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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

  •

    Spying for America in Russia

    Fri 29 Jul 2016

    The story of Russian spy Alexandr Ogorodnik and his CIA handler, Marti Peterson.

  • The Tangshan Earthquake

    Thu 28 Jul 2016

    In 1976, one of the deadliest earthquakes in history hit the city of Tangshan in China

  • Meeting Picasso

    Wed 27 Jul 2016

    In the summer of 1951 art historian John Richardson met Pablo Picasso for the first time.

  • The First CIA Coup in Latin America

    Tue 26 Jul 2016

    In 1954 CIA-backed officers overthrew Guatemala's elected government.

  • Race Riots in Liverpool

    Mon 25 Jul 2016

    In 1981 police used CS gas for the first time in mainland Britain to control race riots

  • The Beilis Case: an Anti-Jewish Trial

    Fri 22 Jul 2016

    In 1913, a Russian Jew, Mendel Beilis, was falsely accused of a murder.

  • The Death of Bruce Lee

    Wed 20 Jul 2016

    The film star and martial arts legend died suddenly in Hong Kong in 1973.

  • Medicare

    Mon 18 Jul 2016

    In July 1966, the US government health insurance programme Medicare came into force.

  • Dutch Elm Disease

    Fri 15 Jul 2016

    In the 1970s Dutch Elm disease killed millions of Elm trees in England, France and the US

  • 1916: Central Asia Rebels Against the Russian Empire

    Thu 14 Jul 2016

    In 1916, Muslims in Central Asia rose up against Russian imperial rule.

  • Child refugees from the Spanish Civil War

    Wed 13 Jul 2016

    In 1937, Britain took in 4000 Basque children at the height of fighting in northern Spain

  • The Nestle Boycott

    Tue 12 Jul 2016

    In July 1977 US campaigners launched a boycott against Nestle over the sale of baby milk.

  • The Mumbai Train Bombings

    Mon 11 Jul 2016

    In July 2006, seven coordinated explosions tore through packed commuter trains in Mumbai.

  • War in Slovenia

    Fri 8 Jul 2016

    In 1991, Yugoslav army tanks moved into Slovenia to try to stop it becoming independent

  • Executions in Cuba

    Thu 7 Jul 2016

    In July 1989 four Cuban army officers were convicted of drug trafficking and executed.

  • The Sale of London Bridge

    Wed 6 Jul 2016

    In July of 1967 London Bridge put up for sale. American Robert P McCulloch bought it

  • Denmark's second EU Referendum

    Tue 5 Jul 2016

    In 1993, Denmark held a second referendum on greater EU integration

  • Born on the Fourth of July

    Mon 4 Jul 2016

    Ron Kovic is a former US Marine turned peace activist whose story became a Hollywood film

  • Ukraine's Wartime Ultra-Nationalists

    Thu 30 Jun 2016

    In 1941, far-right Ukrainians declared independence, hoping for Hitler's support.

  • The Great Plague

    Wed 29 Jun 2016

    In the summer of 1665, London was gripped by one of the worst epidemics in its history

  • The Cuyahoga River Fire

    Tue 28 Jun 2016

    In June 1969 the heavily polluted Cuyahoga River, in Ohio in the USA, caught fire

  • Forced Sterilisation in Peru

    Mon 27 Jun 2016

    In the 1990s more than 280,000 women were sterilised in Peru, many against their will.

  • The Khobar Towers Bombing - Saudi Arabia

    Fri 24 Jun 2016

    On June 25th 1996 a huge truck bomb was planted at a US housing complex in Saudi Arabia.

  • The Bobbitt Story

    Thu 23 Jun 2016

    On 23 June 1993 a young wife cut off her husband's penis in a frenzied attack

  • Space Crash

    Wed 22 Jun 2016

    Michael Foale was on board the Mir space station when a resupply vessel crashed into it

  • Black in the USSR

    Mon 20 Jun 2016

    Robert Robinson, a black American engineer, spent 43 years in the USSR against his will.

  • The Fall of Paris

    Fri 17 Jun 2016

    In June 1940, most of the residents of Paris fled as German soldiers occupied the city

  • Smoking and Lung Cancer

    Thu 16 Jun 2016

    It was not until the 1950s that the link was proven between cigarettes and lung cancer

  • The Eruption of Mount Pinatubo

    Wed 15 Jun 2016

    In 1991 one of the largest volcanic eruptions of recent times occurred in the Philippines

  • Moral Majority

    Tue 14 Jun 2016

    In June 1979 the Moral Majority was launched and changed the course of American politics

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