Witness History
By BBC World Service
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meetin
Episodes (10)
Witness History
Recording the Eichmann interviews
In June 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from Buenos Aires, sparking international outrage and a landmark trial in Israel. But behind the headlines was a hidden story: Eichmann had spent years living under an assumed name in Argentina, where he was
Witness History
Australia's first Big Thing
In 1963, a five-meter-tall fiberglass Scotsman named Scotty appeared on the roof of a South Australian motel, sparking a nationwide phenomenon that would come to define Australia’s roadside culture. Created by artist Paul Kelly, the original 'Big Thing' was bu
Witness History
Nelson Mandela's incarceration at Robben Island
Nelson Mandela's 18-year imprisonment on Robben Island, a maximum-security prison off the coast of South Africa, was not just a period of suffering but a crucible for personal transformation and strategic resistance. Despite brutal conditions—cold cells, backb
Witness History
Mstislav Rostropovich: Virtuoso cellist
In 1978, legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich was stripped of his Soviet citizenship in a sudden, unannounced act of political punishment—just weeks after he had fled the USSR with his family. The BBC’s Joe Schultz presents a haunting interview from that er
Witness History
Picasso and the Surrealist summer
In the summer of 1937, a circle of avant-garde artists—including Pablo Picasso, Lee Miller, Roland Penrose, and poet Paul Eluard—gathered on the French Riviera for a carefree holiday that would become a fleeting moment of creative freedom before the storm of w
Witness History
The inspiration for Chekhov's Three Sisters
The story of how Anton Chekhov's masterpiece *Three Sisters* was inspired by a real family he met during a summer in 1897, when the playwright was just 37 and visiting rural Russia. Ten-year-old Paul Shishkov, whose family lived near Chekhov’s estate, recounts
Witness History
Hussein of Jordan: The survivor king
King Hussein of Jordan, who ruled for 46 years, was repeatedly targeted in assassination attempts involving bullets, bombs, poison, and even poisoned cats—yet he remained a steadfast leader through decades of regional turmoil. His survival wasn't just luck; it
Witness History
The Georgian exodus from Abkhazia
In September 1993, the fall of Sukhumi—the capital of Abkhazia—triggered one of the most harrowing refugee exoduses in modern European history. As separatist forces seized control of the region, tens of thousands of ethnic Georgians fled in desperation, escapi
Witness History
50 years since the Soweto Uprising
On June 16, 1976, thousands of black schoolchildren in Soweto, South Africa, took to the streets in a peaceful protest against the apartheid government's mandate to teach in Afrikaans—a language they saw as a tool of oppression. What began as a disciplined mar
Witness History
Women Walk Home: Cyprus' forgotten peace march
In June 1987, 300 Greek Cypriot women embarked on a daring peace march toward the ceasefire line dividing Cyprus, risking their lives to reclaim homes lost during the 1974 Turkish invasion. Organized by a group called Ijenegis Epistrephon—meaning 'the women re
Start discovering podcast insights today
Start with a 7-day trial and explore a growing catalog of popular podcasts. No credit card required.
No credit card required • 7-day trial • Cancel anytime