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 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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Creation of the UFC
Fri 22 Nov 2024
In 1993, a new sport was born. Its founders called it the Ultimate Fighting Championship
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Lord of the Flies
Thu 21 Nov 2024
It’s 70 years since William Golding’s acclaimed novel was published
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Handover of Macau
Wed 20 Nov 2024
In 1999, Macau was handed back to China after more than 400 years as a Portuguese colony
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The Siege of Yarmouk
Tue 19 Nov 2024
How the Syrian army turned one neighbourhood near Damascus into a bombed-out wasteland
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Iran's secret Christian 'house churches'
Mon 18 Nov 2024
Between 2002 and 2005, Naghmeh Panahi set up a network of 'house churches' in Iran
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German naturists
Fri 15 Nov 2024
The naturist movement began in Germany at the end of the 19th Century
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Luana Mansilla: Changing gender aged six
Thu 14 Nov 2024
In 2013, the gender of a six-year-old from Argentina was legally changed
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India's capsule coal mine rescue
Wed 13 Nov 2024
In November 1989, 65 miners were rescued from the Mahabir Coal Mine, in India
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How Greece got rid of their king
Tue 12 Nov 2024
In a 1974 referendum, the Greek people voted two to one in favour of becoming a republic
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The Pakistan mountain massacre
Mon 11 Nov 2024
In 2013, 11 people were killed by members of a militant group at Nanga Parbat base camp
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The invention of the ‘Baby’ computer
Fri 8 Nov 2024
In 1948, the first stored-program computer the ‘Baby’ was invented
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The woman who saved 2,500 children from the Warsaw ghetto
Thu 7 Nov 2024
Polish aid worker Irena Sendler saved 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto in WW2
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The Shah of Iran's party
Wed 6 Nov 2024
In 1971, the Shah of Iran, celebrated 2,500 years of the Persian Empire
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In exile from Iran
Tue 5 Nov 2024
Former empress Farah Pahlavi and social scientist Rouhi Shafi speak about leaving Iran
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Iran hostage crisis
Mon 4 Nov 2024
In 1979, Barry Rosen was held hostage after the US embassy in Tehran was stormed
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Siegfried and Roy tiger attack
Fri 1 Nov 2024
In 2003, illusionist Roy Horn was attacked by a tiger live on stage.
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Brazil’s electronic voting
Thu 31 Oct 2024
In 1996, an electronic voting system in Brazil was used for the first time
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Jean Batten: New Zealand’s record breaking aviator
Tue 29 Oct 2024
Jean Batten was nicknamed the Queen of the Skies for her pioneering flights of the 1930s
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The creation of Greenwich Mean Time
Mon 28 Oct 2024
Experiments by John Flamsteed in the 17th Century led to the time zone being created
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My dad created Dungeons & Dragons
Thu 24 Oct 2024
In 1974, Gary Gygax created the fantasy roleplay game.
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Bonga Kwenda: Music banned in Angola and Portugal
Thu 24 Oct 2024
Outspoken supporter of Angolan independence, Bonga Kwenda was forced into exile in 1972
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Ethiopia's 1984 famine
Wed 23 Oct 2024
In 1984, a news report on a famine in Ethiopia led to a global fundraising campaign
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I found the first dinosaur remains in Antarctica
Tue 22 Oct 2024
In 1986, Argentinian geologist Eduardo Olivero discovered a new kind of Ankylosaurus
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The fight to stop skin lightening in India
Mon 21 Oct 2024
In 2013, Kavitha Emmanuel began campaigning to stop skin lightening in India
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Eight years trapped on the Suez Canal in Egypt
Fri 18 Oct 2024
After the Six Day War in 1967, 14 ships were stuck on the Great Bitter Lake
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Dyke and Dryden: Cosmetic kings
Thu 17 Oct 2024
In 1969, Dyke and Dryden started one the most successful black British businesses
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Fleeing Afghanistan alone as a child
Wed 16 Oct 2024
Dr Waheed Arian escaped poverty and war in Afghanistan to begin a new life in the UK
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The Rose Revolution in Georgia
Tue 15 Oct 2024
In 2003, demonstrators stormed the parliament building in Tbilisi, holding flowers
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The Sunflower Movement
Mon 14 Oct 2024
In 2014, more than 500,000 Taiwanese people protested against a new trade deal with China