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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Baghdad heavy metal
Thu 16 May 2024
The story of heavy metal in Iraq during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein
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How nuclear testing changed politics in French Polynesia
Wed 15 May 2024
In 2004, protests against nuclear testing saw a change in how French Polynesia was ruled
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The ‘Catastrophe’ for Palestinians
Mon 13 May 2024
In 1948, tens of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their homes
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Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal
Fri 10 May 2024
The story of a princess, an Indian palace and a photograph which gained worldwide fame
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How a billion Indians got a digital ID
Thu 9 May 2024
The 2009 attempt to give all Indian citizens a unique digital ID
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The pioneering eye surgery that led to Lasik
Wed 8 May 2024
In 1963, Dr Jose Barraquer Moner performed the first eye surgery to fix short-sightedness
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East Germany's coffee from Vietnam
Tue 7 May 2024
A thirst for caffeine led to an unusual global collaboration in the 1980s
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Friends: The making of a smash hit
Mon 6 May 2024
Behind the scenes on one of the biggest TV comedies of all time
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The Channel Tunnel breakthrough
Fri 3 May 2024
In 1990, the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France was connected
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Ukraine's 'museum of corruption'
Thu 2 May 2024
Ordinary people saw inside the home of Ukraine’s ousted president in February 2014
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How to win friends and influence people
Wed 1 May 2024
In 1936, Dale Carnegie wrote the self help book - How to Win Friends and Influence People
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How the Milgram 'obedience' experiment shocked the world
Tue 30 Apr 2024
The study aimed to test whether 'ordinary' people were capable of committing evil acts
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Finding the victims of Stroessner's Paraguay
Mon 29 Apr 2024
One man has dedicated his life to finding the victims of Paraguay's dictatorship
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Sarah Baartman's 200-year journey back home
Sun 28 Apr 2024
The campaign to return Sarah Baartman to South Africa nearly 200 years after her death
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Oliver Tambo returns to South Africa from exile
Fri 26 Apr 2024
Oliver Tambo returned to South Africa in 1990 after 30 years in exile.
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Brenda Fassie: Madonna of the townships
Thu 25 Apr 2024
Brenda Fassie was a popular South African pop star, dubbed the 'Madonna of the townships'
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Soweto uprising: Children who marched against apartheid
Tue 23 Apr 2024
In 1976, an uprising was sparked when demonstrating children were gunned down
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South Africa's referendum on apartheid
Mon 22 Apr 2024
The last whites-only vote in South Africa was held in 1992
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Major Charity Adams and the Six-Triple-Eight
Fri 19 Apr 2024
The first African-American woman to lead a World War Two battalion
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Deadly Everest avalanche
Thu 18 Apr 2024
In 2014, an avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall killed 16 sherpas on Mount Everest
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West Africa's Ebola virus epidemic
Wed 17 Apr 2024
In 2014, Sierra Leone was devastated by Africa's biggest Ebola outbreak on record
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The friendship train: Connecting India and Bangladesh
Tue 16 Apr 2024
In 2008, India and Bangladesh were reconnected by train after 43 years
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Egypt and the ‘Cairo 52’
Mon 15 Apr 2024
In May 2001, 52 men were arrested in a gay nightclub floating on the River Nile
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Hiroo Onoda, Japan’s last WW2 soldier to surrender
Fri 12 Apr 2024
Hiroo Onoda spent 30 years fighting in the jungle, believing the war was still going on
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St Teresa of Avila's severed hand
Thu 11 Apr 2024
How General Franco kept the hand of St Teresa of Avila for spiritual guidance.
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The Scream: A stolen masterpiece
Wed 10 Apr 2024
In 1994, an undercover operation was launched to recover the Scream painting
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How Lake Karla in Greece was drained
Tue 9 Apr 2024
In 1962, Thessaly’s Lake Karla was drained by the Greek government
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The 2010 Kampala bombings
Mon 8 Apr 2024
Bombings in Uganda in 2010 killed 74. Many were football fans watching the World Cup
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Bonus: The Black 14
Sat 6 Apr 2024
The lives of 14 black American footballers are changed forever in a fight against racism