Witness History Episodes Episode guide
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Anthrax Attacks
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks in the USA someone started posting Anthrax to politicians
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The Great Fire of Smyrna
In 1922 a huge fire destroyed the ancient city of Smyrna on the Aegean, thousands died
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The Lascaux Caves
In September 1940 a group of French schoolboys found a network of ancient cave paintings.
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Estonia's Bootleg Vodka Poisoning
In September 2001, 68 people died after an outbreak of alcohol poisoning in Estonia.
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How Europe won over the British left
A speech by Jacques Delors helped change British trade unionists' attitude to Europe
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Star Trek - The Early Years
In September 1966 the cult American science fiction series first went on air.
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Remembering Chairman Mao
On September 9th 1976 the founding father of Chinese Communism, Mao Zedong, died.
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Italy's Partisan Fighters
The brother and sister who took part in the struggle to free Italy from fascism in WW2.
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The Day Sweden Turned Right
In September 1967 Swedish traffic changed to driving on the right-hand side of the road.
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The Mexican American War
Testimonies from the conflict that changed US-Mexican relations forever
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The Last Case of Smallpox in the UK
Alasdair Geddes on finding smallpox in Janet Parker in 1978 and the events that followed
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The Fall of Bukhara
In 1920, the Central Asian Muslim kingdom of Bukhara was taken over by Communists.
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Burning Man
It's thirty years since the birth of the counter-culture festival Burning Man.
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Fania All Stars - Legends of Salsa
How a Latin music supergroup helped spread salsa music from New York to the world.
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Helmand Convoy
An audacious military mission to bring electricity to southern Afghanistan.
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The Dance Theatre of Harlem
In August 1969, the first classical ballet company to focus on black dancers was formed
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The Stockholm Syndrome
The hostage who trusted her kidnapper more than the police
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The "Don't Die of Ignorance" Aids Campaign
In 1986 the British government launched the first ever public health campaign on Hiv Aids
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John Muir and America's Wild Places
The Scottish-born naturalist considered the father of the National Parks in the USA.
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Conflict over a Tree in the DMZ
In August 1976, two US soldiers were killed in the zone between North and South Korea.
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Studio Ghibli - Japanese Animation
In August 1986 the first Studio Ghibli film hit Japanese cinema screens.
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Bibles in US Schools
In 1963 a third of schools in the US had to change their rules on Bible reading.
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The murder of Federico Garcia Lorca
How the great poet and dramatist was murdered at the start of the Spanish Civil War.
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The Kray Gang
Maureen Flanagan on her relationship with London's gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray.
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Fleeing Deportation to the USSR
After WW2, many Soviet citizens who had ended up outside the USSR, refused to go home.
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The Nairobi Embassy Bombing
In 1998, al-Qaeda killed more than 200 people in attacks on US embassies in East Africa.
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The Excavation of Masada
Nearly two thousand years ago, Masada in Israel was the site of a mass suicide.
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The Twin Towers High-Wire Walk
Philippe Petit recalls his daring feat high above the New York streets in August 1974
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American Air Traffic Controllers' Strike
In August 1981 over 11,000 air traffic controllers were fired after two days on strike.
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Lebanon's Baalbek Festival
The Middle East's oldest arts festival, in Baalbek in Lebanon, started 60 years ago