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 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.
Episodes to download
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The Death of General Patton
Mon 21 Dec 2015
America's legendary military commander, General George Patton, died in December 1945
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India Disability Rights
Fri 18 Dec 2015
In 1995 the first disability rights legislation was passed by India's parliament.
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Star Wars: C3PO's Story
Thu 17 Dec 2015
The actor behind the galaxy's most famous protocol droid remembers the first Star Wars
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The Rubik's Cube
Wed 16 Dec 2015
In 1974, Ern艖 Rubik invented the world's best selling puzzle: the Rubik's Cube
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A Pakistani View of the Bangladesh War of Independence
Tue 15 Dec 2015
The story of a Pakistani soldier caught up in the Bangladesh liberation war.
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The 1960 Coup Against Haile Selassie
Mon 14 Dec 2015
How Ethiopia's Emperor was almost overthrown in a bloody coup
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The Velvet Underground
Fri 11 Dec 2015
The seminal alternative rock band play their first gig at a high school in New Jersey.
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The KKK and the Killing of Viola Liuzzo
Thu 10 Dec 2015
In 1965, three KKK members were convicted of conspiring to kill a civil rights activist
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The Battle of Tora Bora
Wed 9 Dec 2015
After the Taliban lost control of Afghanistan in 2001 the hunt for Osama bin Laden began.
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WW1: The Siege of Kut, Iraq
Tue 8 Dec 2015
Thousands of British and Indian troops spent five months trapped in Kut, Iraq in WW1
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Gay and lesbian support for the British miners' strike
Mon 7 Dec 2015
In 1984 a group of lesbians and gay men organised to support striking coal-miners.
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Cuban Fighters in Angola
Fri 4 Dec 2015
Thousands of Cuban troops fought with Angola's Marxist government forces in the civil war
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The First Heart Transplant
Thu 3 Dec 2015
On 3 December 1967, two brothers carried out the first heart transplant operation
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Surviving Pearl Harbor
Wed 2 Dec 2015
How one US Navy mechanic made it through the surprise Japanese attack on his Pacific base
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The Bari Raid 1943
Tue 1 Dec 2015
How a devastating air raid on Bari during WW2 led to the deadly release of mustard gas
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Nigeria's "War Against Indiscipline"
Mon 30 Nov 2015
In 1984 General Buhari's military regime launched an unusual campaign to clean up Nigeria
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Surviving Ravensbruck
Fri 27 Nov 2015
The story of a survivor of Ravensbruck, the Nazis' concentration camp for women
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Britain's Palestine Patrols
Thu 26 Nov 2015
How the Royal Navy stopped Jewish refugee ships trying to reach Palestine in the 1940s.
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Cuba's 'Special Period'
Wed 25 Nov 2015
In the 1990s the Cuban economy came close to collapse after Soviet aid dried up
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The DB Cooper Mystery
Mon 23 Nov 2015
In November 1971 a hijacker parachuted from a US plane with a $200,000 ransom
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Attack on the US Embassy in Islamabad
Fri 20 Nov 2015
In late November 1979 a mob set fire to the US Embassy in Islamabad
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The CIA's Cultural War: how the CIA secretly funded the magazine Encounter
Thu 19 Nov 2015
How the CIA secretly funded the hugely influential cultural magazine Encounter.
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Fear of Flying: The Best Selling Book About Sex, Creativity And Love
Wed 18 Nov 2015
Erica Jong, a feminist author from New York, talks about her novel on female sexuality
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Fire: Bollywood Explores Lesbian Love
Tue 17 Nov 2015
Indian film star Shabana Azmi recalls playing a lesbian in the controversial film, Fire
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Kenya鈥檚 Torture Chambers
Mon 16 Nov 2015
In 1986 the Kenyan government began a programme of secretly torturing suspected opponents
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The Fall of the Taliban
Fri 13 Nov 2015
On 13 November 2001, the Taliban administration collapsed in Afghanistan
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East Timor Massacre
Thu 12 Nov 2015
In November 1991 Indonesian troops opened fire on independence activists in East Timor
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Romany: Pioneer Wildlife Broadcaster
Wed 11 Nov 2015
Romany of the 蜜芽传媒 was a pioneer naturalist broadcaster of Roma Gypsy origin
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India Anti-Sikh Riots
Tue 10 Nov 2015
Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, India was gripped by anti-Sikh riots
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The Amman Bombings
Mon 9 Nov 2015
On 9 November 2005, nearly 60 people were killed in Jordan's worst terror attack
