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.
Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.
When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs, from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015, to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations.
You’ll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
You’ll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden’s Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles’ George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy’s show to a sudden end.
And if you’re curious about inventions, we’ll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created.
If you’re new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you.
Episodes to download
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James Brown Concert at the Boston Garden
Fri 5 Apr 2013
Held 24 hours after the death of Martin Luther King, the gig went ahead peacefully
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Howard Hughes
Thu 4 Apr 2013
The reclusive American billionaire remembered by one of the few journalists to meet him.
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Operation Babylift
Wed 3 Apr 2013
As the Vietnam war ended the US tried to fly thousands of orphans out of the country.
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The real Peter Pan
Tue 2 Apr 2013
A family of real boys inspired JM Barrie to write the story of Peter Pan.
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Women and the law in Britain
Mon 1 Apr 2013
Over 175 years ago, Caroline Norton began to fight for the rights of married women.
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The killing of Archbishop Romero
Fri 29 Mar 2013
On 24 March 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot dead while saying mass in San Salvador.
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American prisoners in Vietnam
Thu 28 Mar 2013
After their release in 1973, former US prisoners of war began to talk about torture.
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Unearthing the Terracotta Army
Wed 27 Mar 2013
Discovered by chance by farmers digging a well, the secrets of the Qin Dynasty in China.
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Living in Ceausescu's Romania
Tue 26 Mar 2013
The communist dictator ran one of the most feared secret police forces in Eastern Europe.
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The Profumo Affair
Mon 25 Mar 2013
Fifty years ago, a sex scandal threatened to engulf the British government.
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Iraq: Ten years on - The capture of Saddam Hussein
Fri 22 Mar 2013
In December 2003 the former Iraqi leader was finally caught by American forces.
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Iraq: Ten years on - Working for the Americans
Thu 21 Mar 2013
How one Iraqi who took a job with the US military, was threatened with death as a traitor.
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Iraq: Ten years on - Looting in Baghdad
Wed 20 Mar 2013
In April 2003, Baghdad descended into chaos as American troops took control of the city.
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Iraq: Ten years on - The invasion of Iraq
Tue 19 Mar 2013
John Crawford was part of the US forces that rolled into Iraq in March 2003.
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Iraq: Ten years on - The bombardment of Baghdad
Mon 18 Mar 2013
It is a decade since the US and its allies began their invasion of Iraq.
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Syrian uprising
Fri 15 Mar 2013
Two years ago Syria's conflict began with demonstrations in the southern city of Daraa.
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Giandomenico Picco - Hostage negotiator
Thu 14 Mar 2013
The UN envoy who tried to secure the release of Western hostages in Lebanon.
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Marie Stopes, Birth Control Pioneer
Wed 13 Mar 2013
In March 1921 Marie Stopes opened Britain's first birth control clinic in London.
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The Theft of Charlie Chaplin's Body
Tue 12 Mar 2013
In March 1978 thieves stole the body of Charlie Chaplin from a cemetery in Switzerland.
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The Tibetan uprising
Mon 11 Mar 2013
In 1959 the people of Tibet turned against Chinese occupying forces.
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Gay in the US military
Fri 8 Mar 2013
In 1975 a US airman announced he was gay, to test the military's attitude to homosexuals.
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Viagra
Thu 7 Mar 2013
Fifteen years ago a new "wonder" drug was approved for use in the United States.
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Skiing in the Swat Valley
Wed 6 Mar 2013
One man's mission to bring fun back to the battle-scarred Swat Valley in Pakistan.
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Armenia and Azerbaijan
Mon 4 Mar 2013
It is 25 years since violence broke out in the city of Sumgait in Azerbaijan.
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The Bethnal Green tube disaster
Fri 1 Mar 2013
It is 70 years since 173 people were crushed to death at an air-raid shelter in London
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Choosing a Pope
Thu 28 Feb 2013
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor tells the story of electing Pope Benedict in April 2005
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The standoff at Wounded Knee
Wed 27 Feb 2013
Forty years ago, American Indian activists staged a protest against the US authorities.
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The first World Trade Center attack
Tue 26 Feb 2013
How Islamic extremists tried to blow up the Twin Towers eight years before 9/11.
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The Theft of the Scream
Mon 25 Feb 2013
In 1994 Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream was stolen from a Norwegian art museum.
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The White Rose
Fri 22 Feb 2013
Seventy years ago, three German students were executed for protesting against Hitler.
