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
-
![]()
Cuban Missile Crisis: the Governments
Mon 16 Oct 2017
In October 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis took the world to the brink of nuclear war
-
![]()
Testifying Against OJ Simpson
Thu 12 Oct 2017
Ron Shipp was a close friend of OJ Simpson's but decided to testify against him in court.
-
![]()
Saving Italy's Art During WW2
Wed 11 Oct 2017
Italy's great works of art were threatened by bombing and looting during World War Two.
-
![]()
Lluis Companys - Martyr of Catalan Nationalism
Tue 10 Oct 2017
The Catalan leader who was executed by a Spanish fascist firing squad in October 1940.
-
![]()
The Death of Che Guevara
Mon 9 Oct 2017
Felix Rodriguez recalls his part in the killing of the Marxist revolutionary in Oct 1967.
-
![]()
Matthew Shepard: A killing that changed American law
Fri 6 Oct 2017
The murder of a gay student shocked Americans and helped reform US hate crime law
-
![]()
The first black American at Ole Miss
Thu 5 Oct 2017
In 1962 the first black American was enrolled at Mississippi University amid riots
-
![]()
Israel Withdraws From Gaza
Wed 4 Oct 2017
One woman's account of life on the front-line of Israel's occupation of Gaza.
-
![]()
The Raising of the Mary Rose
Tue 3 Oct 2017
King Henry VIII's favourite warship sank in a naval battle in 1545.
-
![]()
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
Mon 2 Oct 2017
Shortly before the Islamic revolution in Iran, a very modern museum opened in the capital
-
![]()
The Sudden Death of Pope John Paul I
Fri 29 Sep 2017
Just 33 days into his reign, Pope John Paul I died unexpectedly in September 1978.
-
![]()
A Bitter Divorce: When Guinea said "No" to France
Thu 28 Sep 2017
How Guinea became the first French West African colony to declare independence in 1958.
-
![]()
Walking the Great Wall of China
Wed 27 Sep 2017
It took 508 days to complete the first expedition along the entire length of the wall.
-
![]()
Britain's Land Girls
Tue 26 Sep 2017
Thousands of women and girls worked on farms throughout WW2 to produce much needed food.
-
![]()
Steve Biko: Black Consciousness Leader
Mon 25 Sep 2017
The activist had died in South African police custody. He was buried on September 25 1977
-
![]()
The Cross Border Horse Race
Fri 22 Sep 2017
A showdown on the American/Mexican border on September 14th 1958.
-
![]()
Roselle - The 9/11 Guide Dog
Thu 21 Sep 2017
The inspiring story of how a Labrador led her blind master out of the World Trade Center.
-
![]()
Australia's Rabbit Plague
Wed 20 Sep 2017
Rabbits infested huge swathes of the Australian countryside in the 1940s and 1950s.
-
![]()
Shark Attack Survivor
Tue 19 Sep 2017
When Rodney Fox survived the jaws of a Great White Shark it inspired him to study them.
-
![]()
The Transatlantic Locust Plague
Mon 18 Sep 2017
Millions of African locusts invaded the Caribbean having flown 5,000 kilometres non-stop.
-
![]()
Sabra and Shatila - A Massacre in Lebanon
Fri 15 Sep 2017
A doctor working in Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon recalls the massacre there
-
![]()
The German Schoolboy Arrested for Writing a Letter
Thu 14 Sep 2017
Karl-Heinz Borchardt was arrested at the age of 18 by East German secret police.
-
![]()
The Hippydilly Squat
Wed 13 Sep 2017
A group of hippies occupied a sixty-room mansion in central London in September 1969.
-
![]()
The Collapse of Northern Rock
Tue 12 Sep 2017
Panicked run on bank signals the start of the financial crisis in the UK
-
![]()
Nok Terracottas: Nigeria's Ancient Treasure
Mon 11 Sep 2017
When West African tin miners unearthed evidence of a lost civilization
-
![]()
France's Last Guillotine
Fri 8 Sep 2017
The last man to be executed by guillotine in France was a Tunisian, Hamida Djandoubi.
-
![]()
BBC Proms: Audience Member Rescues Concert
Thu 7 Sep 2017
When the principal singer collapsed, a member of the audience took over his role.
-
![]()
Biosphere 2: Building A New World
Wed 6 Sep 2017
Eight scientists sealed themselves inside a giant greenhouse for an ambitious experiment.
-
![]()
The Fairy Photos
Tue 5 Sep 2017
How two girls' photos convinced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that fairies exist.
-
![]()
Jamaica's Worst Train Accident
Mon 4 Sep 2017
A survivor recalls the Kendal train crash in September 1957 when more than 200 died.
