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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The Lindbergh kidnapping
Fri 18 Feb 2011
On 1 March 1932, the baby son of one of the most famous men in America went missing
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The death of Captain Cook
Wed 16 Feb 2011
In February 1779 the British seafarer Captain Cook was beaten to death in Hawaii
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Fall of Singapore
Tue 15 Feb 2011
The British colony of Singapore fell to Japanese forces on this day in 1942
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Assassination of Rafik Hariri
Mon 14 Feb 2011
On February 14 2005, Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri was assassinated
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The death of Pushkin
Fri 11 Feb 2011
In February 1837 the great Russian poet - Alexander Pushkin died
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A communist in the US
Thu 10 Feb 2011
On 9 February 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy began his hunt for communists in the US
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The Docklands bomb
Wed 9 Feb 2011
On 9 February 1996, a bomb exploded in London bringing an IRA ceasefire to an end
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Shot down in Iraq
Tue 8 Feb 2011
It is 20 years since international forces united to drive Iraq out of Kuwait
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Duvalier flees Haiti
Mon 7 Feb 2011
Twenty-five years ago today, the President of Haiti Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country
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Sarajevo marketplace massacre
Fri 4 Feb 2011
On February 5 1994 there was an attack on a marketplace in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo
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Revolution in Iran
Thu 3 Feb 2011
The first week of February 1979 saw a revolution unfolding in Iran
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Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-ins
Tue 1 Feb 2011
A simple non-violent action to protest against racial segregation in restaurants and shops
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The North Sea Flood
Mon 31 Jan 2011
On the last day of January 1953 high tides and storms brought a huge flood to Holland.
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The siege of Leningrad
Fri 28 Jan 2011
Hundreds of thousands of civilians died of starvation during the siege of Leningrad.
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Siege of Sidney Street
Thu 27 Jan 2011
The bloody battle between British police and a group of revolutionaries in London in 1911
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Conflict in Somalia
Wed 26 Jan 2011
In January 1991 the government of Siad Barre in Somalia, collapsed
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Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff
Tue 25 Jan 2011
One of the worst maritime disasters in history - the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff
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Funeral of Winston Churchill
Mon 24 Jan 2011
Sir Winston Churchill, the British wartime leader, died on 24 January, 1965
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Execution of Louis XVI
Fri 21 Jan 2011
On 21 January 1793 the French king, Louis XVI was executed in Paris
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Ben Ali Comes to Power in Tunisia
Thu 20 Jan 2011
The story of how Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali came to power in Tunisia
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Palomares nuclear accident
Wed 19 Jan 2011
How a B-52 bomber crashed on the Spanish coast while carrying four nuclear weapons.
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Crossing Antarctica
Tue 18 Jan 2011
In January 1997 Borge Ousland became the first person to cross the Antarctic alone
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Kindertransport - Oliver's story
Mon 17 Jan 2011
The story of a boy who escaped Nazi Germany on a kindertransport train heading for Britain
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Football wages
Fri 14 Jan 2011
We take you back to 1961 when the cap on football wages was abolished in England
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Wikipedia - 10 years on
Thu 13 Jan 2011
It is 10 years since the Wikipedia online encyclopedia was launched
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Cryonic freezing
Wed 12 Jan 2011
In 1967 a group of enthusiasts first tried to cryonically freeze a human being.
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Crossing the Rubicon
Tue 11 Jan 2011
When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon river 2,000 years ago he changed history
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Bojinka Airline Plot
Mon 10 Jan 2011
The Manila-based plot to blow up a dozen airliners over the Pacific Ocean
