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 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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron 鈥� Argentina鈥檚 Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous 鈥榯ear down this wall鈥� speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler鈥檚 List; and Jacques Derrida, France鈥檚 鈥榬ock star鈥� philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal ; and the death of one of the world鈥檚 oldest languages.
Episodes to download
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The first World Trade Center attack
Tue 26 Feb 2013
How Islamic extremists tried to blow up the Twin Towers eight years before 9/11.
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The Theft of the Scream
Mon 25 Feb 2013
In 1994 Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream was stolen from a Norwegian art museum.
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The White Rose
Fri 22 Feb 2013
Seventy years ago, three German students were executed for protesting against Hitler.
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Welsh Dam Attack
Thu 21 Feb 2013
In 1963 Welsh nationalists took up arms against the construction of a controversial dam
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People Power in the Philippines
Wed 20 Feb 2013
How four days of huge protests brought down Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
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The Lost Egyptian Tomb
Mon 18 Feb 2013
In 1995, archaeologists in Egypt's Valley of the Kings made a remarkable discovery
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Human Shields in Iraq
Fri 15 Feb 2013
The British bus driver who took peace campaigners to Iraq ahead of the 2003 invasion
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The fall of Singapore
Thu 14 Feb 2013
In February 1942 Britain's stronghold in South East Asia fell to the Japanese.
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The Algerian Massacres
Wed 13 Feb 2013
In the 1990s, the Algerian military was locked in a brutal struggle with radical Islamists
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The Murder of James Bulger
Tue 12 Feb 2013
The killing of a toddler in Liverpool 20 years ago that shocked Britain
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The Last Days of Sylvia Plath
Mon 11 Feb 2013
It is fifty years since the suicide of American poet Sylvia Plath
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Shergar - the kidnapping
Fri 8 Feb 2013
It is 30 years since the Derby winner was abducted from a stud farm in Ireland.
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Marcel Proust
Thu 7 Feb 2013
The great French writer remembered by one of his friends and by his faithful maid.
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"Ghana Must Go"
Tue 5 Feb 2013
Thirty years ago, Nigeria expelled up to 2 million African migrants. Most were Ghanaian
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Hugo Chavez and the failed coup
Mon 4 Feb 2013
In February 1992 a group of Venezuelan army officers staged a coup, among them Hugo Chavez
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The battle of Stalingrad
Fri 1 Feb 2013
It is 70 years since German troops lost their battle to take the Soviet industrial city.
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Peter the Great in London
Wed 30 Jan 2013
How the young Tsar's visit to 17th Century England inspired him to modernise Russia
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The building of the Eiffel tower
Tue 29 Jan 2013
Work on the Eiffel Tower started in 1887 but many Parisians were opposed it
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Lagos Armoury Explosion
Mon 28 Jan 2013
Survivors relive the tragedy of the arms dump explosion in Lagos, Nigeria, 2002
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Jimi Hendrix
Fri 25 Jan 2013
The legendary guitarist's English girlfriend remembers his early days in 60s London.
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Hitler's will
Thu 24 Jan 2013
In January 1946 a young British woman was given Hitler's will to translate.
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The Capture of USS Pueblo
Wed 23 Jan 2013
American spy ship USS Pueblo was captured by North Korean forces forty-five years ago
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The Hunger Winter
Tue 22 Jan 2013
How millions of Dutch faced starvation at the end of World War Two
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The death of Bassel al Assad
Mon 21 Jan 2013
It is 19 years since the heir to the Syrian presidency died in a car crash.
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The Arrest of Klaus Barbie
Fri 18 Jan 2013
Thirty years ago, the former Gestapo chief, Klaus Barbie, was arrested in Bolivia.
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Black Stars of Ghana
Thu 17 Jan 2013
Striker Osei Kofi on how the Ghanaian football team dominated Africa in the 1960s.
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Roe v Wade
Wed 16 Jan 2013
In 1973 the landmark decision was made in the US Supreme Court which made abortion legal
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