Witness History Podcast
History as told by the people who were there.
Episodes to download
-
![]()
Jacqueline Du Pre
Mon 20 Aug 2012
Jacqueline Du Pre makes one of the most famous classical recordings of the 20th Century.
-
![]()
The Assassination of Ruth First
Fri 17 Aug 2012
The parcel bomb attack that killed anti-apartheid activist Ruth First in 1982.
-
![]()
Elvis - The Comeback Special
Thu 16 Aug 2012
How a 1968 television special revived the career of the King of Rock and Roll.
-
![]()
The Last Viceroy of India
Wed 15 Aug 2012
The daughter of the last British viceroy in India remembers the transfer of power in 1947.
-
![]()
US Occupation of Japan
Tue 14 Aug 2012
For six years following the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the US.
-
![]()
The Founding of Napster
Mon 13 Aug 2012
Shawn Fanning talks about how he founded the file sharing website Napster.
-
![]()
-
![]()
Abebe Bikila the barefoot runner
Thu 9 Aug 2012
At the 1960 Olympics in Rome an Ethiopian athlete stunned the world.
-
![]()
Twenty-five years of Botox
Wed 8 Aug 2012
It's quarter of a century since the world's most popular cosmetic treatment was discovered
-
![]()
Bering Strait Swimmer
Tue 7 Aug 2012
How an American swimmer crossed the "Ice Curtain" between the USA and the Soviet Union.
-
![]()
Omarska concentration camp
Mon 6 Aug 2012
The story of a survivor of Omarska concentration camp in Bosnia.
-
![]()
The Death of Marilyn Monroe
Fri 3 Aug 2012
It's 50 years since the death of Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood's ultimate sex symbol.
-
![]()
The Kon-Tiki adventure
Thu 2 Aug 2012
The story of Thor Heyerdahl's crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki.
-
![]()
USS Nautilus: Under the North Pole
Wed 1 Aug 2012
The first voyage to the North Pole under the icecap. Ken Carr remembers Nautilus's mission
-
![]()
The Battle of Passchendaele
Tue 31 Jul 2012
It was one of the defining battles of the First World War
-
![]()
Megan's law
Mon 30 Jul 2012
Eighteen years ago a little girl was raped and murdered - her killing changed US law.
-
![]()
The Farewell dossier
Thu 26 Jul 2012
How a mole in the KGB sent secrets to France and the USA in 1981.
-
![]()
-
![]()
The first IVF baby
Tue 24 Jul 2012
In July 1978 the first baby to be conceived in a laboratory was born in England.
-
![]()
Roosevelt in the Amazon
Mon 23 Jul 2012
How the American president Theodore Roosevelt nearly died in the Amazon in 1914.
-
![]()
The arrest of Jack Mapanje
Fri 20 Jul 2012
It is 25 years since the poet was imprisoned without trial in Malawi.
-
![]()
CIA mind control experiments
Thu 19 Jul 2012
Beginning in the 1950s the CIA made attempts to brainwash psychiatric patients.
-
![]()
Miguel Angel Blanco
Wed 18 Jul 2012
How the killing of a young Basque councillor sparked huge anti-ETA protests in Spain.
-
![]()
The Murder of Versace
Tue 17 Jul 2012
In July 1997 the Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace, was shot dead.
-
![]()
New York Blackout
Mon 16 Jul 2012
It is 35 years since the streets of the Big Apple were plunged into darkness.
-
![]()
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Fri 13 Jul 2012
How working with Paul Simon made South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo global stars.
-
![]()
Bush House in wartime
Thu 12 Jul 2012
The 大象传媒 World Service is leaving Bush House in central London after 70 years there.
-
![]()
Irving T Bush - Builder of Bush House
Wed 11 Jul 2012
The story of the American businessman who built the home of the 大象传媒 World Service.
-
![]()
Angola Mercenaries
Tue 10 Jul 2012
In July 1976 four foreign mercenaries were executed for their part in Angola's civil war.
-
![]()
