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 Pearl Harbor
Wed 2 Dec 2015
How one US Navy mechanic made it through the surprise Japanese attack on his Pacific base
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The Bari Raid 1943
Tue 1 Dec 2015
How a devastating air raid on Bari during WW2 led to the deadly release of mustard gas
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Nigeria's "War Against Indiscipline"
Mon 30 Nov 2015
In 1984 General Buhari's military regime launched an unusual campaign to clean up Nigeria
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Surviving Ravensbruck
Fri 27 Nov 2015
The story of a survivor of Ravensbruck, the Nazis' concentration camp for women
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Britain's Palestine Patrols
Thu 26 Nov 2015
How the Royal Navy stopped Jewish refugee ships trying to reach Palestine in the 1940s.
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Cuba's 'Special Period'
Wed 25 Nov 2015
In the 1990s the Cuban economy came close to collapse after Soviet aid dried up
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The DB Cooper Mystery
Mon 23 Nov 2015
In November 1971 a hijacker parachuted from a US plane with a $200,000 ransom
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Attack on the US Embassy in Islamabad
Fri 20 Nov 2015
In late November 1979 a mob set fire to the US Embassy in Islamabad
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The CIA's Cultural War: how the CIA secretly funded the magazine Encounter
Thu 19 Nov 2015
How the CIA secretly funded the hugely influential cultural magazine Encounter.
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Fear of Flying: The Best Selling Book About Sex, Creativity And Love
Wed 18 Nov 2015
Erica Jong, a feminist author from New York, talks about her novel on female sexuality
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Fire: Bollywood Explores Lesbian Love
Tue 17 Nov 2015
Indian film star Shabana Azmi recalls playing a lesbian in the controversial film, Fire
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Kenya’s Torture Chambers
Mon 16 Nov 2015
In 1986 the Kenyan government began a programme of secretly torturing suspected opponents
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The Fall of the Taliban
Fri 13 Nov 2015
On 13 November 2001, the Taliban administration collapsed in Afghanistan
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East Timor Massacre
Thu 12 Nov 2015
In November 1991 Indonesian troops opened fire on independence activists in East Timor
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Romany: Pioneer Wildlife Broadcaster
Wed 11 Nov 2015
Romany of the BBC was a pioneer naturalist broadcaster of Roma Gypsy origin
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India Anti-Sikh Riots
Tue 10 Nov 2015
Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, India was gripped by anti-Sikh riots
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The Amman Bombings
Mon 9 Nov 2015
On 9 November 2005, nearly 60 people were killed in Jordan's worst terror attack
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The Russian Revolution: Alexander Kerensky
Fri 6 Nov 2015
Alexander Kerensky, overthrown by Lenin in 1917, comments on the Russian Revolution
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The Battle of El Alamein
Thu 5 Nov 2015
In 1942, the Allies launched an offensive in Egypt that helped shape the course of WW2
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The Green March
Wed 4 Nov 2015
In November 1975 a huge crowd of Moroccans marched into a Spanish colony in the desert
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Britain's Executioner - Albert Pierrepoint
Tue 3 Nov 2015
Archive interviews with Britain's most famous hangman, who executed more than 400 people.
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The Jarrow Crusade
Mon 2 Nov 2015
In 1936 men from the North of England marched to London to protest at mass unemployment.
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A Jewish Homeland in Siberia
Fri 30 Oct 2015
In 1930 the USSR created a Jewish Region in Siberia, a homeland for Soviet Jews
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The Great Depression: Harry Leslie Smith Remembers
Thu 29 Oct 2015
Harry Leslie Smith grew up in England during the Great Depression of the 1930s
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The First Lady of Cuban Ballet
Wed 28 Oct 2015
World-famous prima ballerina Alicia Alonso talks about founding Cuba's National Ballet
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The Nuclear Spy Alan Nunn May
Tue 27 Oct 2015
In 1945 the English physicist was exposed as a nuclear spy for the Soviet Union.
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The birth of the United Nations
Mon 26 Oct 2015
In October 1945, the United Nations was born, in the hope of preventing future wars
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Iceland's Women Strike
Fri 23 Oct 2015
In October 1975, 90% of all women in Iceland took part in a massive nationwide protest
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Sri Lanka Killings
Thu 22 Oct 2015
In 1995 during Sri Lanka's brutal civil war Tamil rebels attacked a Sinhalese village.
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The Disappearing Sea
Wed 21 Oct 2015
In 1990, the first international conference was held on the shrinking of the Aral Sea
