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 and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines鈥� life and Omar Sharif鈥檚 legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives鈥� ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.
Episodes to download
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Kidnap of US Ambassador in Brazil
Wed 28 Sep 2011
In September 1969 left-wing activists kidnapped Charles Burke Elbrick in Rio de Janeiro.
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The Cod Wars
Mon 26 Sep 2011
Almost 40 years ago Britain and Iceland came to blows over fishing rights.
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The Death Of Samuel Doe
Fri 23 Sep 2011
He was the President of Liberia and in September 1990 he died a very violent death.
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The Cultural Revolution in China
Thu 22 Sep 2011
In the mid 1960s young people in China were encouraged to criticise their elders.
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Assassination of Orlando Letelier
Wed 21 Sep 2011
The Chilean politician was killed by a bomb in Washington DC, 35 years ago.
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Arafat at the United Nations
Tue 20 Sep 2011
In November 1974 the Palestinian leader was allowed to speak at the UN.
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The Death of Dag Hammarskjold
Mon 19 Sep 2011
The Secretary General of the UN was killed in a plane crash 50 years ago.
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Black Wednesday
Fri 16 Sep 2011
On 16 September 1992, Britain lost billions in foreign currency reserves in a single day.
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Lehman Brothers
Thu 15 Sep 2011
On 15 September 2008, the US investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.
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White Australia Policy
Tue 13 Sep 2011
In the 1960s non-white immigrants were not welcome in Australia.
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The Assassination of Ahmed Shah Massood
Fri 9 Sep 2011
Two days before 9/11, al-Qaeda killed an Afghan anti-Taliban leader.
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An Azerbaijani View of the Demise of the Soviet Union
Thu 8 Sep 2011
How the collapse of the Soviet Union played out in the life of a teenager in Azerbaijan.
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Great Fire of London
Wed 7 Sep 2011
In 1666, a fire destroyed much of the city of London. Two diarists recorded what happened.
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Assassination of Hendrik Verwoerd
Tue 6 Sep 2011
It is 45 years since the South African Prime Minister was killed in Parliament.
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The Women of Greenham Common
Mon 5 Sep 2011
How an anti-nuclear march turned into a peace camp based outside a US airbase in the UK
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The Freedom Riders
Tue 30 Aug 2011
The story of an extraordinary act of courage by the civil rights leader Martin Luther King
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Cameroon's Lake Nyos Disaster
Mon 29 Aug 2011
How villagers awoke to find hundreds of friends and neighbours mysteriously dead
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Child evacuees from the Spanish Civil War
Fri 26 Aug 2011
How thousands of Basque children were evacuated to Britain during the Spanish Civil War.
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Woodstock Festival 1969
Thu 25 Aug 2011
A pivotal moment in American popular culture - the Woodstock festival of 1969.
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South African Student Sit-in Against Apartheid Injustice
Wed 24 Aug 2011
White students in apartheid South Africa stage a sit-in protest against racial injustice.
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Dr Spock: Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care
Tue 23 Aug 2011
Dr Spock's Baby and Child Care, the book that revolutionised child care.
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Stealing the Mona Lisa
Mon 22 Aug 2011
The theft of the Mona Lisa from the museum of the Louvre in Paris in August 1911
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