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
-
![]()
Denmark's Inuit Experiment
Wed 10 Jun 2015
In 1951 a group of Inuit children were sent to Denmark for re-education as "little Danes"
-
![]()
Refugee Boat Tragedy
Tue 9 Jun 2015
In June 1988 the US Navy came across a boat of Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea
-
![]()
Women's Institute at 100
Mon 8 Jun 2015
The British women's organisation set up to revitalise rural communities during WW1
-
![]()
Britain's first referendum on Europe
Fri 5 Jun 2015
In June 1975, Britain held a referendum on its membership of the Common Market
-
![]()
The Eichmann Tapes
Thu 4 Jun 2015
The Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann gave hours of interview before his capture and trial
-
![]()
The Death of Ayatollah Khomeini
Wed 3 Jun 2015
Chaos at the funeral of Iran's leader as millions gathered to mourn his death.
-
![]()
The Golden Gate Bridge
Tue 2 Jun 2015
In early June 1937 San Francisco was celebrating the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
-
![]()
The Burning of the Jaffna Public Library
Mon 1 Jun 2015
On June 1st 1981, the public library in the Sri Lankan city of Jaffna was set on fire.
-
![]()
The Heysel Stadium Disaster
Fri 29 May 2015
Thirty-nine people died during the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus.
-
![]()
The Welsh in Patagonia
Thu 28 May 2015
In May 1865 a group of Welsh settlers left Liverpool for Patagonia
-
![]()
Protect and Survive
Wed 27 May 2015
In May 1980 the British government published a booklet about how to survive nuclear war
-
![]()
Dorothy Mulkey - US Fair Housing Campaigner
Tue 26 May 2015
The Californian woman who ended segregation in the American housing market in 1967.
-
![]()
Italy in World War One
Mon 25 May 2015
One soldier's diary account of the brutal Italian campaign fought in the Alps
-
![]()
Archbishop Romero of San Salvador
Fri 22 May 2015
An eye-witness account of the murder of the outspoken cleric, soon to declared a saint
-
![]()
Bob Marley's Funeral
Thu 21 May 2015
On 21 May 1981 the legendary reggae singer was buried in Jamaica
-
![]()
A Coup in Fiji
Wed 20 May 2015
In May 2000, gunmen broke into parliament in Fiji and declared a coup
-
![]()
Lawrence of Arabia
Tue 19 May 2015
It is 80 years since the Englishman TE Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, died
-
![]()
The Elephant Man
Mon 18 May 2015
The story of the hugely deformed Joseph Merrick, a celebrity in Victorian Britain.
-
![]()
The Building of Kariba Dam
Fri 15 May 2015
In May 1960 the massive Kariba hydro-electric dam on Africa's Zambezi river was opened.
-
![]()
Kermit the Frog
Thu 14 May 2015
It is 60 years since the frog puppet first appeared on an American children's TV show
-
![]()
The Andijan Massacre
Wed 13 May 2015
On May 13th 2005 hundreds of demonstrators were killed by soldiers in an Uzbek town.
-
![]()
The Church of the Nativity siege
Tue 12 May 2015
In May 2002 a five-week siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem finally ends
-
![]()
India's Billionth Baby
Mon 11 May 2015
On May 11th 2000 a baby girl born in Delhi was designated as India's billionth citizen.
-
![]()
VE Day
Fri 8 May 2015
The celebrations in London at the end of World War II in Europe, as reported by the BBC.
-
![]()
The Sinking of the Lusitania
Thu 7 May 2015
1,200 died when a German submarine torpedoed the passenger liner off Ireland in 1915
-
![]()
Aden's Independence Struggle
Wed 6 May 2015
The fight to end British rule in the colony of Aden - today part of Yemen
-
![]()
Chemical Weapons Tests at Porton Down
Tue 5 May 2015
In May 1953, a British airman died in nerve gas tests at a government research base
-
![]()
The Iranian Embassy Siege
Mon 4 May 2015
In May 1980 British special forces stormed Iran's embassy in London to end a siege
-
![]()
US Evacuation from Saigon
Fri 1 May 2015
The last remaining US forces pulled out of South Vietnam on April 30th 1975.
-
![]()
The Man Who Removed His Own Appendix
Thu 30 Apr 2015
In April 1961, Russian doctor Leonid Rogozov developed appendicitis in Antarctica.
