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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Kuwaiti oil fires of 1991
Fri 12 Nov 2021
As the first Gulf War ended, retreating Iraqi forces set light to oil wells in the desert
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The South African football star murdered for being a lesbian
Thu 11 Nov 2021
How the killing of a female footballer got South Africa talking about 鈥榗orrective rape鈥�.
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Spying in Berlin
Wed 10 Nov 2021
At the height of the Cold War Berlin was known as the spy capital of the world.
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Britain's Black Schools
Mon 8 Nov 2021
The alternative schools for black British children set up to counter racist attitudes.
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When Eritrea silenced its critics
Fri 5 Nov 2021
How a journalist tried to escape Eritrea's historic crackdown on critics and the press
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The end of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising
Thu 4 Nov 2021
On November 4th 1956 Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest crushing the anti-Soviet uprising
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The enduring legend of Fu Manchu
Wed 3 Nov 2021
The evil criminal mastermind Fu Manchu was a recurring film character for decades
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Judgement at Nuremberg
Tue 2 Nov 2021
It is 75 years since verdicts were delivered on leading German Nazis at Nuremberg
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The miracle of walking
Mon 1 Nov 2021
The doctor who revolutionised the treatment of 'club foot' - rejecting invasive surgery
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Kilimanjaro: Africa鈥檚 disappearing glaciers
Fri 29 Oct 2021
In the past 100 years, 90% of the glacial ice at the top of Kilimanjaro has disappeared
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The child climate activist of the 1990s
Thu 28 Oct 2021
Severn Cullis-Suzuki was 12 when she spoke to world leaders at the UN Earth Summit in Rio
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How the world woke up to climate change
Wed 27 Oct 2021
A scientist delivered a direct message to US politicians about climate change in 1988
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The world's first environment conference
Tue 26 Oct 2021
Countries first tried to tackle the damage humans are doing to the planet in 1972
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Proving climate change: the 'Keeling Curve'
Mon 25 Oct 2021
The US scientist who began recording carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere in 1958
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Britain鈥檚 lesbian families 鈥榮candal鈥�
Fri 22 Oct 2021
A media storm about lesbian mothers caused a heated national debate in 1970s Britain.
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The Greenham Common women's peace camp
Thu 21 Oct 2021
Throughout the 80s women protested against nuclear weapons which were held at the UK base
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Polish refugees in Africa
Wed 20 Oct 2021
How Polish women and children found refuge in African countries during WW2
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The mysterious death of Samora Machel
Tue 19 Oct 2021
Many suspected foul play when Mozambique's socialist leader was killed in a plane crash
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The first transgender minister in the Church of England
Mon 18 Oct 2021
Sarah Jones is the first person who had made a gender change to be ordained by the C of E
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The doctor killed by an anti-abortion extremist
Fri 15 Oct 2021
American anti-abortion extremists began killing doctors in the 1990s.
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The Pakistani law that jailed rape survivors
Thu 14 Oct 2021
In the 1980s, a horrific rape case galvanised the women's rights movement in Pakistan.
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The story of 'Baby Jessica'
Wed 13 Oct 2021
When a toddler fell down a well in Texas she became the centre of a media storm
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Colin Jordan and the British Nazi rally
Tue 12 Oct 2021
The teacher who formed Britain's Nazi party and the antifascists who fought against them.
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Winning the Arabic Booker prize
Mon 11 Oct 2021
Saudi author Raja Alem was the first woman to win the prestigious international award
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Clyde Best - A black footballing pioneer
Fri 8 Oct 2021
The Bermuda-born West Ham striker recalls the rampant racism in 1970s English football
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The unlawful death of Christopher Alder
Thu 7 Oct 2021
The black former soldier choked to death on the floor of a British police station in 1998
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A Somali sailor in 1920s Britain
Wed 6 Oct 2021
How Ibrahim Ismaa'il escaped poverty in Somalia to live in the British countryside.
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Britain's World War Two 'Brown Babies'
Tue 5 Oct 2021
The stigma of growing up as a mixed race child in post-war Britain.
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London's first black policeman
Mon 4 Oct 2021
In 1967 Norwell Roberts became the first Black officer in the Metropolitan police
