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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Discovering the Terracotta Army
Thu 21 Mar 2024
In 1974, Chinese farmers stumbled upon an astonishing archaeological site
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The 'comfort women' of World War Two
Wed 20 Mar 2024
Hundreds of thousands of Asian women were forced into sex slavery in the 1930s and 1940s
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Surviving re-education in China’s Cultural Revolution
Tue 19 Mar 2024
Thousands of people were sent to re-education camps during China’s cultural revolution
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Pinyin: The man who helped China to read and write
Mon 18 Mar 2024
In 1958, Zhou Youguang introduced a new writing system in China
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The last eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Fri 15 Mar 2024
Vesuvius is famous for burying Pompeii but it last erupted in 1944, during World War II.
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Winifred Atwell: The honky-tonk star who was Sir Elton John’s hero
Thu 14 Mar 2024
The forgotten story of Winifred Atwell, the pianist from Trinidad who broke sales records
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Paraguay adopts its second language
Wed 13 Mar 2024
How Guarani was officially recognised in Paraguay’s new constitution
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Finding the longest set of footprints left by the first vertebrate
Tue 12 Mar 2024
In 1992 a student found a set of fossilised footprints from the earliest vertebrate
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11M: The day Madrid was bombed
Mon 11 Mar 2024
Nearly 200 died when Spanish commuter trains were bombed in 2004
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MH370: The plane that vanished
Fri 8 Mar 2024
Ghyslain Wattrelos' wife and two children were on MH370, the plane that disappeared.
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Rehabilitating Kony's child soldiers in Uganda
Thu 7 Mar 2024
In 2002, a nun was sent to northern Uganda to help those suffering from a bloody conflict
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The Carnation Revolution in Portugal
Wed 6 Mar 2024
In 1974, a 41-year regime was overthrown in a day
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French child evacuees of World War Two
Tue 5 Mar 2024
In World War Two, tens of thousands of children left Paris to escape the threat of bombs
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Uruguay v the tobacco giant
Mon 4 Mar 2024
In 2010, Uruguay was taken to court by a tobacco company for its trailblazing smoking ban
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The Whisky War: Denmark v Canada
Fri 1 Mar 2024
Beginning in 1984, a dispute over an island was marked by geniality, and bottles of booze
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The discovery of the Lord of Sipan in Peru
Thu 29 Feb 2024
In 1987, the looting of an ancient pyramid led to an extraordinary golden discovery
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The lost Czech scrolls
Wed 28 Feb 2024
The Torah scrolls stolen by the Nazis, rescued by an London Jewish community.
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Whistler: Creating one of the world’s biggest ski resorts
Fri 23 Feb 2024
In 2003, Whistler Blackcomb won its bid to host the Winter Olympics
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Columbus Lighthouse
Thu 22 Feb 2024
A memorial for the ashes of Christopher Columbus opened in the Dominican Republic in 1992
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Trans murder in Honduras
Wed 21 Feb 2024
The 2009 murder of Vicky Hernandez forced recognition of transgender rights in Honduras
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Icelandic women's strike
Tue 20 Feb 2024
In 1975, 90% of all women in Iceland took part in a massive nationwide protest
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The Soviet scientist who made two-headed dogs
Mon 19 Feb 2024
Soviet scientist Vladimir Demikhov shocked the world with his two-headed dog experiments
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Supermalt: The malt drink created after the Nigerian civil war
Fri 16 Feb 2024
In 1972, a Danish brewery created Supermalt
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The small Irish town known as ‘Little Brazil’
Thu 15 Feb 2024
How Gort in the west of Ireland became home to so many Brazilians
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The Juliet letters
Wed 14 Feb 2024
Since the 1990s the Juliet Club has answered letters to the Shakespearian heroine
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Patty Hearst: Rebel heiress
Tue 13 Feb 2024
In 1974, a kidnapped socialite joined forces with her captors
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The WW2 escape line that fooled the Nazis
Mon 12 Feb 2024
In 1940 a rescue operation helped Allied servicemen escape from Nazi-occupied France
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The Battle of Versailles: Catwalk clash of American and French fashion
Fri 9 Feb 2024
In 1973 a fashion show was held in France which the media dubbed the Battle of Versailles