Witness History Podcast
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
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 football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
Episodes to download
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The Hungarian Picnic
Wed 17 Aug 2011
The picnic that led to the first breaches of the Iron Curtain in 1989
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The Great Depression
Tue 16 Aug 2011
During the 1930s the people of the US faced widespread economic hardship
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The Building of the Berlin Wall
Fri 12 Aug 2011
On 13 August 1961, East German soldiers and construction workers began the Berlin Wall
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Napster
Thu 11 Aug 2011
It is 10 years since the closure of the world's first music-sharing website - Napster
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Expulsion of the Chagos Islanders
Wed 10 Aug 2011
A Chagos Islander talks of Britain's expulsion of his people from their homeland.
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Wayne Gretzky
Tue 9 Aug 2011
He was a Canadian sporting superstar but in 1988 he was sold to an American team
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Britain's first nudist beach
Mon 8 Aug 2011
In August 1979 the seaside town of Brighton decided to open a nudist beach
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Exodus of Asians from Uganda
Fri 5 Aug 2011
In 1972 the dictator Idi Amin announced that all Asians had 90 days to leave Uganda
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The Voyage of the Kon-Tiki
Thu 4 Aug 2011
In 1947 a Norwegian adventurer sailed across the Pacific on a wooden raft
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Bologna bomb
Wed 3 Aug 2011
In August 1980 a huge bomb destroyed much of Bologna railway station in Italy
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Peace Activist Samantha Smith
Tue 2 Aug 2011
A child dreams of world peace and writes a letter to the leader of the Soviet Union
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The Shipbuilders' Clydeside "Work-In"
Fri 29 Jul 2011
How Scottish workers took over their shipyards and warded off the threat of closure
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Picasso
Thu 28 Jul 2011
Sixty years ago a young art historian got to know the greatest painter in the world
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Christian the Lion
Wed 27 Jul 2011
The story of two Australians who berfriended a lion in London, and freed him in Africa
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The Kitchen Debate
Mon 25 Jul 2011
In July 1959, two Cold War leaders argued over whose system was best
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Moroccan exodus
Fri 22 Jul 2011
In 1961 hundreds of Jewish children were smuggled from Morocco to Israel
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Libyan prison massacre
Thu 21 Jul 2011
In 1996 over a thousand prisoners were killed at a jail in Tripoli
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The Genoa riots of 2001
Wed 20 Jul 2011
It is 10 years since protests against a G8 summit turned violent on the streets of Genoa
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Rupert Murdoch, the early years
Tue 19 Jul 2011
Rupert Murdoch's career in the media began in the Australian town of Adelaide in the 1950s
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The death of Tom Simpson
Mon 18 Jul 2011
In July 1967 British cyclist Tom Simpson, rode himself to death on the Tour de France
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The opening of Disneyland
Fri 15 Jul 2011
In July 1955 the first ever Disney theme park was opened in California
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The Crusaders capture Jerusalem
Thu 14 Jul 2011
The tale of the momentous and bloody capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099
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Battle of Britain
Wed 13 Jul 2011
A Battle of Britain pilot reflects on being shot down and almost drowning in the sea
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The Srebrenica massacre
Tue 12 Jul 2011
In July 1995, Bosnian Serb fighters killed thousands of Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica
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Boycott of The Sun newspaper
Mon 11 Jul 2011
How the people of Liverpool boycotted Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper in the UK
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The space shuttle
Fri 8 Jul 2011
It is more than 30 years since the launch of the first space shuttle
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Bradford riots
Thu 7 Jul 2011
It is 10 years since riots engulfed the city of Bradford in the North of England