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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Pong and the birth of computer games
Mon 27 Dec 2021
The pioneering table tennis simulator which started the video games industry.
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The home of Santa Claus
Christmas Eve 2021
How Rovaniemi, a small town in Lapland, became the centre of Christmas tourism.
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Bahrain's 2011 protests
Thu 23 Dec 2021
In 2011 thousands of protestors occupied Pearl Roundabout in Bahrain’s capital.
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The right to drive in Saudi Arabia
Wed 22 Dec 2021
The Saudi women who used social media to campaign against being banned from the roads.
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Rudolf Nureyev defects
Tue 21 Dec 2021
In 1961 the great ballet dancer stunned the world by defecting from the Soviet Union.
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Tanzania's first elected albino MP
Mon 20 Dec 2021
How Salum Barwany overcame discrimination and fear to make history in Africa
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Bangladesh wins independence
Fri 17 Dec 2021
An inside account of the moment Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971.
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On the front line in Bangladesh
Thu 16 Dec 2021
A Pakistani soldier's account of fighting in the Bangladesh war of independence in 1971.
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Rape as a weapon in Bangladesh
Wed 15 Dec 2021
How Bengali women suffered appalling sexual violence during the war of independence.
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The birth of Bangladesh
Tue 14 Dec 2021
How Pakistan's first elections sparked civil war and the creation of a new country
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The Bengali language movement
Mon 13 Dec 2021
How a march in defence of Bengali galvanised demands for an independent Bangladesh.
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The explosion heard by millions
Fri 10 Dec 2021
In 2005 people across southern England woke up when a huge fuel depot exploded.
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The Aldi kidnap
Thu 9 Dec 2021
The abduction of Theo Albrecht, co-founder of the discount supermarket chain ALDI.
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Spies or plane-spotters?
Wed 8 Dec 2021
Why a group of British aircraft enthusiasts were arrested for spying in Greece in 2001.
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Fighting 'virginity tests' in the Indonesian police
Mon 6 Dec 2021
How an Indonesian policewoman campaigned to ban intrusive examinations of female recruits
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Derek Jarman
Fri 3 Dec 2021
The British experimental film-maker who spoke out about Aids in the 1980s.
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South Africa and Aids drugs
Thu 2 Dec 2021
How activists fought successfully for cheaper Aids treatment in South Africa.
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AZT: The breakthrough treatment for Aids
Wed 1 Dec 2021
How the first successful Aids drug was developed and approved in record time in 1987
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The early days of HIV/Aids
Tue 30 Nov 2021
The experience of a Ugandan-born woman diagnosed with HIV in the early days of the virus.
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The Aids 'patient zero' myth
Mon 29 Nov 2021
How Gaetan Dugas was mistakenly identified as the 'patient zero' of the Aids epidemic.
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The assassination of the Mirabal sisters
Fri 26 Nov 2021
Three sisters, all political activists, were murdered in 1960 in the Dominican Republic
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Estonia’s internet ‘Tiger Leap’
Thu 25 Nov 2021
Estonia started connecting all schools to the internet in 1996 ahead of other countries
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The doctor who helped her mother to die
Wed 24 Nov 2021
How a Dutch doctor’s euthanasia dilemma changed the world.
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Europe's last smallpox epidemic
Tue 23 Nov 2021
The virologist who helped tackle the last smallpox outbreak in Europe
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The Woman in Gold by Gustav Klimt
Mon 22 Nov 2021
The story behind one of Klimt's most famous paintings
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Sudan's October Revolution
Thu 18 Nov 2021
How Sudanese civilian protesters first brought down a military regime in 1964
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Wed 17 Nov 2021
How a particular form of psychotherapy became popular for treating anxiety and depression
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The capture of war criminal Radovan Karadzic
Tue 16 Nov 2021
How Serbia finally caught one of Europe's most wanted men in Belgrade in 2008.
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Shoot: A milestone in performance art
Mon 15 Nov 2021
In November 1971, Chris Burden asked a friend to shoot him in the name of art