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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How Rosa Parks took a stand against racism
Thu 8 Feb 2024
Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat helped end segregation in the United States
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Lucha Reyes: Peruvian music star
Wed 7 Feb 2024
She overcame poverty, health problems and racism to become one of Peru’s greatest singers
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A young mother saved from death by stoning
Tue 6 Feb 2024
In 2003, human rights lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim defended Amina Lawal from death by stoning
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Queen of the 'fro
Mon 5 Feb 2024
In 1986, Charlotte Mensah went to work in the UK's first luxury Afro-Caribbean hair salon
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First internet cafe
Thu 1 Feb 2024
Cyberia, billed as the World's first internet cafe opened in London in 1994
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The Arctic’s doomsday seed vault
Wed 31 Jan 2024
In 2008, seeds began arriving at a frozen vault designed to save the world’s food supply
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Brazil's Landless Workers Movement
Tue 30 Jan 2024
In 1980, poor rural workers occupied land owned by the rich and violent clashes followed
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Silenced by the Vatican
Mon 29 Jan 2024
How Brazilian priest Leonardo Boff was punished for his writing on liberation theology
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Jack Strong aka Ryszard Kukliński: Cold War traitor or hero?
Fri 26 Jan 2024
During the Cold War a high-ranking Polish colonel passed Soviet secrets to the CIA
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The Hungarian footballer executed for love
Thu 25 Jan 2024
Sándor Szűcs was hanged for trying to escape communist Hungary with his lover
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Wang Jingwei: China’s traitor or protector?
Wed 24 Jan 2024
The national hero was branded a traitor for collaborating with Japan during World War Two
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Axis Sally: World War II traitor who broadcast for the Nazis
Tue 23 Jan 2024
Mildred Gillars became the first woman in American history to be convicted of treason.
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Vidkun Quisling: Norway's traitor
Mon 22 Jan 2024
In 1939, Vidkun Quisling asked Hitler to invade Norway.
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Jamuna Tudu: The real life 'Lady Tarzan'
Fri 19 Jan 2024
In the early 2000s, a woman known as ‘Lady Tarzan’ fought India’s so called timber mafia
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Ibadan Zoo
Thu 18 Jan 2024
Bob Golding turned Ibadan Zoo into one of Nigeria's biggest attractions in the 1970s
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Tortured in Iran's Evin Prison
Wed 17 Jan 2024
Protests after Iran's 2009 election caused one man to be interrogated for 118 days
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The Green March: Moroccans take over the Sahara
Tue 16 Jan 2024
In 1975, unarmed Moroccans faced off against gun-carrying Spanish soldiers
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The hunger-striking Bolivian president
Mon 15 Jan 2024
In 1984, President Zuazo went on hunger strike, in an attempt to stabilise Bolivia
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Gürtel scandal: Spain's Watergate
Fri 12 Jan 2024
How one man's secret recordings revealed one of Spain's biggest corruption scandals
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The first World Laughter Day
Thu 11 Jan 2024
The first World Laughter Day took place in Mumbai, India in January 1998
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Russian ballerina defects to the west
Wed 10 Jan 2024
The Russian ballerina who defected to the west
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The mystery of France's lost king
Tue 9 Jan 2024
The fate of Louis-Charles, imprisoned in 1795, was for years shrouded in rumour
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The world’s first lesbian couple to get married
Mon 8 Jan 2024
In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalise gay marriage
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What the 1989 solar storm did to Quebec
Fri 5 Jan 2024
In 1989, a huge solar flare ground life to a halt in Quebec
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The Hindenburg airship disaster
Thu 4 Jan 2024
In 1937, the Hindenburg burst into flames during mooring, killing 35 people on board.
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The invention of the wingsuit
Wed 3 Jan 2024
In 1999, skydiver Jari Kuosma developed the first commercial wingsuit
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Discovery of the hole in the earth’s ozone
Tue 2 Jan 2024
In 1985, news broke of a major environmental discovery: a hole in the earth’s ozone layer
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Earth: A pale blue dot in the universe
New Year's Day 2024
In 1990, a space probe's photograph of Earth captured the enormity of space
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Ken Hom's 'Chinese Cookery'
Fri 29 Dec 2023
In 1984, Ken Hom taught TV audiences to cook Chinese food for the first time
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The disputed history of pad Thai
Thu 28 Dec 2023
Exploring the different theories behind the creation of pad Thai