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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

  •

    India Anti-Sikh Riots

    Tue 10 Nov 2015

    Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, India was gripped by anti-Sikh riots

  • The Amman Bombings

    Mon 9 Nov 2015

    On 9 November 2005, nearly 60 people were killed in Jordan's worst terror attack

  • The Russian Revolution: Alexander Kerensky

    Fri 6 Nov 2015

    Alexander Kerensky, overthrown by Lenin in 1917, comments on the Russian Revolution

  • The Battle of El Alamein

    Thu 5 Nov 2015

    In 1942, the Allies launched an offensive in Egypt that helped shape the course of WW2

  • The Green March

    Wed 4 Nov 2015

    In November 1975 a huge crowd of Moroccans marched into a Spanish colony in the desert

  • Britain's Executioner - Albert Pierrepoint

    Tue 3 Nov 2015

    Archive interviews with Britain's most famous hangman, who executed more than 400 people.

  • The Jarrow Crusade

    Mon 2 Nov 2015

    In 1936 men from the North of England marched to London to protest at mass unemployment.

  • A Jewish 蜜芽传媒land in Siberia

    Fri 30 Oct 2015

    In 1930 the USSR created a Jewish Region in Siberia, a homeland for Soviet Jews

  • The Great Depression: Harry Leslie Smith Remembers

    Thu 29 Oct 2015

    Harry Leslie Smith grew up in England during the Great Depression of the 1930s

  • The First Lady of Cuban Ballet

    Wed 28 Oct 2015

    World-famous prima ballerina Alicia Alonso talks about founding Cuba's National Ballet

  • The Nuclear Spy Alan Nunn May

    Tue 27 Oct 2015

    In 1945 the English physicist was exposed as a nuclear spy for the Soviet Union.

  • The birth of the United Nations

    Mon 26 Oct 2015

    In October 1945, the United Nations was born, in the hope of preventing future wars

  • Iceland's Women Strike

    Fri 23 Oct 2015

    In October 1975, 90% of all women in Iceland took part in a massive nationwide protest

  • Sri Lanka Killings

    Thu 22 Oct 2015

    In 1995 during Sri Lanka's brutal civil war Tamil rebels attacked a Sinhalese village.

  • The Disappearing Sea

    Wed 21 Oct 2015

    In 1990, the first international conference was held on the shrinking of the Aral Sea

  • The Controversial 'God of Vengeance'

    Tue 20 Oct 2015

    How the cast of an early 20th century Yiddish play found themselves in court in New York.

  • Mass Graves in Hue, Vietnam

    Mon 19 Oct 2015

    US troops discovered victims of the Communist Tet offensive in Hue city in 1968

  • The October Crisis in Canada

    Fri 16 Oct 2015

    When Quebec separatists started to use violence - Canada's government called out the army

  • Satyajit Ray: Working with India鈥檚 Cinematic Master

    Thu 15 Oct 2015

    Sixty years ago the acclaimed director released his awarding winning first film

  • Danish Jews Escape the Holocaust

    Wed 14 Oct 2015

    Almost all of Denmark's Jewish population escaped the Nazis during World War Two

  • The White Russians in Shanghai

    Tue 13 Oct 2015

    A Russian refugee remembers life in Shanghai after fleeing the 1917 revolution

  • The Death of Edith Cavell

    Mon 12 Oct 2015

    On 12 October 1915 a British nurse was executed by German troops during World War One

  • The Moors Murders

    Fri 9 Oct 2015

    In 1965, Britain was shocked by a series of child murders in Manchester

  • Pakistan Earthquake 2005

    Thu 8 Oct 2015

    On 8 October 2005 a massive earthquake hit Pakistani-administered Kashmir

  • The Assassination of Anwar Sadat

    Wed 7 Oct 2015

    President Anwar Sadat of Egypt's widow, Jehan, remembers the day he was assassinated

  • Austrian Wine Scandal

    Tue 6 Oct 2015

    In 1985 government scientists discovered anti-freeze in bottles of Austrian wine.

  • Barbary Pirates and the White Slave Trade

    Mon 5 Oct 2015

    The story of an English boy captured by pirates and enslaved in North Africa in 1716

  • The Death of Rock Hudson

    Fri 2 Oct 2015

    Angie Dickinson remembers the Hollywood star who died after contracting Aids

  • Danish Cartoons

    Thu 1 Oct 2015

    In 2005 a Danish newspaper published 12 images of the Prophet Muhammad

  • Buena Vista Social Club

    Wed 30 Sep 2015

    Barbarito Torres speaks about playing on the ground-breaking album of Cuban music

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