Witness History: Archive 2014

Latest Episodes:

The Outbreak of World War One Jul 28, 2014

Show notes

World War One began in the summer of 1914. Using archive recordings of eyewitnesses from Germany, France, Britain and Belgium, we tell the story of the start of a war which would devastate a generation.

(Photo: Crowds celebrate in Berlin, following the declaration of war, 4 August 1914. Credit: General Photographic Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Purple Rain Jul 25, 2014

Show notes

It's 30 years since the release of the film Purple Rain, starring pop music phenomenon Prince. It would go on to win an Oscar for Best Original Song Score. Witness speaks to Robert Rivkin, known as Bobby Z, the drummer in Prince's backing band The Revolution.

Photo: Prince. Credit: Getty Images

The First Palestinian Intifada Jul 24, 2014

Show notes

In 1987, the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israeli military rule began in Gaza. Palestinian-born Maher Nasser had gone to work for the United Nations in Gaza shortly before the intifada began; and he tells Witness what life was like there before and during the unrest.

(Photo: a Palestinian demonstrator throws a rock during violent protests against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in December 1987. Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)

The Last Days of British Rule in India Jul 23, 2014

Show notes

In the summer of 1947 India declared independence after hundreds of years of British rule. English-born Anne Wright had moved there when she was a child. She speaks to Witness about life in the last days of British India.

Photo: Anne Wright (left) with her sister, at home in India.

The Killing of Miguel Angel Blanco Jul 22, 2014

Show notes

In 1997 a young Spanish politician was kidnapped and murdered by the Basque separatist group ETA. His death led to one of the biggest demonstrations ever seen in Spain. Witness speaks to Gustavo de Aristegui, an interior ministry official who later became a friend of the family.

(Photo: Miguel Angel Blanco's sister, Maria del Mar, in front of a mural of her brother. Credit: Getty Images)

Attack on Argentina's Jews Jul 21, 2014

Show notes

In 1994, 85 people were killed when a car bomb exploded outside a Jewish community centre in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. No-one has ever been convicted for the bombing. We hear from two people whose lives were changed that day.

Photo: A man walks over the rubble left after a bomb exploded at the Argentinian Israeli Mutual Association. Credit: Ali Burafi/AFP/Getty Images)

The Plot to Kill Hitler Jul 18, 2014

Show notes

German army officer, Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg attempted to kill Adolf Hitler by planting a briefcase bomb in a meeting at Hitler's headquarters on 20 July, 1944.

The attack was supposed to be the trigger for a coup against the Nazi regime. We hear from von Stuaffenberg's son, General Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg.

Photo: Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (AFP/Getty images)

Turkey Invades Cyprus Jul 17, 2014

Show notes

On July 20th 1974 Turkish troops invaded Cyprus. Within a few weeks they controlled almost half of the island. Thousands of Cypriots, both Greek and Turkish, were displaced by the fighting. Hear from two Cypriots who were young women at the time of the invasion.

(Photo: Turkish troops on the beach on 20 July 1974. Credit: AP)

The Fall of General Somoza Jul 16, 2014

Show notes

In July 1979 left-wing Sandinista rebels toppled the last member of the Somoza dynasty that had ruled Nicaragua for more than 50 years. Witness speaks to Daisy Zamora, one of the Sandinista revolutionaries who seized power.

(Photo: Sandinista rebel fighters. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

The Chappaquiddick Incident Jul 15, 2014

Show notes

In July 1969, United States Senator Edward Kennedy was involved in a car accident on Chappaquiddick Island in which a young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne died. Around 10 hours elapsed before the politician reported the incident to police. Jim Arena was the police chief whose job it was to investigate the accident.

(Photo: US Senator Edward Kennedy. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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