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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.

Updated: daily
Episodes available: indefinitely

Episodes to download

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    Teresa Teng

    Mon 22 May 2017

    The Taiwanese pop singer who became a superstar in communist China

  • The Death of Neda Agha Soltan

    Fri 19 May 2017

    The young woman, killed at a protest in 2009, who became a symbol for opposition in Iran

  • Alexander Hamilton

    Thu 18 May 2017

    A Broadway musical has made an 18th century American politician famous once more.

  • Brown vs The Board of Education

    Wed 17 May 2017

    In 1954 the US Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional.

  • Weight Watchers

    Tue 16 May 2017

    How a New York housewife started a worldwide weight loss business in May 1963.

  • The George Wallace Assassination Attempt

    Mon 15 May 2017

    How one of America's most controversial politicians was shot while running for president.

  • The Trial of Maurice Papon

    Fri 12 May 2017

    French minister Maurice Papon went on trial for helping the Nazis to deport French Jews

  • Wine Shock: 'The Judgement of Paris'

    Thu 11 May 2017

    In 1976, unknown Californian wines beat top French wines in a blind wine tasting in Paris

  • Americans told 'Eat Less' to Live Longer

    Wed 10 May 2017

    In 1977 a US government body first warned Americans that their diet was killing them.

  • The Soviet James Bond

    Tue 9 May 2017

    In 1973, the most successful TV spy series ever to be broadcast in the USSR, went on air.

  • Shenzhen - Special Economic Zone

    Mon 8 May 2017

    In May 1980 Communist China allowed capitalist activity for the first time.

  • The French Army Mutiny of 1917

    Fri 5 May 2017

    After enduring years of slaughter during WW1, French army units finally mutinied

  • Civil War in Tajikistan

    Thu 4 May 2017

    In 1992, shortly after the collapse of the USSR, a civil war erupted in Tajikistan.

  • Magnum Photos

    Wed 3 May 2017

    The legendary photographic cooperative, Magnum, was founded 70 years ago

  • The Invention of Liposuction

    Tue 2 May 2017

    It was a father and son team of Italian cosmetic surgeons who created liposuction.

  • Ulrike Meinhof

    Mon 1 May 2017

    In May 1976 the German left-wing extremist Ulrike Meinhof killed herself in prison.

  • Searching For Argentina's Disappeared

    Fri 28 Apr 2017

    How the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo challenged Argentina's military rulers.

  • Bosnia: Rape as a Weapon of War

    Thu 27 Apr 2017

    During the Bosnian war of the early 1990's, thousands of women were raped.

  • When the Syrian Army Withdrew from Lebanon

    Wed 26 Apr 2017

    On April 26th 2005, Syrian forces finally pulled out of Lebanon after almost 30 years.

  • Revolutionary Psychiatrist RD Laing

    Tue 25 Apr 2017

    The man who changed the way people thought about mental illness.

  • Bulgaria's "Revival Process"

    Mon 24 Apr 2017

    Bulgaria's brutal policy of forced assimilation against its Turkish minority in the 1980s

  • The Suzuki Violin Method

    Fri 21 Apr 2017

    In post-WW2 Japan, Shinichi Suzuki developed a new method of teaching the violin.

  • The Hubble Space Telescope

    Thu 20 Apr 2017

    When it began sending images back to Nasa they were out of focus - Mike Weiss fixed it

  • Charlie Chaplin Returns to America from Exile

    Wed 19 Apr 2017

    Eugene Chaplin remembers his famous father's love-hate relationship with the USA

  • The World Festival of Black Arts

    Tue 18 Apr 2017

    In April 1966 thousands of African artists and performers gathered in Senegal

  • How Peru Mistook Missionaries For Drug Traffickers

    Mon 17 Apr 2017

    Hear from the American who survived being shot down in his plane over the Amazon jungle

  • The Takeover of NTV in Russia

    Fri 14 Apr 2017

    NTV was the only nationwide independent TV channel in Russia. It was taken over in 2001.

  • America's 504 Disability Rights Protests

    Thu 13 Apr 2017

    In April 1977, US disabled activists occupied a government building for nearly a month.

  • UK Sikhs Fight For Religious Rights

    Wed 12 Apr 2017

    In 1969 Sikh bus drivers in Wolverhampton won the right to wear turbans on duty.

  • The Katyn Massacre

    Tue 11 Apr 2017

    Tens of thousands of Polish officers were executed in the USSR during World War 2.

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