Witness History Episodes Available now

The UN retreat from Somalia
In 1995, a United Nations mission to restore peace in Somalia ended in disaster

Resusci Anne: the world’s first life-saving resuscitation dummy
In May 1960 a Norwegian toy-maker unveiled a life-sized, life-like training manikin

JFK’s 1963 Ich Bin Ein Berliner speech
The US President spoke at the newly constructed Berlin Wall at the height of the Cold War

The Wonder Woman of DC Comics
In 1976 Jenette Kahn became the first female head of DC Comics, home of the superheroes

The invention of superglue
In 1951, Harry Coover noticed a chemical he was working with was sticking to everything

The 'ghost town' of Namibia
In 1908, the first Kolmanskop diamond was found. It's now abandoned, buried in the desert

The father of Ethio-Jazz
In 1966, Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke recorded a new genre of music, Ethio-jazz

Harold Riley’s 'one of a kind' portrait of Nelson Mandela
A specially commissioned portrait of Nelson Mandela by Harold Riley was unveiled in 2005

The suspicious death of Rear Admiral Durović
In 1991, a Yugoslav People’s Army commander died in mysterious circumstances

Goodluck Jonathan’s phone call that changed Nigeria
President Goodluck Jonathan's call to Muhammadu Buhari to concede election defeat in 2015