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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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    The McCarthy Era

    Thu 28 Apr 2016

    In spring 1950, an American academic was wrongly named as the main Soviet agent in the US

  • The Funeral of Charles Darwin

    Wed 27 Apr 2016

    The great English naturalist Charles Darwin is buried at Westminster Abbey in April 1882

  • Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

    Tue 26 Apr 2016

    In April 1986 a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine

  • Yves Saint Laurent and Morocco

    Mon 25 Apr 2016

    In 1966 the great French fashion designer went to Morocco for the first time

  • Shakespeare's Jubilee

    Fri 22 Apr 2016

    How actor David Garrick organised the first national celebration of Shakespeare in 1769

  • Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

    Thu 21 Apr 2016

    An industrial disaster in New York in 1911 led to huge social reforms.

  • Fighting for Castro at the Bay of Pigs

    Wed 20 Apr 2016

    A member of Cuba's communist militia recalls battling US-backed invaders in April 1961

  • The Harrier in the Falklands War

    Tue 19 Apr 2016

    A Harrier pilot remembers the air battle over the Falklands in 1982

  • Haile Selassie In Jamaica

    Mon 18 Apr 2016

    On 21 April 1966 Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia arrived in Jamaica

  • The Spanish Republic

    Fri 15 Apr 2016

    How writers and artists campaigned to bring culture to every corner of 1930s Spain

  • Executed for Being Too Capitalist

    Thu 14 Apr 2016

    In 1961, in Soviet Central Asia, 21 managers were executed for using capitalist methods.

  • The Amritsar Massacre of 1919

    Wed 13 Apr 2016

    On 13 April 1919, the British Indian Army fired on an unarmed crowd, killing hundreds

  • The First Starbucks

    Tue 12 Apr 2016

    In 1971 the first Starbucks coffee shop opened in Seattle.

  • Angela Merkel

    Mon 11 Apr 2016

    On April 10 2000, Angela Merkel became the first woman to lead a German political party.

  • A Japanese Royal Wedding

    Fri 8 Apr 2016

    In a change to tradition Japan's Crown Prince Akihito married a non-royal, in April 1959.

  • The Ogaden War

    Thu 7 Apr 2016

    In 1977 Somalia invaded Ethiopia in an attempt to take control of disputed territory.

  • Mallory on Everest

    Wed 6 Apr 2016

    In 1999 the body of legendary British mountaineer, George Mallory, was found on Everest.

  • Romania's Orphans

    Tue 5 Apr 2016

    In 1989 news began to emerge of terrible conditions in Romania's orphanages.

  • The Execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

    Mon 4 Apr 2016

    On April 4th 1979 Pakistan's first democratically elected Prime Minister was hanged.

  • The Yodogo Hijacking

    Fri 1 Apr 2016

    In March 1970, Japanese left-wing extremists hijacked a plane with samurai swords.

  • Pakistan Ban on Alcohol

    Thu 31 Mar 2016

    In the spring of 1977 the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto introduced a ban on alcohol

  • The Attempt on Ronald Reagan's Life

    Wed 30 Mar 2016

    On March 30th 1981 a man tried to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan.

  • The Harold Wilson Plot

    Tue 29 Mar 2016

    In March 1976, the British prime minister Harold Wilson unexpectedly resigned. Why?

  • Virginia Woolf

    Mon 28 Mar 2016

    On March 28th 1941 the British novelist Virginia Woolf took her own life.

  • The Easter Rising

    Fri 25 Mar 2016

    How Irish rebels tried to start a revolution against British rule at Easter 1916.

  • Iraqi Shia Uprising - 1991

    Thu 24 Mar 2016

    At the end of the First Gulf War thousands of Iraqis rose up against Saddam Hussein

  • The Fall of Emperor Tewodros II

    Wed 23 Mar 2016

    In 1868 Tewodros II of Ethiopia prepared to make a last stand against the British army.

  • Viagra

    Tue 22 Mar 2016

    In 1998 a new 'wonder' drug was approved for use in the United States

  • Namibian Independence

    Mon 21 Mar 2016

    In March 1990, Namibia became independent from South African rule.

  • The Tunnellers of WW1

    Fri 18 Mar 2016

    Archive recordings of the tunnellers who fought underground in WW1

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