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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Korea Divided
Mon 11 Jun 2018
The Korean peninsula was split between North and South at the end of World War Two.
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The Execution of Adolf Eichmann
Fri 8 Jun 2018
Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was executed in the early hours of June 1st 1962
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The Death of General Sani Abacha
Thu 7 Jun 2018
Nigeria's military ruler died suddenly in June 1998.
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The 1968 Belgrade Student Revolt
Wed 6 Jun 2018
In June 1968, students in Belgrade rebelled against Yugoslavia's 'market socialism'
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The Assassinaton Attempt that Sparked a Middle East War
Tue 5 Jun 2018
In 1982, a Palestinian gunman attacked the Israeli ambassador to London, Shlomo Argov
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Couch to 5K
Mon 4 Jun 2018
The birth of the running programme that got millions off their sofas and out jogging
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Lyuba the Baby Mammoth
Fri 1 Jun 2018
How a herdsman found the perfectly preserved body of a 42,000-year-old baby mammoth.
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Isaac Asimov and Science Fiction
Thu 31 May 2018
The American writer and scientist considered one of the greats of Science Fiction.
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The Thalidomide Trial
Tue 29 May 2018
Executives of the German company that made the drug Thalidomide went on trial in May 1968
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The First Bicycle Sharing Scheme
Mon 28 May 2018
In the mid 1960s a Dutch engineer came up with a scheme to share bikes and cut pollution.
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The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ at Caversham
Fri 25 May 2018
For 75 years the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ ran a monitoring service based in an English stately home.
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Shoah the Film
Thu 24 May 2018
Shoah, Claude Lanzmann's epic nine-hour film on the Holocaust was released in spring 1985
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Lesbian Protest on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ News
Wed 23 May 2018
On 23 May 1988 a group of lesbian activists invaded a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ TV news studio as it was on air
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Pakistan's Theatre Revolution
Tue 22 May 2018
The launch of Ajoka, the group which pioneered theatre for social change in Pakistan.
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President Suharto Resigns
Mon 21 May 2018
On May 21st 1998 the president of Indonesia resigned after 31 years in power.
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Defusing Nuclear Bombs: The Goldsboro 'Broken Arrow'
Fri 18 May 2018
How Lt. Jack ReVelle disarmed two thermonuclear bombs which crashed in North Carolina.
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Look Back in Anger
Thu 17 May 2018
The play Look Back in Anger changed British theatre when it was staged in 1956
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May 1968 Paris Riots
Wed 16 May 2018
A riot policeman's view of the violence which swept through France in 1968.
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The First Montessori Nursery
Tue 15 May 2018
In 1907 Italian doctor, Maria Montessori, radically changed the way young children learn.
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The Walker Spy Ring
Fri 11 May 2018
In 1985 members of the US spy ring were arrested for selling Navy secrets to the USSR.
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The First Foetal Surgery
Thu 10 May 2018
On the 10th May 1981 a baby was born after a successful operation while in the womb.
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The Last King of Bulgaria
Wed 9 May 2018
Bulgaria's former King Simeon II wins the country’s parliamentary election in 2001.
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Africa United
Tue 8 May 2018
How 32 newly-independent nations came together to plan the future of their continent.
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The First Diagnosis of Autism
Mon 7 May 2018
The condition was first described in 1943 by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner in the USA
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When Margaret Thatcher Came to Power
Fri 4 May 2018
The British politician was the first woman elected to lead a Western European country.
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WW2: Prisoner on the High Seas
Thu 3 May 2018
A surprise attack, a ship lost, a crew captured - memories of a merchant navy veteran
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The Children's Crusade
Tue 1 May 2018
Thousands of black children protested on the streets of Birmingham Alabama in May 1963.