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.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
Episodes to download
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Doi Moi: Vietnam's economic miracle
Today
Radical reforms introduced in 1986 lifted millions out of poverty
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Exercise Tiger: Disastrous D-Day rehearsal
Yesterday
In April 1944, a German fleet sank two allied ships. Around 749 US servicemen died.
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Staging Othello in apartheid South Africa
Thursday
Dame Janet Suzman recalls directing Shakespeare's classic in 1987
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Coca-Cola’s ‘New Coke'
Wednesday
On 23 April 1985, Coca-Cola changed the secret formula of its fizzy drink
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The origin of World Book Day
Fri 18 Apr 2025
23 April 1996, saw the first World Book Day. It originated from a Spanish tradition
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Clearing landmines in Cambodia
Thu 17 Apr 2025
Aki Ra laid hundreds of landmines for the Khmer Rouge, but began clearing them in 1992.
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The Khmer Rouge take power in Cambodia
Wed 16 Apr 2025
In April 1975 the four-year rule of the brutal Khmer Rouge began in Cambodia
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The invention of the white LED lightbulb
Tue 15 Apr 2025
In 1993, a lightbulb moment led to the invention of the first white light emitting diode
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The Bali Nine drug smuggling case
Mon 14 Apr 2025
In 2005, nine Australians were caught trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia
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Germany’s ‘Green Belt’
Fri 11 Apr 2025
In December 1989, environmentalists met to secure the future of Germany’s ‘Green Belt’
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Oklahoma City bombing
Thu 10 Apr 2025
On 19 April 1995, a huge truck bomb killed 168 people in a US government building
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Liberia’s women in white who helped end civil war
Wed 9 Apr 2025
In 2003 the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace began protests calling for peace
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The Reichstag fire
Tue 8 Apr 2025
In February 1933, the home to the German Parliament in Berlin was burned down
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The UN retreat from Somalia
Mon 7 Apr 2025
In 1995, a United Nations mission to restore peace in Somalia ended in disaster
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Resusci Anne: the world’s first life-saving resuscitation dummy
Fri 4 Apr 2025
In May 1960 a Norwegian toy-maker unveiled a life-sized, life-like training manikin
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JFK’s 1963 Ich Bin Ein Berliner speech
Thu 3 Apr 2025
The US President spoke at the newly constructed Berlin Wall at the height of the Cold War
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The wonder woman of DC Comics
Wed 2 Apr 2025
In 1976 Jenette Kahn became the first female head of DC Comics, home of the superheroes
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The invention of superglue
Tue 1 Apr 2025
In 1951, Harry Coover noticed a chemical he was working with was sticking to everything
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The 'ghost town' of Namibia
Mon 31 Mar 2025
In 1908, the first Kolmanskop diamond was found. It's now abandoned, buried in the desert
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The father of Ethio-Jazz
Fri 28 Mar 2025
In 1966, Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke recorded a new genre of music, Ethio-jazz.
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Harold Riley’s 'one of a kind' portrait of Nelson Mandela
Thu 27 Mar 2025
A specially commissioned portrait of Nelson Mandela by Harold Riley was unveiled in 2005
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The suspicious death of Rear Admiral Durović
Wed 26 Mar 2025
In 1991, a Yugoslav People’s Army commander died in mysterious circumstances
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Goodluck Jonathan’s phone call that changed Nigeria
Tue 25 Mar 2025
President Goodluck Jonathan's call to Muhammadu Buhari to concede election defeat in 2015
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The Germanwings plane crash
Mon 24 Mar 2025
General David Galtier who led the search operation recalls the 2015 crash
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The visionary behind the European Space Agency
Fri 21 Mar 2025
In October 2012, a visionary letter about the European Space Agency was sent into space
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The historic handshake in space
Thu 20 Mar 2025
In July 1975, Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts met in space and shook hands
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In event of moon disaster: 'The speech that never was'
Wed 19 Mar 2025
Richard Nixon's contingency speech in case the moon landing astronauts never made it home
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First spacewalk
Tue 18 Mar 2025
On 18 March 1965, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to spacewalk.