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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 鈥楢bscam鈥� Corruption Investigation

    Tue 2 Feb 2016

    The FBI sting operation that ensnared corrupt politicians using a fictitious Arab sheikh.

  • Spanish Embassy Killings

    Mon 1 Feb 2016

    In January 1980, 37 people died as police stormed Spain's embassy in Guatemala

  • The First Batman TV Series

    Fri 29 Jan 2016

    In January 1966 Batman and Robin appeared on the small screen for the first time

  • Sharia Returns to Nigeria

    Thu 28 Jan 2016

    In 2000, Zamfara became the first Nigerian state to implement full Sharia law

  • The Challenger Disaster

    Wed 27 Jan 2016

    On 28 January 1986 The Challenger space shuttle launch went horribly wrong

  • The First Fleet Lands in Australia

    Tue 26 Jan 2016

    Britain established a penal colony in Australia.In January 1788

  • The Wapping Dispute

    Mon 25 Jan 2016

    In January 1986 newspaper owner Rupert Murdoch took on the British print unions.

  • The Funeral of Jan Palach

    Fri 22 Jan 2016

    Hundreds of thousands of people mourned the student activist in Prague in January 1969.

  • The Poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko

    Thu 21 Jan 2016

    In 2004, a Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was mysteriously poisoned

  • The Soldier Who Never Surrendered

    Wed 20 Jan 2016

    In 1972 a Japanese soldier was found hiding in the jungle on the Pacific island of Guam.

  • Mexico's Tequila Crisis

    Tue 19 Jan 2016

    In January 1995 Mexico was forced to seek a multi-billion dollar bailout from the US

  • The Adventures of Tintin

    Mon 18 Jan 2016

    One of the most famous cartoon characters in history was born in January 1929 - Tintin.

  • Nigeria's First Coup

    Fri 15 Jan 2016

    In 1966 a small group of Nigerian army officers launched the country's first ever coup

  • The Freedom Tower in Tehran

    Thu 14 Jan 2016

    Hossein Amanat was the young architect employed to build a tower for Iranian royalty.

  • The First Alzheimer's Patient

    Wed 13 Jan 2016

    The tragic case that led to the discovery of Alzheimer's disease.

  • Russia's Forbidden Art

    Tue 12 Jan 2016

    The Russian painter who created a world-famous collection of forbidden Soviet art

  • A Mass Shooting in America

    Mon 11 Jan 2016

    In October 2006 a man killed five Amish schoolgirls and injured five more in Pennsylvania

  • Chairman Mao's Little Red Book

    Thu 7 Jan 2016

    How the thoughts of China's communist leader became an unexpected global best-seller

  • Fidel Castro Takes Havana

    Wed 6 Jan 2016

    In Jan 1959 leftist revolutionaries ended decades of rule by Cuba's US-backed dictator

  • The Eames Chair

    Tue 5 Jan 2016

    In 1956, Charles and Ray Eames launched the Eames Chair.

  • The start of the Open University

    Mon 4 Jan 2016

    A new university in Britain offers a radically different approach to higher education.

  • Vietnamese Boat People Arrive in Britain

    New Year's Day 2016

    Some of the first Vietnamese refugees arrive in Britain after a dramatic rescue at sea.

  • The Millennium Bug

    Thu 31 Dec 2015

    How the world waited for a potential global computer meltdown on New Year's Eve 1999

  • The Poster Boy for the Communist System

    Wed 30 Dec 2015

    In 1935, Alexei Stakhanov, a coal miner, became a Soviet celebrity.

  • Rasputin

    Tue 29 Dec 2015

    In 1916, the infamous holy man Grigori Rasputin, was murdered by Russian aristocrats

  • The Donner Party

    Mon 28 Dec 2015

    In 1846, a group of US pioneers were trapped in the mountains over the winter.

  • The Beagle 2 Mission to Mars

    Christmas Day 2015

    On Christmas Day 2003, a British space craft was due to land on Mars to look for life

  • It's a Wonderful Life

    Christmas Eve 2015

    A former Hollywood child star remembers filming the classic Christmas movie in 1946.

  • Michael Jackson's Thriller

    Wed 23 Dec 2015

    In 1982 the world's best selling album was released

  • Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita

    Tue 22 Dec 2015

    One of the 20th Century's most scandalous books was published in 1955

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