Main content

Witness History Episodes

  1. 23/10/2026 GMT

    The story of our times told by the people who were there.

  2. 22/10/2026 GMT

    The story of our times told by the people who were there.

  3. Malta’s divorce referendum

    In 2011, Maltese voters went to the polls to decide if divorce should be legalised

  4. How Ten Canoes made cinema history

    In 2006, Australia's first feature film in Aboriginal languages was created

  5. Gerald Durrell's mission to save species from extinction

    In 1959, the writer Gerald Durrell opened the gates to a new kind of zoo

  6. Declaring chimpanzees an endangered species

    In 1990, human’s closest living relatives were declared endangered for the first time

  7. 15/10/2026 GMT

    The story of our times told by the people who were there.

  8. 14/10/2026 GMT

    The story of our times told by the people who were there.

  9. 13/10/2026 GMT

    The story of our times told by the people who were there.

  10. The first monkeys to survive space travel

    On 28 May 1959, the USA sent two monkeys into space and brought them back alive.

  11. The boy behind the creation of the Winnie-the-Pooh books

    In 1926, the first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published, inspired by a young boy's toys

  12. How rats were trained to clear landmines

    In 2004, the world's first team of rats were cleared to be used in demining operations

  13. The mirrors that lit up a dark Norwegian town

    In 2013, Rjukan saw winter sunshine for the first time – thanks to an unusual invention

  14. Egypt’s President Sadat is assassinated

    In October 1981, President Anwar Sadat was assassinated at a military parade

  15. The Peruvian pilots who secretly delivered fighter jets during the Falklands War

    In June 1982, Peru sent fighter jets to help Argentina combat the UK

  16. Sulawesi's cave art and the origins of storytelling

    In 2012, cave art found in Indonesia challenged the idea that storytelling began in Europe

  17. Amsterdam air disaster: 'A plane crashed into my home'

    In 1992, Suzie Ampofo was in her flat block in Amsterdam when a cargo jet crashed into it

  18. The Dead Sea Scrolls

    In 1947, a missing goat led to a remarkable archaeological discovery

  19. The contraceptive pill gets legalised in Japan

    In 1999, after decades of campaigning, the oral contraceptive was legalised in Japan

  20. Sulawesi's cave art and the origins of storytelling

    In 2012, rock art found in Indonesia challenged our understanding of human history

  21. The birth of Jodrell Bank

    In 1957, building finished on what was then the largest radio telescope in the world

  22. Harold Riley: Painting Nelson Mandela

    Harold Riley was the only artist in the world granted a sitting with Nelson Mandela (R)

  23. Kinder Scout mass trespass

    Walkers trespassed on Kinder Scout to demand access to the countryside in 1932

  24. The gathering that helped shape decolonisation

    In 1945, Manchester's Pan-African Congress helped shape the struggle against colonialism

  25. ‘Baby’ computer is invented

    In 1948, the ‘Baby’ paved the way for today’s computers

  26. The nightclub that changed Manchester

    In 1962, the Reno became Manchester's first racially inclusive nightclub

  27. The discovery of the San José shipwreck

    In 2015, the 'holy grail' of shipwrecks was found off the coast of Colombia

  28. The birth of India's call centre industry

    Pramod Bhasin set up India’s first call centre in 1997

  29. Stardust: Ireland's deadly nightclub fire

    In 1981, a fire in a Dublin nightclub killed 48 people

  30. Connecting homes to the internet using cable TV

    In 1991, Rouzbeh Yassini created technology enabling millions of homes to access the web

  1. Previous
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. …
  8. 156