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 surp...
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Sep 30, 2026 · 10:38
After decades of campaigning in Japan, the pill was finally legalised in 1999. In contrast, the male impotency drug Viagra was approved for use in just six months, and legalised…
Sep 29, 2026 · 10:49
In 2012, the discovery of rock art in caves on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi changed our understanding of early human history. Archaeologist Maxime Aubert tells Leo Dunlop…
Sep 28, 2026 · 10:15
On an English field in 1957, the final touches were made to what was then the largest radio telescope in the world. But designing and building the Jodrell Bank Observatory hadn’t…
Sep 25, 2026 · 10:10
Harold Riley was the only artist in the world given the opportunity to paint Nelson Mandela from life. When Mandela agreed to pose for the English artist, it marked the beginning…
Sep 24, 2026 · 10:51
In 1932, hundreds of walkers organised a mass trespass on Kinder Scout, the highest point in England's Peak District. It was a major step in the campaign by workers from the…
Sep 23, 2026 · 10:31
The Fifth Pan-African Congress was held in Manchester, England, in 1945, helping to shape the post-war struggle against colonialism and racial discrimination. Prominent black…
Sep 22, 2026 · 10:19
In June 1948, the ‘Baby’ was invented. It was the first stored-program computer, meaning it was the first machine to work like the ones we have today. It was developed in England…
Sep 21, 2026 · 10:38
In 1962, Nigerian-born Phil Magbotiwan opened a brand-new nightclub in Manchester, England. In part because of his own personal experiences of racism, Phil wanted to create…
Sep 18, 2026 · 10:40
In November 2015, the 'holy grail' of shipwrecks, laden with treasure worth an estimated $18 billion, was found off the coast of Colombia. The San José, a Spanish galleon, sank…
Sep 17, 2026 · 11:03
In 1997, after years working abroad, Pramod Bhasin returned to India and spotted an opportunity that would help transform his country's economy. Despite major telecommunications…
Sep 16, 2026 · 10:48
In the early hours of 14 February 1981, a fire broke out at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin which was filled with more than 800 people. The blaze killed 48 people and…
Sep 15, 2026 · 10:05
In 1991, a small company led by an Iranian-born engineer, Rouzbeh Yassini, created a technology which enabled millions of homes across America to access the internet for the…
Sep 14, 2026 · 10:57
When Norway was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940, a collaborative government led by Norwegian Vidkun Quisling was put in place. Quisling believed that Norwegians would become more…
Sep 11, 2026 · 10:27
On 11 September 2001, firefighter Jay Jonas and his crew were sent into New York's North Tower after a hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center. As they climbed the…
Sep 10, 2026 · 10:48
In 1944, a young Irishwoman called Maureen Flavin drew up a weather report that helped change the course of World War Two. Maureen was working at a post office on the far west…
Sep 9, 2026 · 10:40
In 1994, documents from a Nazi study of the Bayeux Tapestry were rediscovered after more than 50 years. Former curator of the tapestry, Sylvette Lemagnen, tells Helen Ledwick how…
Sep 8, 2026 · 10:41
In 1985, reports of a moving statue of the Virgin Mary drew thousands of people to the village of Ballinspittle in County Cork, Ireland. Helen Ledwick speaks to Ita Dungan, who…
Sep 7, 2026 · 9:45
In 1935, tens of thousands who had followed Mao Zedong on the Long March across China struggled to survive. They were fleeing Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces during the…
Sep 4, 2026 · 10:47
In 1968, American television boldly went where it had never gone before, broadcasting what's claimed to be the country's first interracial kiss in a TV programme. The moment of…
Sep 3, 2026 · 10:12
In 1982, audiences around the world fell in love with a gentle alien stranded on Earth and the young boy determined to help him get home. Steven Spielberg's E.T. the…
Sep 2, 2026 · 10:41
In 1995, Octavia E Butler became the first author to receive a MacArthur “genius” award for science fiction writing. From a young age she dreamed of writing books, but faced many…
Sep 1, 2026 · 10:20
When the set fell apart for an ambitious cinematic space opera that was produced on a characteristically small Turkish budget, nationally famed director Çetin İnanç had to think…
Aug 31, 2026 · 10:32
In 1976, American toy designer Jim Swearingen was working at Kenner, a mid-sized company in the American Midwest. When a script for a new film called Star Wars landed on his…
Aug 28, 2026 · 10:45
On the 5 September 1986, hijackers took over a Pan-American Airways flight during a stop-over at Karachi Airport in Pakistan. The armed Palestinian terrorists wanted to fly the…
Aug 27, 2026 · 9:37
On 4 September 1995, Hurricane Luis hit the Caribbean island of Antigua. Two people were killed and three-quarters of homes were destroyed. Authorities said it set the island…
Aug 26, 2026 · 10:32
It is 50 years since a peace movement began in Northern Ireland spawned by the killing of three children. There had been seven years of sectarian violence. On 10 August 1976,…
Aug 25, 2026 · 10:29
In 2007, an abandoned photo album revealed the chilling normality of life at the Nazis’ most notorious concentration camp, Auschwitz. The 116 black-and-white images had been sent…
Aug 24, 2026 · 10:12
On 31st October 2004, Uruguayans voted to enshrine water as a human right in their constitution, the first country in the world to do so. The so-called water referendum was…
Aug 21, 2026 · 10:55
In the 1950s, scientist Edward Knipling began what would become one of the most successful eradication campaigns in history: the fight against the New World screwworm, a…
Aug 20, 2026 · 10:58
First published in 1980, the Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book brought novelty cakes to the masses. From the swimming pool filled with jelly, to the ghost…
Aug 19, 2026 · 9:15
In 1954, a massive government-run resettlement programme began in Canada. This saw the relocation of nearly 30,000 people from isolated ‘outport’ fishing communities in…
Aug 18, 2026 · 10:59
In March 1945, the British Fourteenth Army were advancing on the city of Mandalay in central Burma, now known as Myanmar, which was held by the Japanese Army. The army was made…
Aug 17, 2026 · 10:40
In 2011 Asha Bhosle, India’s queen of melody, was officially named the most recorded artist in music history. The Guinness World Record recognised the astonishing scale of her…
Aug 14, 2026 · 10:50
When the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck the coast of Kenya, a baby hippo named Owen was swept out to sea and separated from his family. After being rescued, he was taken to…
Aug 13, 2026 · 10:52
In 2008, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his rival Raila Odinga signed an unprecedented power-sharing deal to end a wave of violence that had left more than 1,200 people dead.…
Aug 12, 2026 · 10:53
In 1963, as Kenya celebrated independence from British rule, one of the last Mau Mau fighters came out of hiding and laid down her arms. Muthoni Kirima was the first and only…
Aug 11, 2026 · 10:41
In 1952, Princess Elizabeth became queen while staying at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya. But she wouldn't make the discovery until hours later. The 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth…
Aug 10, 2026 · 11:00
In 1997, scientists travelled to Tsavo, Kenya, in search of a cave believed to have been the den of the man-eating lions that terrorised railway workers in 1898. The two lions…
Aug 7, 2026 · 10:49
Holidaymakers arrived at the first Club Med resort on the Spanish island of Majorca in the summer of 1950. Founded by the Belgian water polo player Gérard Blitz, Club…
Aug 6, 2026 · 9:14
In 1987, Taiwan finally lifted martial law after nearly four decades of authoritarian rule. The moment marked a profound shift for a society long shaped by censorship,…
Aug 5, 2026 · 10:09
In the 1980s, townships in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town became an unexpected hotbed of activity against South Africa's apartheid government. One charismatic young activist…
Aug 4, 2026 · 9:20
In 1988, as floods struck Bangladesh and a heat wave swept across the United States, climate change became a political issue. Governments and businesses alike talked about how to…
Aug 3, 2026 · 10:20
In 2001, filming began on City of God which would stun audiences with its unflinching honesty. It captured the brutal realities of child gangsters from Rio De Janeiro’s favelas…
Jul 31, 2026 · 10:16
In 1943, the cellist, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. She expected to be killed in the gas chambers but survived because she was…
Jul 30, 2026 · 10:15
In 1964, a group of teenage boys organised a convention in New York – it became known as the first official Comic Con. The idea began after 16-year-old Bernie Bubnis wrote an…
Jul 29, 2026 · 11:28
In the summer of 1978, many Swedish workers relished the chance to take longer, paid vacations than ever before. This was thanks to an update to Sweden’s Annual Leave Act - or…
Jul 27, 2026 · 10:53
In 1974, an execution method known as the garrote, a chair with a metal collar tightened by a screw to break the neck, was used for the last time. Francisco Franco's regime used…
Jul 24, 2026 · 10:04
On 1 February 1969, the first African film festival of Ouagadougou opened in the Republic of Upper Volta, now known as Burkina Faso. In 1972, the event was made into an official…
Jul 23, 2026 · 10:11
In 2016, a fragile-looking aircraft with the wingspan of a jumbo jet and the power of a scooter attempted something no-one had ever managed before: flying around the world…
Jul 22, 2026 · 10:21
On 3 June 1998, a stone carving of Native American warrior Crazy Horse's face was unveiled in South Dakota. It is 27m tall and is part of a much larger sculpture showing the…
Jul 21, 2026 · 10:49
Before 1977, flamenco percussion relied solely on hand‑clapping and dancers' footwork. But that year, at a party in Lima, Peru, the cajon entered the scene. Spanish guitarist…
Jul 20, 2026 · 10:51
In March 2008, former female wrestler Juana Barraza was found guilty of murdering at least 11 elderly women in Mexico City. The murders took place over a period of seven years,…
Jul 19, 2026 · 32:13
How and when did tea arrive in the UK? Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson take a look at the mythological origins, the role of a Portuguese princess and even going to war for a…
Jul 17, 2026 · 10:32
During the Spanish Civil War, the fascist dictator Francisco Franco rose to power. Around half a million people fled the fighting, but some chose to return even as the conflict…
Jul 16, 2026 · 10:41
In 1985, one the world’s most recognisable fashion accessories was first launched – the Birkin handbag. Its origins have since become legend. The actress and model Jane Birkin…
Jul 15, 2026 · 9:51
On 15 July, over 300 people were killed and more than 2,100 injured when rogue soldiers commandeered warplanes, tanks and helicopters in a failed coup attempt against President…
Jul 14, 2026 · 8:57
For generations, Inuit communities lived across the Arctic, travelling with the seasons and relying on the land. But in the mid-20th century, Canadian government policies,…
Jul 13, 2026 · 10:00
In 1967, American lineman JD Thompson was working on overhead power lines in Jacksonville, Florida, when his colleague Randall Champion accidentally grasped a live cable. Seeing…
Jul 10, 2026 · 10:17
In 1916, Zurich was a beacon for refugees. Fleeing the death and destruction of World War I, artists and free-thinkers from all over Europe fled to the neutral Swiss city. And it…
Jul 9, 2026 · 10:27
On 9 July 2011, a new flag was raised in the city of Juba as South Sudan became the world's newest nation. It followed a peace deal that ended a long and bloody civil war in…
Jul 8, 2026 · 10:11
On the afternoon of 10 July 1976, there was an explosion at the ICMESA chemical factory near Seveso, in northern Italy. A cloud containing a poisonous gas called dioxin spread…
Jul 7, 2026 · 10:20
In the 1970s, thousands of immigrant workers living in "foyers" or workers' hostels across France stopped paying rent. They were protesting against rent hikes and living…
Jul 6, 2026 · 10:29
In 1995, the British band Oasis released one of their biggest hits as a single from their number one album: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The song Wonderwall was a departure…
Jul 6, 2026 · 9:48
In 1962, cameras were allowed into the White House for the first televised tour of the American president’s renovated residence. And acting as the guide was one of the country’s…
Jul 3, 2026 · 10:45
Between 1984 and 1986, to celebrate 100 years since it was dedicated, the Statue of Liberty underwent a multi-million-dollar restoration project. The statue was a gift to the USA…
Jul 2, 2026 · 11:02
In 1946, Mexican American Raoul Cortez launched the first US radio service in Spanish. Based in San Antonio, Texas, he used charm and creativity to win over advertisers in a time…
Jul 1, 2026 · 9:46
In 1955, Rosa Parks made civil rights history in the US when she refused to give up her seat on the bus. Segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama, meant that when a bus was full,…
Jun 30, 2026 · 10:43
In September 1997, the remains of a Native American chief were returned to the United States, more than a century after his death in England. Chief Long Wolf, a Lakota leader,…
Jun 29, 2026 · 10:35
On 18 March 1959, Hawaii was brought into the United States of America as the 50th state with the passing of the Hawaiian Admission act. Five months later, on 21 August it was…
Jun 26, 2026 · 10:37
For more than 25 years, Rata de dos patas has been one of Mexico’s most recognisable - and unusual - songs. A relentless string of insults, it was made famous by the singer…
Jun 25, 2026 · 10:39
In July 1916, Britain led an Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front near the Somme river in France. The British army suffered 60,000 casualties on the…
Jun 23, 2026 · 10:41
In 1981, Australia launched a fight against skin cancer with help from a yellow cartoon seagull and a catchy jingle. The Slip Slop Slap campaign was created by an advertising…
Jun 23, 2026 · 10:33
In June 2016, voters in the UK were asked whether they wanted to remain in the European Union or leave. It was a decision that would divide the country and reshape relations with…
Jun 22, 2026 · 10:33
It's 10 years since a Hong Kong bookseller who was detained for selling material critical of China’s leaders, was released and went public. In 2015, Lam Wing-kee and four other…
Jun 19, 2026 · 10:41
In 1975, a mysterious outbreak of illness struck children in the United States, triggering a medical breakthrough. Prof Allen Steere uncovered a bacterial infection which was…
Jun 18, 2026 · 10:41
On 26 February 1974, geologist Dr Jim Bowler discovered a 42,000-year-old skeleton in New South Wales, Australia. The remains were nicknamed Mungo Man, as they were found in Lake…
Jun 17, 2026 · 10:40
In June 1987, hundreds of women walked towards a ceasefire line that had divided Cyprus since 1974. The island was split after a coup backed by Greece and a subsequent Turkish…
Jun 16, 2026 · 10:33
Half a century ago, an event took place that shook the apartheid regime in South Africa to its foundations - the Soweto Uprising. It began with a demonstration by schoolchildren…
Jun 15, 2026 · 10:32
In 1993, separatist forces took Sukhumi, the capital of the former Soviet territory of Abkhazia. As Georgian authorities lost control of the region, more than 200,000 people were…
Jun 12, 2026 · 10:38
In 1970, King Hussein of Jordan survived after gunmen opened fire on his motorcade close to his summer palace. The king remained unharmed, but his driver was wounded. It wasn’t…
Jun 11, 2026 · 10:44
In 1897, Paul Shishkoff was 10 years old and living with his family in rural Russia. It was there he met the great Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov, who was resting after the…
Jun 10, 2026 · 10:48
In the summer of 1937, some of the 20th Century's most famous artists, writers and photographers were holidaying in the south of France. They included artist Pablo Picasso,…
Jun 9, 2026 · 10:30
In 1978, Mstislav Rostropovich, one of the greatest cellists in history, was stripped of his Soviet citizenship for engaging in 'unpatriotic activity'. Rostropovich’s fallout…
Jun 8, 2026 · 10:13
On 13 June 1964, Nelson Mandela, who later became South Africa's president, was taken to the maximum security prison on Robben Island off the coast of South Africa. Mandela had…
Jun 5, 2026 · 10:42
On 10 March 1994, Italian author Andrea Camilleri's The Shape of Water was published. It features Inspector Montalbano in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigàta. The novel is…
Jun 4, 2026 · 9:17
One month before the bloodshed in Beijing, a 10km line of protestors snaked through the city. For over a decade China had been opening up to global trade and there was promise…
Jun 3, 2026 · 10:53
In 1963, a giant Scotsman sculpture appeared outside the Scotty Motel in Adelaide, in South Australia. A banana, a koala, and even a potato soon followed, paving the way for the…
Jun 2, 2026 · 9:12
In 1996, Ireland launched its first television channel broadcasting exclusively in the Irish language. Teilifís na Gaeilge, later renamed TG4, went on air on Halloween night. It…
Jun 1, 2026 · 10:19
In the 1950s, Dutch journalist Willem Sassen recorded hours of interview with the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann about his involvement in the Holocaust, before his capture in…
May 29, 2026 · 10:14
In 1997, Titanic, one of the most successful films in movie history, and one of the most expensive, was made in Mexico. The director James Cameron and his production team built…
May 28, 2026 · 10:22
Just before dawn, on 19 November 1984, an explosion at a gas plant in San Juanico, Mexico killed hundreds of people, injured thousands and destroyed buildings. Virginia Martínez…
May 27, 2026 · 10:08
In October 2014, indigenous women in Mexico won a landmark victory in their struggle for political rights. It came after years of campaigning by Eufrosina Cruz Mendoza, a Zapotec…
May 26, 2026 · 10:36
In July 2000 an historic election in Mexico saw a change of government for the first time in 71 years. Vicente Fox of the National Action Party was elected president, defeating…
May 25, 2026 · 11:08
In 1944, as World War II was drawing to a close, the Mexican love song Besame Mucho crossed the Atlantic and became one of the most recognisable melodies of the post-war era. Its…
May 22, 2026 · 9:54
In 2000, contaminated drinking water in the small Canadian town of Walkerton triggered one of the country’s worst public health disasters. Heavy rainfall washed E. coli bacteria…
May 21, 2026 · 9:53
Montenegro achieving independence from Serbia in 2006 was the final part of the break-up of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Montenegro and Serbia had been…
May 19, 2026 · 10:32
In 1999, a teenager's debut book unintentionally caused a royal scandal in Belgium that wouldn't be resolved for more than 20 years. Each evening after he'd finished his…
May 18, 2026 · 9:48
In 1981, Poland's communist regime imposed martial law and the dissident Solidarity movement was suppressed. In response, Helena Luczywo helped set up an underground newspaper…
May 15, 2026 · 10:40
In 1980, Norway’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest included a traditional Sami joik song from the country’s indigenous community. It was the first time joiking was heard by…
May 14, 2026 · 10:06
In 1997, Sweden changed television history. That year saw the launch of Expedition Robinson, widely regarded as the world’s first reality-based competitive television programme.…
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