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 – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ 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’s oldest languages.
Episodes to download
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The Irish shopworkers strike against apartheid
Wed 12 Jun 2024
In 1984, 11 Dunnes store workers walked out after refusing to handle South African goods
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Boko Haram massacre in Gwoza
Tue 11 Jun 2024
In 2014, Boko Haram drove into Gwoza in Nigeria and began an assault that killed hundreds
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Nato bombs Serbian state television headquarters
Mon 10 Jun 2024
It's 25 years since Nato bombed the Serbian television headquarters in Belgrade
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The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at George Bush
Fri 7 Jun 2024
Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at the President of the United States.
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Saving lives on D-Day
Thu 6 Jun 2024
Charles Norman Shay was honoured for saving men from drowning on Omaha Beach on D-Day
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The woman whose weather report changed the date of D-Day
Wed 5 Jun 2024
Maureen Flavin’s weather report forecast a storm and changed the course of WW2 history
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Tetris: The birth of an all-time favourite
Tue 4 Jun 2024
The game was created by a Russian and marketed by an American during the Cold War
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‘Panda diplomacy’: China gifts pandas to Taiwan
Mon 3 Jun 2024
Giant pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, were sent to Taiwan from China as a gift in 2008
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The commercial that changed advertising: 1984
Fri 31 May 2024
Forty years ago, a revolutionary advert played at America’s Super Bowl
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The Flint water crisis
Thu 30 May 2024
In 2014, a city in Michigan was exposed to dangerous levels of lead in its water supply
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The first Aboriginal MP
Wed 29 May 2024
In August 1971, the first Aboriginal MP took his place in the Australian Senate.
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The first ever quintuplets
Tue 28 May 2024
Ninety years ago, five girls were born and exhibited to the world
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Carlos Lamarca: From army captain to Brazil's 'most wanted'
Mon 27 May 2024
Hero or traitor? Carlos Lamarca deserted the Brazilian army to fight the military regime
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How Air Jordans were created
Fri 24 May 2024
The story of how Nike signed basketballer Michael Jordan and launched Air Jordans
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Imelda Marcos's famous shoe collection
Thu 23 May 2024
In 2001, more than 700 pairs of Imelda Marcos’ shoes became museum exhibits in Marikina
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Adi Dassler's sports shoe obsession
Wed 22 May 2024
How an argument between the Dassler brothers led to the creation of Adidas and Puma
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How a Brazilian flip-flop took over the world
Tue 21 May 2024
Havaianas has become one of the country's most successful and best-known exports
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Bata: Pioneering shoemakers
Mon 20 May 2024
A Czech company called Bata pioneered assembly line shoemaking
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When Cuban spy Ana Montes was caught
Fri 17 May 2024
The story of Cuban spy Ana Montes who was arrested in 2001
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Baghdad heavy metal
Thu 16 May 2024
The story of heavy metal in Iraq during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein
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How nuclear testing changed politics in French Polynesia
Wed 15 May 2024
In 2004, protests against nuclear testing saw a change in how French Polynesia was ruled
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The ‘Catastrophe’ for Palestinians
Mon 13 May 2024
In 1948, tens of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their homes
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Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal
Fri 10 May 2024
The story of a princess, an Indian palace and a photograph which gained worldwide fame
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How a billion Indians got a digital ID
Thu 9 May 2024
The 2009 attempt to give all Indian citizens a unique digital ID
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The pioneering eye surgery that led to Lasik
Wed 8 May 2024
In 1963, Dr Jose Barraquer Moner performed the first eye surgery to fix short-sightedness.
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East Germany's coffee from Vietnam
Tue 7 May 2024
A thirst for caffeine led to an unusual global collaboration in the 1980s
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Friends: The making of a smash hit
Mon 6 May 2024
Behind the scenes on one of the biggest TV comedies of all time
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The Channel Tunnel breakthrough
Fri 3 May 2024
In 1990, the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France was connected
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Ukraine's 'museum of corruption'
Thu 2 May 2024
Ordinary people saw inside the home of Ukraine’s ousted president in February 2014