Witness History Podcast
History as told by the people who were there.
Episodes to download
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The Taliban take Kabul
Tue 2 Oct 2012
It is 16 years since the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital.
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German refugees in post-war Europe
Mon 1 Oct 2012
At the end of WW2, many ethnic Germans in Central Europe were forced to leave their homes.
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Sharon at the al-Aqsa compound
Fri 28 Sep 2012
In September 2000 the Israeli opposition leader visited the Al-Aqsa compound.
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IRA jail break
Thu 27 Sep 2012
In September 1983 a group of IRA prisoners escaped from jail in Northern Ireland.
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Ireland's Magdalene Laundries
Wed 26 Sep 2012
The story of a young girl who survived Ireland's notorious Catholic workhouses for women.
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West Side Story
Tue 25 Sep 2012
It is 55 years since a groundbreaking musical, West Side Story, opened on Broadway.
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The Hobbit
Fri 21 Sep 2012
How an Oxford academic came up with a story that charmed children for generations.
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Blasphemy in Pakistan
Thu 20 Sep 2012
In 1998 a Roman Catholic Bishop killed himself in protest at Pakistan's blasphemy laws.
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Mules and the Mujahideen
Wed 19 Sep 2012
Twenty-five years ago, a shipment of mules was sent from the USA to Afghanistan.
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Ethiopia's Korean War Hero
Tue 18 Sep 2012
The Ethiopian soldier who became a hero in the Korean War
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The shooting of Tupac Shakur
Fri 14 Sep 2012
How the American hip hop star Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting.
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Dingo Baby Trial
Thu 13 Sep 2012
It is 30 years since an Australian woman was accused of murdering her daughter.
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The Death of Steve Biko
Wed 12 Sep 2012
The authorities said he'd starved himself to death, but he died from head injuries
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Phoolan Devi - Bandit Queen
Tue 11 Sep 2012
It is 30 years since a teenage Indian woman spread fear in the North East of the country.
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Mo Farah
Mon 10 Sep 2012
How a London school sports teacher changed the life of the Somali-born Olympic champion.
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The "Last Indian"
Fri 7 Sep 2012
How a Yahi Indian called Ishi emerged from the Northern Californian wilderness in 1911.
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Attack on Springboks in New Zealand
Thu 6 Sep 2012
In 1981 anti-apartheid protestors used a plane to attack South African rugby players.
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Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty: 15 years in a foreign Embassy
Wed 5 Sep 2012
In 1956 a Hungarian Cardinal sought refuge in the US Embassy in Budapest.
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The Riot in Chicago in 1968
Tue 4 Sep 2012
The riot that overshadowed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968
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Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mr Universe
Mon 3 Sep 2012
Arnold Schwarzenegger and bodybuilding in the 1960s.
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The Death of Princess Diana
Fri 31 Aug 2012
The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, killed in a car crash on 31 August 1997.
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East Timor Referendum
Thu 30 Aug 2012
How East Timor's vote for independence in 1999 sparked violence by pro-Indonesia militias.
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Soviet Protest Pioneers
Wed 29 Aug 2012
How seven Soviet intellectuals held a pioneering protest in Moscow in 1968.
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Bobby Fischer
Tue 28 Aug 2012
In 1972, chess makes headlines as volatile American Bobby Fischer becomes world champion.
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The Great Train Robbery
Mon 27 Aug 2012
In August 1963, thieves stole over 拢2 million from a London bound Royal Mail train.
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Hurricane Andrew
Thu 23 Aug 2012
How broadcasting throughout a devastating storm made a Miami weatherman into a local hero.
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Windies Make England Grovel
Wed 22 Aug 2012
The year the England cricket captain said he was going to make the West Indies "grovel".
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Assassination of Leon Trotsky
Tue 21 Aug 2012
The assassination of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotksy in Mexico City in 1940.
