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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One man’s escape from McCarthyism
Tue 19 Aug 2025
In 1951, a US soldier defected to the Soviet Union during the anti-communist crackdown
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Spot the Dog
Mon 18 Aug 2025
In 1978, British artist Eric Hill designed a book about a puppy for his two-year-old son
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Pramoedya Ananta Toer: The banned author of Indonesia
Fri 15 Aug 2025
Indonesian writer, Pramoedya Ananta Toer wrote novels whilst imprisoned on an island
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Jakarta’s ban on dancing monkeys
Thu 14 Aug 2025
In 2013, Jakarta's governor banned the use of dancing monkeys in Indonesia's capital
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Discovery of the 'Hobbit'
Wed 13 Aug 2025
In 2003, archaeologists in Indonesia discovered the skeleton of a new species of human
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Borobudur Temple
Tue 12 Aug 2025
Borobudur Temple in Indonesia reopened in 1983, following a restoration project
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The Santa Cruz Massacre
Mon 11 Aug 2025
In 1991, Indonesian troops opened fire on independence activists in East Timor's capital
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Brazil’s biggest bank heist
Thu 7 Aug 2025
In 2005, theives tunnelled into a Brazilian bank in a heist straight out of the movie
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The Assam-Tibet earthquake
Wed 6 Aug 2025
In 1950, an earthquake in the Himalayas devastated parts of Tibet and India
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When Stalin silenced Shostakovich
Tue 5 Aug 2025
In 1936, Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich was denounced
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Nagasaki bomb
Mon 4 Aug 2025
On 9 August 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan
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Trailer. 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle
Sun 3 Aug 2025
The epic space story of a sci-fi dream that changed spaceflight forever
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Japan's record-breaking rollercoaster
Fri 1 Aug 2025
On 1 August 2000, Steel Dragon 2000 opened as the world’s longest rollercoaster
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Chuquicamata: Chile's abandoned mining town
Thu 31 Jul 2025
By 2007, the town lay abandoned after its 25,000 residents left due to pollution concerns
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Cleveland Balloonfest '86
Wed 30 Jul 2025
In 1986, one and a half million balloons were released as part of a world record attempt
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Eta’s assassination of Juan Mari Jáuregui
Tue 29 Jul 2025
On 29 July 2000, Basque separatists Eta killed the retired Spanish politician
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The Russian revolutionaries nearly stranded in London
Mon 28 Jul 2025
In 1907, a crucial congress in London set the direction of the Russian revolution.
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The invention of Kevlar
Thu 24 Jul 2025
In 1965, a new fibre was discovered by scientist Stephanie Kwolek
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President Clinton plays the sax in Prague
Wed 23 Jul 2025
In January 1994, two presidents enjoyed a memorable jazz night in the Czech Republic
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The killing of Jean Charles de Menezes
Tue 22 Jul 2025
On 22 July 2005, an unarmed Brazilian man was shot dead by police in London
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Irawati Karve: India’s groundbreaking anthropologist
Mon 21 Jul 2025
Irawati Karve became India’s first female anthropologist
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Italo disco
Fri 18 Jul 2025
In 1983, Dolce Vita by Ryan Paris became one of the biggest hits for Italo disco
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The 'Turbot War'
Thu 17 Jul 2025
In 1995, an international row broke out between Canada and Spain over fishing quotas
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Greece’s debt crisis
Wed 16 Jul 2025
The story of the week that brought the future of Greece and the Eurozone to the brink
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The Iran nuclear deal
Tue 15 Jul 2025
In 2015, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear programme in a historic deal
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The start of Voice of America
Mon 14 Jul 2025
The broadcaster Voice of America was created in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda
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The man who said ‘no’ to Disney
Fri 11 Jul 2025
In 1941, Walt Disney made an offer to Quirino Cristiani in Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Ni Una Menos women’s movement in Argentina
Thu 10 Jul 2025
The start, in 2015, of a movement to stop violence against women in Argentina