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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'Robocops’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Fri 11 Oct 2024
Handmade robots were installed in DRC's capital city Kinshasa to direct traffic
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How the QR code was invented
Thu 10 Oct 2024
In 1994 Japanese engineer Masahiro Hara designed a square of data, now known as a QR code
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The world's first general purpose electronic computer
Wed 9 Oct 2024
In 1946, one of the world’s first electronic computers was unveiled in the USA.
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WABOT-1: The first humanoid robot
Tue 8 Oct 2024
Scientists at Waseda University in Japan built the world's first humanoid robot in 1973
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Eliza: When chatbots started
Mon 7 Oct 2024
1966 saw the invention of Eliza, which is said to be the first chatbot
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The longest plane hijacking in Latin America
Fri 4 Oct 2024
In 1973, two men pretending to be Colombian guerrillas hijacked a plane for 60 hours
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The speech that inspired the Law of the Sea
Thu 3 Oct 2024
In November 1967, the Maltese diplomat, Arvid Pardo, gave a historic speech at the UN
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South Africa’s nuclear weapons
Wed 2 Oct 2024
In 1989, South Africa became the first country to make and then dismantle nuclear weapons
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Cambodia war crimes
Tue 1 Oct 2024
Kerry Hamill mistakenly sailed into Cambodian waters and was killed by the Khmer Rouge
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Kristallnacht: The night of broken glass
Mon 30 Sep 2024
In 1938, the Nazis launched a violent anti-Jewish attack, known as Kristallnacht
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The Estonia ferry disaster
Fri 27 Sep 2024
In 1994 the Estonia ferry sank off Finland in one of Europe's biggest shipping tragedies
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South Africa’s first inter-racial marriage
Thu 26 Sep 2024
For almost 40 years, marriage between people from different ethnic backgrounds was banned
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Why Tupac was fired from Menace II Society
Tue 24 Sep 2024
In 1993, the Hughes brothers released their debut movie
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India's Mars Orbiter Mission
Mon 23 Sep 2024
India placed a satellite into orbit around Mars on its first attempt in 2014
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Designing the Google logo
Fri 20 Sep 2024
Brazilian artist and designer, Ruth Kedar’s story of designing the Google logo.
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The discovery of New Zealand’s first dinosaur
Thu 19 Sep 2024
The discovery of New Zealand's first dinosaur by Joan Wiffen
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India’s plague outbreak
Wed 18 Sep 2024
In 1994, hundreds of thousands of people fled the city of Surat
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Camouflaging Leningrad
Tue 17 Sep 2024
In 1941, landmarks were painted and covered in the Russian city during World War Two
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The invention of the CT scanner
Mon 16 Sep 2024
In 1971, the CT scanner was invented by Allan Cormack and Godfrey Hounsfield
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When Italy gave back Ethiopia’s stolen obelisk
Fri 13 Sep 2024
The Axum Obelisk was looted by Italian soldiers in 1937 on the orders of Benito Mussolini
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Abebech Gobena: Africa's 'Mother Teresa'
Thu 12 Sep 2024
In 1980, Abebech Gobena founded an orphanage in Ethiopia to save children from starvation
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Ardi: The oldest skeleton of a human ancestor
Wed 11 Sep 2024
In 1994, a college student discovered a 4.4 million-year-old skeleton in Ethiopia
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Haile Selassie in Bath
Tue 10 Sep 2024
In 1936, the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie was exiled in Bath in the UK
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Emperor Haile Selassie overthrown
Mon 9 Sep 2024
In September 1974, a military junta launched a coup against Ethiopia's monarchy
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Giant Gonzalez: from NBA star to WWE wrestler
Fri 6 Sep 2024
Jorge Gonzalez was the first Argentinian in an NBA draft. How did he end up wrestling?
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Apollo 13
Thu 5 Sep 2024
In 1970, a Moon mission almost ended in tragedy after an explosion on board the spaceship
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The end of the Irish marriage bar
Wed 4 Sep 2024
Until 1973, married women in Ireland were banned from working in state jobs.
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Ramesses II's 'mummy makeover'
Tue 3 Sep 2024
In 1976, the mummy of Ramesses II was flown from Egypt to Paris for a makeover
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I led the 'Umbrella' protests
Mon 2 Sep 2024
In September 2014, Nathan Law led Hong Kong's 'Umbrella' Protests
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The woman who spoke to the space station
Fri 30 Aug 2024
Maggie Iaquinto was the first amateur radio enthusiast to contact Russian cosmonauts