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Witness History

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 surprise announcement of restored relations.

You’ll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal’s worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

You’ll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden’s Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles’ George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy’s show to a sudden end.

And if you’re curious about inventions, we’ll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created.

If you’re new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you.

Copyright: © (C) BBC 2024

Latest Episodes:

The independence of Zambia Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

In 1964, Zambia became a republic. It was the ninth African state to leave British colonial rule.

Simon Kapwepwe was one of the leaders in the fight for independence, along with his childhood friend Kenneth Kaunda, who became President in 1964.

Simon’s daughter, Mulenga Kapwepwe, speaks to Laura Jones about her father’s role in naming the country and her memories of that time.

(Photo: Sign welcoming people to Zambia in 1965. Credit: Lambert/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Discovering the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

In 2000, the pioneering underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio made one of the greatest ever submerged discoveries.

He found evidence that the remains he had found off the coast of Egypt were from Thonis-Heracleion, an ancient Egyptian port lost without trace.

Before the foundation of Alexandria, it had flourished at the mouth of the Nile between the 6th to 2nd centuries BC, a city twice the size of Pompeii.

He tells Josephine McDermott about the incredible artefacts he has found including the moment he realised he was at the foot of a five-metre tall statue of a pharaoh.

(Photo: The pharaoh statue discovered off the coast of Egypt. Credit: Christoph Gerigk, Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation)

The Bolivian Water War Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

The Bolivian Water War was a series of protests that took place in the city of Cochabamba in 2000 against the privatisation of water.

People objected to the increase in water rates and idea that the government was “leasing the rain”.

In April 2000, President Hugo Banzer declared a "state of siege" meaning curfews were imposed and protest leaders could be arrested without warrant.

During a violent clash between demonstrators and the military, teenager Victor Hugo was shot dead by an army captain.

Union official Oscar Olivera tells Vicky Farncombe how Hugo’s death motivated the protesters and brought about an end to the privatisation.

(Photo: Demonstrators wave the Bolivian flag as they participate in a strike against water utility rate increases. Credit: Reuters)

Rosalind Franklin: DNA pioneer Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

In 1951, Rosalind Franklin began one of the key scientific investigations of the century. The young British scientist produced an X-ray photograph that helped show the structure of DNA, the molecule that holds the genetic code that underpins all life.

The discovery was integral to the transformation of modern medicine and has been described as one of the greatest scientific achievements ever.

Farhana Haider spoke to Rosalind's younger sister, Jenifer Glynn, in 2017.

(Photo: Dr Rosalind Franklin. Credit: Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images)

Eyjafjallajökull: The volcano that stopped a continent Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

In 2010, a previously little-known Icelandic volcano erupted twice, sending a huge plume of volcanic ash all over Europe.

The ash cloud grounded flights for days, causing disruption for millions of passengers.

Reena Stanton-Sharma talks to Icelandic geophysicist and Eyjafjallajökull-watcher, Sigrun Hreinsdottir. This programme was first broadcast in 2022.

(Photo: The awesome power of Eyjafjallajökull. Credit: Getty Images)

The invention of the EpiPen Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

In the 1970s, engineer Sheldon Kaplan and his colleagues were tasked with creating an auto-injector pen to be used by US soldiers needing a nerve agent antidote.

The Pentagon called it the ComboPen but, in 1987, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the EpiPen, for patients with allergies.

The device is carried by millions of people all over the world as it can quickly and easily deliver a shot of adrenaline to anyone at risk of death from anaphylactic shock.

Sheldon Kaplan died in 2009 and was inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2016.

Sheldon’s son Michael Kaplan and colleague Michael Mesa tell Vicky Farncombe the story behind the pen.

The hippo and the tortoise Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Following the devastating tsunami of 2004, a baby hippo named Owen was rescued from the sea off the coast of Kenya.

He was taken to Haller Park in Mombasa, home of a 130-year-old giant tortoise called Mzee.

Owen and Mzee formed an unusual friendship and their story gained worldwide fame.

Dr Paula Kahumbu tells their story to Gill Kearsley.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Owen and Mzee. Credit: Peter Greste/AFP/Getty Images)

Destruction of Mostar Bridge Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

On 9 November 1993, one of Bosnia's most famous landmarks, the historic bridge in Mostar, was destroyed by Croat guns during the Bosnian war.

Built by the Ottomans in the 16th Century, the bridge was a symbol of Bosnia's multicultural past.

In 2014, Louise Hidalgo spoke to Eldin Palata, who filmed the destruction of the bridge, and Mirsad Behram, a local journalist.

(Photo: A temporary bridge where Mostar's historic bridge previously stood. Credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Liaison via Getty Images)

The Pakistani teens who became disco superstars Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

In the 1980s, a brother and sister from Pakistan topped the charts in countries all over the world with their dancefloor filler, Disco Deewane.

Nazia and Zoheb Hassan were the first teenagers ever to make a hit record in India.

Zoheb tells Vicky Farncombe about their rise to fame.

(Photo: Nazia and Zoheb Hassan. Credit: BBC)

Debbie McGee in Iran Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

In 1978, British showbusiness star, Debbie McGee was a dancer with the Iranian National Ballet Company.

Debbie was living in the capital, Tehran, at the start of the Iranian revolution.

She tells Gill Kearsley the story of how she dealt with the unrest and escaped the country.

Debbie, who went on to marry British magician Paul Daniels, said: "I would never have met my late husband if that hadn't happened... so I've got the ayatollah to thank for that."

(Photo: Debbie McGee in 2018. Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Old Vic Theatre)

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