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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal ; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.
Episodes to download
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Ronald Reagan’s ‘Tear down this wall’ speech
Today
In 1987 the US President called on the Soviet Union leader to take down the Berlin Wall
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Lonesome George: The celebrity tortoise
Yesterday
In 2012, Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his species died
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The woman born in a prisoner of war camp
Tuesday
The Sino-Indian war in 1962, left a lasting legacy on Indian families of Chinese descent
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World War Two’s Rome escape line
Monday
How an Irish priest saved thousands of allied prisoners of war and Jews in Rome in WW2
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Usonia: Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘utopian’ town
Last Friday
1948 saw the start of a “utopian” town of houses designed by America’s greatest architect
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The discovery of the first exoplanets
Last Thursday
In 1992, astronomer Alex Wolszczan discovered the first planets outside our solar system
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Favela life: The diary of Carolina Maria de Jesus
Last Wednesday
In 1960, the diary of a poor Brazilian mum became an international bestseller.
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The world’s largest model train set
Tue 3 Jun 2025
In 2000, twins Frederik and Gerrit started building Miniatur Wunderland
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Dolly Rathebe: South Africa’s first international film star
Mon 2 Jun 2025
Jim Comes to Jo’burg, also known as African Jim, launched Dolly Rathebe’s career in 1949
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The Battle of the Beanfield
Fri 30 May 2025
In 1985, police and hippies clashed at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge, in England
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The legacy of The Pirate Bay
Thu 29 May 2025
In 2006 police raided the popular but controversial file-sharing website The Pirate Bay
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Chinua Achebe’s revolutionary book Things Fall Apart
Wed 28 May 2025
Achebe's English language novel from 1958 about life in Nigeria before colonialism
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The Tragically Hip's final gig
Tue 27 May 2025
In 2015 Canadian rockstar Gord Downie was given months to live, he went on one last tour
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'I wrote the Champions League anthem'
Mon 26 May 2025
The story of how one of the most iconic tunes in sport was created in 1992
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Vivian Maier: Secret street photographer
Fri 23 May 2025
The secret street photography of a US nanny in the 1950s and 1960s
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The founding of Magnum Photos
Thu 22 May 2025
On 22 April 1947, a group of famous war photographers founded the agency.
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Martín Chambi: Peru's pioneering documentary photographer
Wed 21 May 2025
Chambi's dramatic black and white photographs showed indigenous people in a new light.
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Nigerian photographer’s iconic 'Hairstyles' series
Tue 20 May 2025
J. D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, known as Nigeria’s top photographer gained international acclaim
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Lunch atop a Skyscraper
Mon 19 May 2025
In 1932, a photo was taken showing 11 ironworkers eating lunch at the top of a skyscraper
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Sweden’s shocking sugar experiment
Fri 16 May 2025
In the 1940s vulnerable hospital patients were fed sugar to see if their teeth decayed
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Mexico’s soda tax: Confronting soft drink giants
Thu 15 May 2025
In 2013 a new tax was approved in one of the world’s biggest consumers of fizzy drinks
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The founding of the Warsaw Pact
Wed 14 May 2025
On 14 May 1955, eight Soviet countries met to sign the Warsaw Pact.
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Tesla and Edison: Electricity rivals
Tue 13 May 2025
In 1915, two rival electricity pioneers were told they would share a Nobel Prize
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Intervision Song Contest
Mon 12 May 2025
In 1980, Finnish singer Marion Rung won Intervision, the USSR's answer to Eurovision
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Rescuing Palmyra’s treasures from the Islamic State group
Fri 9 May 2025
In 2015, Khalil Hariri risked his life to save centuries-old archaeology in Syria.
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Sinking of the Lusitania
Wed 7 May 2025
During World War One, the British ocean liner was sunk by a German submarine
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The invention of the automatic electric rice cooker
Tue 6 May 2025
In 1955, entrepreneur and engineer Yoshitada Minami, revolutionised rice cooking
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Conclave: How a new pope is chosen
Mon 5 May 2025
In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI was elected to be the next head of the Catholic Church
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Snake: Popularising mobile gaming
Fri 2 May 2025
In 1998, the Snake game made its debut on mobile phones.