Witness History Podcast
History as told by the people who were there.
Episodes to download
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The writer of Mary Poppins
Tue 27 Aug 2024
It's 60 years since the Disney film was released, based on writer PL Travers's book
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Canada’s first UFO landing pad
Mon 26 Aug 2024
In 1967, the town of St. Paul built Canada's first alien UFO landing pad
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Spain's La Tomatina
Fri 23 Aug 2024
In 1945, a spat between teenage boys was the seed for the world's largest tomato fight
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India’s first female bartender
Thu 22 Aug 2024
The story of the woman who became known as India’s first female bartender
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Argentina's five presidents in two weeks
Wed 21 Aug 2024
In 2001, Argentina went through a remarkable political crisis
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The celebrity murder case that divided France
Mon 19 Aug 2024
French actress Marie Trintignant was killed by the rock star Bertrand Cantat in 2003.
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Saving lives after the 2002 Bali bombings
Fri 16 Aug 2024
'Spray-on skin' was used to treat burns victims after bombings on the Indonesian island
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How the CIA caught ‘Carlos the Jackal’
Thu 15 Aug 2024
One of the world’s most wanted men had been on the run for decades.
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Sukarno: The founding father of Indonesian independence
Wed 14 Aug 2024
In 1945, the nationalist leader declared independence for Indonesia
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The last ever Olympic art competition
Tue 13 Aug 2024
From 1912 until 1948, you could win medals in art at the Olympic Games
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Clara Nunes: Queen of Samba
Mon 12 Aug 2024
The Brazilian singer who earned the title Queen of Samba
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The first televised US presidential debate
Fri 9 Aug 2024
In 1956, US presidential candidates sent female representatives to the first debate on TV
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President Richard Nixon resigns
Thu 8 Aug 2024
In 1974, Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign
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Ronald Reagan and the Moral Majority
Wed 7 Aug 2024
In 1979, the Moral Majority was launched and changed the course of US politics
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Bush v Gore: The election decided in the Supreme Court
Tue 6 Aug 2024
The US presidential election of 2000 was one of the most contested in history
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The Situation Room photograph
Mon 5 Aug 2024
The story behind the Situation Room photograph during the raid to kill Bin Laden in 2011
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The 1965 Freedom Riders of Australia
Fri 2 Aug 2024
The students who challenged the discrimination of Australia's indigenous people
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Finding a home for Bulgaria's dancing bears
Wed 31 Jul 2024
In 1998, it became illegal to make bears dance in Bulgaria
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Yazidi genocide: A rescue mission on Mount Sinjar
Tue 30 Jul 2024
How Yazidis in Iraq fled to Mount Sinjar to escape genocide in August 2014
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The man who smuggled punk rock across the Berlin Wall
Mon 29 Jul 2024
How punk rock band Die Toten Hosen secretly played a concert in East Berlin.
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The first cold chain vaccination storage system
Fri 26 Jul 2024
In 1974, Ghana pioneered a new system, to help immunise against serious diseases
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Building the Moscow Metro
Thu 25 Jul 2024
How the Moscow Metro was built using more than 10,000 Russian workers.
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Olympics: Zamzam Farah at London 2012
Wed 24 Jul 2024
Somali sprinter Zamzam Farah at the London 2012 Olympics
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The first Olympic ‘mascot’
Tue 23 Jul 2024
The creation of Shuss for the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France
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The 1924 Paris Olympics
Sun 21 Jul 2024
The last time Paris held the Olympic Games was 100 years ago in 1924
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How Ayia Napa became a clubbing capital
Fri 19 Jul 2024
In the 1990s, Ayia Napa, in Cyprus, went from quiet fishing village to party resort
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The missing people of Cyprus
Thu 18 Jul 2024
Between 1963 and 1974, more than 2,000 people in Cyprus went missing
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Cyprus 2003: Crossing the ceasefire line
Wed 17 Jul 2024
In April 2003, people in Cyprus crossed the ceasefire line for the first time in 29 years