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.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.
Episodes to download
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Kraftwerk
Wed 26 Nov 2014
In November 1974, West German band Kraftwerk released their seminal album Autobahn
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The Death of Yukio Mishima
Tue 25 Nov 2014
What drove the Japanese writer and film-maker Yukio Mishima to kill himself?
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India's Eton
Mon 24 Nov 2014
In 1935 India's Doon School opened, producing prime ministers, authors and businessmen
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The Death of Quentin Crisp
Fri 21 Nov 2014
The flamboyant gay author of The Naked Civil Servant died on 21 November, 1999
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The Nuremberg Trials
Thu 20 Nov 2014
The story of the only surviving American prosecutor at the Nuremberg war crimes trials
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Saddam Hussein Trial
Wed 19 Nov 2014
In November 2006 Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death in a Baghdad courtroom
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President Mitterrand's Secret Second Family
Tue 18 Nov 2014
In 1994, a French magazine revealed that President Mitterrand had a secret daughter
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The Murder of El Salvador's Jesuits
Mon 17 Nov 2014
The shocking killings that became a turning point in the Salvadorean civil war.
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Botswana Diamond Discovery
Fri 14 Nov 2014
Manfred Marx discovery in the Kalahari transformed Botswana's economy after independence
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The Killing of Rohana Wijeweera
Thu 13 Nov 2014
The death of left-wing, Sri Lankan rebel, Rohana Wijeweera in government custody in 1989
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Rhodesia Declares Independence
Wed 12 Nov 2014
This act by the white minority government in 1965, led to a decade of war
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The Destruction of Iraq's Marshes
Tue 11 Nov 2014
In the 1990s Saddam Hussein oversaw the destruction of southern Iraq's ancient marshes
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Spies in Suburbia
Mon 10 Nov 2014
A Soviet spy ring was uncovered operating from a London bungalow in 1961
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The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Fri 7 Nov 2014
Hear from two East Germans who were among the first to cross on 9 November, 1989
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The Disappearance of Lord Lucan
Thu 6 Nov 2014
The criminal mystery as told by the son of the murdered nanny
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Freud's Interpretation of Dreams
Tue 4 Nov 2014
In November 1899, Sigmund Freud published a book called The Interpretation of Dreams.
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Jane Goodall and Chimpanzees
Mon 3 Nov 2014
In 1960 a young Englishwoman made a discovery that changed our understanding of animals
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British Forces in Afghanistan
Fri 31 Oct 2014
Hear from an Afghan who worked alongside UK troops in Afghanistan.
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The 1973 Oil Crisis
Thu 30 Oct 2014
In October 1973, an Arab oil embargo caused world oil prices to rocket
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The Assassination of Indira Gandhi
Wed 29 Oct 2014
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot by her bodyguards on 31 October, 1984
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New York Jewel Heist
Tue 28 Oct 2014
In Oct 1964 cat-burglars carried out one of the most audacious jewel robberies ever
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The October War
Mon 27 Oct 2014
In 1973, the Arabs launched an attack on Israel in a war both sides claimed they'd won
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The Murder that Shocked Brazil
Fri 24 Oct 2014
In October 1975 the journalist Vladimir Herzog was killed by the secret police in Brazil.
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Turkey and the Kurds
Thu 23 Oct 2014
In 1999 the leader of Turkey's Kurdish rebel group was arrested
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Ethiopia's 1984 Famine
Wed 22 Oct 2014
In 1984 Ethiopia suffered one of its worst ever famines - the pictures shocked the world
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The Death of Dele Giwa
Tue 21 Oct 2014
In October 1986, the acclaimed Nigerian journalist, Dele Giwa, was assassinated in Lagos
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The Vagina Monologues
Fri 17 Oct 2014
In 1996 the play 'The Vagina Monologues was first performed in New York.
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London Dock Strike of 1889
Thu 16 Oct 2014
In 1889 London's despised dockers went on strike. It went on to form the labour movement
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The Leipzig Demonstrations
Wed 15 Oct 2014
Mass demonstrations in Leipzig triggered the collapse of communism in East Germany
