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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Launching Lagos Fashion Week
Thu 19 Oct 2023
Lagos Fashion Week was launched in 2011 putting Nigerian style on the global map
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Mexico鈥檚 murdered women
Wed 18 Oct 2023
In the 1990s, hundreds of young women were murdered in a Mexican border town
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Rana Plaza building collapse
Tue 17 Oct 2023
In 2013, an eight-storey building in Bangladesh collapsed killing more than 1,000 people
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Cambodian peace walk
Mon 16 Oct 2023
In 1992, Cambodia held its first peace walk aimed at uniting a country torn apart by war
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Surviving an acid attack and changing the law
Fri 13 Oct 2023
In 2013, acid attack survivors in India celebrated a landmark Supreme Court ruling
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Kwame Nkrumah: Ousted from power
Thu 12 Oct 2023
In 1966, Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah, one of Africa's most famous leaders was ousted from power
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Theodosia Okoh: Designer of Ghana鈥檚 flag
Wed 11 Oct 2023
Ghana's independence in 1957 was marked with a new flag designed by Theodosia Okoh
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The 84-year-old primary school pupil
Tue 10 Oct 2023
In 2004, Kenyan great grandfather Kimani Maruge became the oldest person to start school
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Yinka Shonibare: Nelson's Ship in a Bottle
Mon 9 Oct 2023
On 24 May 2010, artist Yinka Shonibare unveiled his sculpture, Nelson鈥檚 Ship in a Bottle
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Protectors of the Amazon
Fri 6 Oct 2023
In 2003, the Sarayaku community began a legal battle against an oil company
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The Amoco Cadiz oil spill
Thu 5 Oct 2023
In 1978, a crude oil tanker was shipwrecked off the coast of France
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The oilfield that changed Kazakhstan
Tue 3 Oct 2023
In 1993 Kazakhstan partnered with Chevron and started drilling for oil
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The oil crisis of 1973
Mon 2 Oct 2023
In October 1973, Arab nations slashed oil production causing prices to sky rocket
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The Lampedusa shipwreck tragedy
Thu 28 Sep 2023
In 2013, a ship carrying more than 500 migrants sank off the coast of Lampedusa.
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Kassandra: The peacekeeping telenovela in Bosnia
Wed 27 Sep 2023
The Latin American soap opera Kassandra helped keep peace in Bosnia
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Concorde's first flight
Tue 26 Sep 2023
On 2 March 1969 Concorde took to the skies for the first time
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Vietnam War: Stopping nuclear disaster
Mon 25 Sep 2023
In 1975, physicist Wally Hendrickson prevented nuclear disaster in Vietnam
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The year of the vuvuzela
Fri 22 Sep 2023
Freddie 'Saddam' Maake tells the story of how he became known as 'Mr Vuvuzela'
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Kenya: Nairobi shopping mall attack
Thu 21 Sep 2023
In 2013, a Somali militant group attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi
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The first person inside the 'Gates of Hell'
Wed 20 Sep 2023
In November 2013, George Kourounis descended into the 'Gates of Hell'
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Fighting for legal abortion in Italy
Tue 19 Sep 2023
In 1978, campaigners won their fight to legalise abortion in Italy despite the opposition
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Nazi eugenics
Mon 18 Sep 2023
In 1933, Adolf Hitler ordered the sterilisation of people with disabilities
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The Ramallah concert
Fri 15 Sep 2023
In 2005, an orchestra made up of young Arab and Israeli musicians performed in Ramallah
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The siege at the Church of the Nativity
Thu 14 Sep 2023
The final days of one of the most dramatic sieges of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
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Ariel Sharon visits al-Aqsa
Wed 13 Sep 2023
In 2000, the Israeli opposition leader visited the al-Aqsa Mosque compound
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Camp David Summit: How Middle East peace talks failed
Tue 12 Sep 2023
President Bill Clinton鈥檚 failed attempt to end the conflict in the Middle East.
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Oslo Peace Accords: The secret talks behind Middle East deal
Mon 11 Sep 2023
How a couple in Oslo brokered peace in the Middle East
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Victor Jara: killed in Chile's coup
Fri 8 Sep 2023
The musician's widow recounts his murder at the hands of Chile's army in 1973
