nestle Boycott
Tue 12 Jul 2016
In July 1977 US campaigners launched a boycott against Nestle over the sale of baby milk.
