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 – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ 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’s oldest languages.
Episodes to download
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I led the 'Umbrella' protests
Mon 2 Sep 2024
In September 2014, Nathan Law led Hong Kong's 'Umbrella' Protests
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The woman who spoke to the space station
Fri 30 Aug 2024
Maggie Iaquinto was the first amateur radio enthusiast to contact Russian cosmonauts
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Guatemala's disappeared
Thu 29 Aug 2024
Jeremias Tecu's two brothers are among the thousands who disappeared in Guatemala
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Waris Dirie
Wed 28 Aug 2024
In 1987, Waris Dirie had her first photo-shoot and became a supermodel sensation
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The writer of Mary Poppins
Tue 27 Aug 2024
It's 60 years since the Disney film was released, based on writer PL Travers's book
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Canada’s first UFO landing pad
Mon 26 Aug 2024
In 1967, the town of St Paul built Canada's first alien UFO landing pad
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Spain's La Tomatina
Fri 23 Aug 2024
In 1945, a spat between teenage boys was the seed for the world's largest tomato fight
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India’s first female bartender
Thu 22 Aug 2024
The story of the woman who became known as India’s first female bartender
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Argentina's five presidents in two weeks
Wed 21 Aug 2024
In 2001, Argentina went through a remarkable political crisis
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The celebrity murder case that divided France
Mon 19 Aug 2024
French actress Marie Trintignant was killed by the rock star Bertrand Cantat in 2003.
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Saving lives after the 2002 Bali bombings
Fri 16 Aug 2024
'Spray-on skin' was used to treat burns victims after bombings on the Indonesian island.
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How the CIA caught 'Carlos the Jackal'
Thu 15 Aug 2024
One of the world’s most wanted men had been on the run for decades.
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Sukarno: The founding father of Indonesian independence
Wed 14 Aug 2024
In 1945, the nationalist leader declared independence for Indonesia
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The last ever Olympic art competition
Tue 13 Aug 2024
From 1912 until 1948, you could win medals in art at the Olympic Games
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Clara Nunes: Queen of Samba
Mon 12 Aug 2024
The Brazilian singer who earned the title Queen of Samba
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The first televised US presidential debate
Fri 9 Aug 2024
In 1956, US presidential candidates sent female representatives to the first debate on TV
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President Richard Nixon resigns
Thu 8 Aug 2024
In 1974, Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign
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Ronald Reagan and the Moral Majority
Wed 7 Aug 2024
In 1979, the Moral Majority was launched and changed the course of US politics
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Bush v Gore: The election decided in the Supreme Court
Tue 6 Aug 2024
The US presidential election of 2000 was one of the most contested in history
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The Situation Room photograph
Mon 5 Aug 2024
The story behind the Situation Room photograph during the raid to kill Bin Laden in 2011
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The 1965 Freedom Riders of Australia
Fri 2 Aug 2024
The students who challenged the discrimination of Australia's indigenous people
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Finding a home for Bulgaria's dancing bears
Wed 31 Jul 2024
In 1998, it became illegal to make bears dance in Bulgaria
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Yazidi genocide: A rescue mission on Mount Sinjar
Tue 30 Jul 2024
How Yazidis in Iraq fled to Mount Sinjar to escape genocide in August 2014
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The man who smuggled punk rock across the Berlin Wall
Mon 29 Jul 2024
How punk rock band Die Toten Hosen secretly played a concert in East Berlin.
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The first cold chain vaccination storage system
Fri 26 Jul 2024
In 1974, Ghana pioneered a new system, to help immunise against serious diseases
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Building the Moscow Metro
Thu 25 Jul 2024
How the Moscow Metro was built using more than 10,000 Russian workers.
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Olympics: Zamzam Farah at London 2012
Wed 24 Jul 2024
Somali sprinter Zamzam Farah at the London 2012 Olympics
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The first Olympic ‘mascot’
Tue 23 Jul 2024
The creation of Shuss for the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France