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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Zeppelins Attack England
Mon 19 Jan 2015
In January 1915 huge German Zeppelin airships began the first bombing raids on England
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The mystery of Raoul Wallenberg
Fri 16 Jan 2015
The Swedish diplomat saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War Two
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The Life and Death of Agatha Christie
Thu 15 Jan 2015
The best-selling novelist in history, crime-writer Agatha Christie, died in January 1976
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India's First Call Centre
Wed 14 Jan 2015
In 1997 an Indian businessman saw a great opportunity to start a whole new industry
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India Bans Widow Burning
Tue 13 Jan 2015
In I988 India passed a law that made it a criminal offence to help anyone commit Sati
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Somalia's Rural Literacy Campaign
Mon 12 Jan 2015
The hugely ambitious campaign to teach rural people to read and write in 1970s Somalia
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The Opening of Guantanamo
Fri 9 Jan 2015
The first prisoners arrived at the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in January 2002
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South Asia's top Hindi music show
Thu 8 Jan 2015
In 1952 India launched a music programme, Geetmala, which would broadcast for 42 years
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The Impeachment of Bill Clinton
Wed 7 Jan 2015
The Senate chamber was turned into a court to put the president on trial, 7 January 1999
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Evidence of the Big Bang
Tue 6 Jan 2015
The unexpected discovery which became the first proof of the Big Bang Theory
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The Prague Spring
Mon 5 Jan 2015
In January 1968 the reformist Alexander Dubcek became leader of the Czech Communist party
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WW1 Survivors Drowned on Way Home
Fri 2 Jan 2015
In 1919, more than 200 sailors died metres from home, off a Scottish island
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First Episode of Mr Bean
New Year's Day 2015
How did an almost completely silent comic character become such a hit?
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The Biggest Rock Concert Ever
Wed 31 Dec 2014
Rod Stewart played to an audience of 4 million on Copacabana beach on New Year's Eve 1994
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The Beginning of Reality TV
Tue 30 Dec 2014
A young Dutch man won the first ever Big Brother reality TV show in December 1999
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The Casa Pia Scandal in Portugal
Mon 29 Dec 2014
How allegations of sexual abuse at a well-known children's home shocked Portugal
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The Battle of the Bulge
Boxing Day 2014
The last major German attack on the Western Allies in World War II, Winter 1944
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Radio Caroline
Christmas Day 2014
In 1964 a 'pirate' radio station began broadcasting from a ship off the coast of England
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The Christmas Truce
Christmas Eve 2014
On Christmas Eve 1914, British and German soldiers exchanged gifts and sang carols
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Two Years Living up a Tree
Tue 23 Dec 2014
Julia Butterfly Hill lived in an ancient redwood tree for 738 days to protect it
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Nepal Peace Deal
Mon 22 Dec 2014
In 2006 the Nepalese government and Maoists signed a peace accord ending 10 years of war
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The Disappearance of Glenn Miller
Fri 19 Dec 2014
American bandleader Glenn Miller went missing over the English Channel in December, 1944
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The US Breaks Ties with Cuba
Thu 18 Dec 2014
President Eisenhower broke relations with Cuba and closed the American Embassy in 1961
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Goan Independence
Wed 17 Dec 2014
In December 1961, Goa became the last part of India to break free of colonial rule
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The Timisoara Uprising
Tue 16 Dec 2014
Protests which led to the collapse of communism in Romania began on 16 December 1989
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Gone With The Wind
Mon 15 Dec 2014
The premiere of one of the most successful films ever made on 15 December 1939
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Baboon Aids Experiment
Fri 12 Dec 2014
Aids patient Jeff Getty was given a bone marrow transplant from a baboon in December 1995
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The Kyoto Protocol
Thu 11 Dec 2014
In December 1997, the first global treaty on greenhouse gas emissions was agreed in Kyoto
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Miles Davis and Kind of Blue
Wed 10 Dec 2014
Drummer Jimmy Cobb recalls playing on Kind of Blue, the most successful jazz album ever
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The Hunt for BRCA2
Tue 9 Dec 2014
The frantic search for one of the hereditary 'breast cancer genes'
