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 Port Arthur Massacre
Mon 28 Apr 2014
In April 1996, a lone gunman killed 35 people in the Australian town of Port Arthur.
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The Frontier Gandhi
Fri 25 Apr 2014
A British officer's description of the Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre
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The Carnation Revolution in Portugal
Thu 24 Apr 2014
How a coup by rebel army officers led the way to democracy in Portugal on 25 April, 1974
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Mugabe Becomes Zimbabwe's Leader
Wed 23 Apr 2014
In April 1980, Robert Mugabe became the first prime minister of Zimbabwe
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The Fall of Senator McCarthy
Tue 22 Apr 2014
In April 1954, anti-communist US Senator McCarthy was investigated by the government
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The Greek Military Coup
Mon 21 Apr 2014
In April 1967, seven years of military dictatorship began in Greece.
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Bay of Pigs Invasion
Fri 18 Apr 2014
Cuban exiles backed by the US government tried to overthrow Fidel Castro in April 1961
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Easter in the USSR
Thu 17 Apr 2014
Memories of celebrating Easter in the USSR where religious freedoms were suppressed
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The Legalisation of Solidarity
Wed 16 Apr 2014
The Polish trade union Solidarity was legalised once again in April 1989
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North Korea Train Explosion
Tue 15 Apr 2014
The explosion at a station in North Korea that killed around 170 people in April 2004
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Segregation in California
Mon 14 Apr 2014
How one family helped overturn racial segregation in schools in California.
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Polio Vaccine Discovered
Fri 11 Apr 2014
American scientists announced they had an effective vaccine against polio in April 1955
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The Fall of Idi Amin 1979
Thu 10 Apr 2014
In April 1979 the brutal Ugandan ruler, Idi Amin, was ousted by invading Tanzanian forces
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Georgia's Struggle for Independence
Wed 9 Apr 2014
Soviet troops crushed a mass demonstration in Georgia's capital Tbilisi on 9 April,1989
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Marian Anderson Sings at the Lincoln Memorial
Tue 8 Apr 2014
The great American contralto sings to a huge crowd in Washington DC on 9 April, 1939
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The Rwandan Genocide
Mon 7 Apr 2014
The mass killing of minority ethnic Tutsis in Rwanda began on 7 April,1994
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The Quit India Movement
Fri 4 Apr 2014
Gandhi's call to all Indians to rise up in non-violent resistance to British rule in 1942
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The Windsors In Exile
Thu 3 Apr 2014
Life in Paris for Duke and Duchess of Windsor, formerly Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson
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The Kidnap and Murder of Axel Blumberg
Wed 2 Apr 2014
In April 2004 the death of a 23-year-old student provoked a wave of protests in Argentina
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The 蜜芽传媒 Spaghetti Hoax
Tue 1 Apr 2014
In 1957 the 蜜芽传媒 played an April Fool's joke on the British public.
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The Murder of Selena Quintanilla-Perez
Mon 31 Mar 2014
On March 31 1995, rising Latino superstar Selena was shot dead by her fan club manager.
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The First Outbreak of the Ebola Virus
Fri 28 Mar 2014
Almost 300 people died before the outbreak in Zaire in 1976 was eventually contained
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The Conviction of Jack Kevorkian
Thu 27 Mar 2014
In March 1999, US doctor Jack Kevorkian was convicted for performing euthanasia
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The First Democratic Elections in the USSR
Wed 26 Mar 2014
In March 1989, Soviet citizens were given a chance to vote for non-communists candidates
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Maori Song Rocks New Zealand
Tue 25 Mar 2014
How Poi E became the first Maori language song to reach number one in New Zealand
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Missing Plane Mystery
Mon 24 Mar 2014
In 1947 a passenger plane vanished without trace, only to reappear 53 years later
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Uganda Cult Deaths
Fri 21 Mar 2014
Hundreds of doomsday cult members were found murdered in Uganda in March 2000
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The Development of the First AIDS Drug
Thu 20 Mar 2014
AZT was approved within two years, the fastest approval in US history at the time
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A Failed Royal Kidnapping
Wed 19 Mar 2014
Princess Anne escaped a kidnap attempt by a lone gunman in London in March 1974
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Germany's Guest Workers
Tue 18 Mar 2014
In the 1960s foreign workers were invited to power the country's economic regeneration
