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
-
![]()
Kim Philby: The Third Man
Wed 11 May 2016
In May 1988, the death was announced in Moscow of the English spy Kim Philby.
-
![]()
Escape from the South Atlantic
Tue 10 May 2016
In the spring of 1982 Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falkland Islands.
-
![]()
The Imaginary War Heroes
Mon 9 May 2016
During World War Two, Soviet propaganda promoted a heroic feat that never happened.
-
![]()
Hitler's Nuclear Programme
Fri 6 May 2016
Nazi Germany had a nuclear programme, which could have given Hitler an atomic bomb
-
![]()
The Belfast Blitz
Thu 5 May 2016
In 1941, Belfast in Northern Ireland was devastated by German bombing
-
![]()
Ernest Hemingway in Cuba
Wed 4 May 2016
Alberto Ramos remembers his time working for the great American novelist in Cuba.
-
![]()
U2 Spy Plane
Tue 3 May 2016
In May 1960 Gary Powers was taken captive by the Soviets when his spy plane was shot down
-
![]()
The Salem Witches
Mon 2 May 2016
In 1692 nineteen men and women were convicted of witchcraft and executed in America.
-
![]()
The Creation of the Mini
Fri 29 Apr 2016
In 1959 the British Motoring Corporation unveiled a very small new family car - the Mini
-
![]()
The McCarthy Era
Thu 28 Apr 2016
In spring 1950, an American academic was wrongly named as the main Soviet agent in the US
-
![]()
The Funeral of Charles Darwin
Wed 27 Apr 2016
The great English naturalist Charles Darwin is buried at Westminster Abbey in April 1882
-
![]()
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Tue 26 Apr 2016
In April 1986 a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine
-
![]()
Yves Saint Laurent and Morocco
Mon 25 Apr 2016
In 1966 the great French fashion designer went to Morocco for the first time
-
![]()
Shakespeare's Jubilee
Fri 22 Apr 2016
How actor David Garrick organised the first national celebration of Shakespeare in 1769
-
![]()
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Thu 21 Apr 2016
An industrial disaster in New York in 1911 led to huge social reforms.
-
![]()
Fighting for Castro at the Bay of Pigs
Wed 20 Apr 2016
A member of Cuba's communist militia recalls battling US-backed invaders in April 1961
-
![]()
The Harrier in the Falklands War
Tue 19 Apr 2016
A Harrier pilot remembers the air battle over the Falklands in 1982
-
![]()
Haile Selassie In Jamaica
Mon 18 Apr 2016
On 21 April 1966 Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia arrived in Jamaica
-
![]()
The Spanish Republic
Fri 15 Apr 2016
How writers and artists campaigned to bring culture to every corner of 1930s Spain
-
![]()
Executed for Being Too Capitalist
Thu 14 Apr 2016
In 1961, in Soviet Central Asia, 21 managers were executed for using capitalist methods.
-
![]()
The Amritsar Massacre of 1919
Wed 13 Apr 2016
On 13 April 1919, the British Indian Army fired on an unarmed crowd, killing hundreds
-
![]()
-
![]()
Angela Merkel
Mon 11 Apr 2016
On April 10 2000, Angela Merkel became the first woman to lead a German political party.
-
![]()
A Japanese Royal Wedding
Fri 8 Apr 2016
In a change to tradition Japan's Crown Prince Akihito married a non-royal, in April 1959.
-
![]()
The Ogaden War
Thu 7 Apr 2016
In 1977 Somalia invaded Ethiopia in an attempt to take control of disputed territory.
-
![]()
Mallory on Everest
Wed 6 Apr 2016
In 1999 the body of legendary British mountaineer, George Mallory, was found on Everest.
-
![]()
Romania's Orphans
Tue 5 Apr 2016
In 1989 news began to emerge of terrible conditions in Romania's orphanages.
-
![]()
The Execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Mon 4 Apr 2016
On April 4th 1979 Pakistan's first democratically elected Prime Minister was hanged.
-
![]()
The Yodogo Hijacking
Fri 1 Apr 2016
In March 1970, Japanese left-wing extremists hijacked a plane with samurai swords.
-
![]()
Pakistan Ban on Alcohol
Thu 31 Mar 2016
In the spring of 1977 the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto introduced a ban on alcohol
