Witness History Episodes Episode guide
-
Spy and Femme Fatale Mata Hari
How the Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari, wowed Paris but was then executed for spying.
-
Rainbow Warrior
25 years ago the Greenpeace campaign ship, the Rainbow Warrior, was bombed.
-
Uncovering Srebrenica
How an American journalist uncovered the story of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia.
-
Piper Alpha oil rig disaster
On 6 July 1988 the Piper Alpha oil rig in the North Sea off Scotland exploded.
-
Witness: the Algerians who fought for France
The fate of the Algerians who fought for France during the war of independence.
-
Entebbe raid
Summer 1976, and an Air France plane is hijacked and flown to Entebbe airport in Uganda.
-
Battle of Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the American Civil War.
-
The murder of Colombian footballer Andres Escobar
Colombian defender Andres Escobar was murdered after an own goal in the 1994 World Cup.
-
Slovenian War of Independence
Slovenia's ten day war of independence.
-
Stonewall Riots
A raid on the Stonewall club in New York leads to the birth of the gay rights movement.
-
Korean War
It is 60 years since the beginning of the Korean War. Listen to one soldier's story.
-
Berlin airlift
In 1948 West Berlin was blockaded by the Soviets - all supplies had to be airlifted in.
-
Pickles and the World Cup
In 1966 a dog called Pickles saved the day when the World Cup was stolen in London.
-
Cigarette ruling
In 1997 a ruling in America changed the tobacco industry forever.
-
Peron Returns
In 1973 Juan Peron returned to Argentina from exile. But his homecoming turned to chaos.
-
Charles de Gaulle's rallying cry
De Gaulle, the BBC and the birth of the French Resistance.
-
The Rosenbergs
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for spying against the USA on 19 June 1953.
-
Soweto Uprising
Schoolchildren protest against Afrikaans as the language of instruction in South Africa
-
Exxon Valdez
In March 1989, the Exxon Valdez went aground, spilling 11 million gallons of oil
-
Tragedy at Le Mans
The worst accident in motor-racing history happened in 1955 at Le Mans.
-
USA v England
In 1950 a team of part-time footballers from the USA beat England in the World Cup.
-
Kosovo War
On this day in 1999 the Kosovo war came to an end - a Serbian soldier tells his story.
-
Cousteau Film
Jacques Cousteau's film the Silent World revolutionised underwater filmmaking.
-
Kim Phuc's Story
In 1972 a photo of a little Vietnamese girl, burned and crying, shocked the world.
-
Palestinian refugees: the day my family was killed
In 1948, the creation of Israel led to many Palestinians becoming refugees
-
The Marshall Plan
It's June the 5th 1947 and America comes to the aid of a devastated Europe.
-
SARS
It's June 2003 and over the last six months a new epidemic has been spreading fast.
-
Golden Temple
It's the 3rd June 1984, and one of India's holiest temples is under siege.
-
Jeopardy
Jeopardy is a popular American quiz show. Ken Jennings is the man who kept on winning it.
-
Watergate
US President Richard Nixon was brought down by the Watergate inquiry.