Witness History

History told by the people who were there. For nine minutes every weekday, Witness History takes you back to moments which have shaped our world.

World Service,3765 episodes

Episodes

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President Richard Nixon goes to China and meets Chairman Mao
US President Richard Nixon meets the leader of communist china Chairman Mao in Beijing.
16 Nov 2009,10 mins
Yasser Arafat's speech at the United Nations
Yasser Arafat’s speech to the United Nations was a landmark for Palestinians.
13 Nov 2009,10 mins
1970 Cyclone
In November 1970 Bangladesh was hit by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times.
12 Nov 2009,10 mins
Remembrance Day
Our history programme Witness remembers the end of the First World War - Armistice Day.
11 Nov 2009,10 mins
Stasi Jail
In today's Witness we hear from a former East German dissident about life under communism.
10 Nov 2009,10 mins
The Building of the Berlin Wall
When the Berlin Wall was built by East Germany, August 1961.
09 Nov 2009,15 mins
Miss World competition leads to deadly riots in Nigeria
How the Miss World competition led to deadly riots in Nigeria.
06 Nov 2009,10 mins
Florence Floods
How a flood in Florence in 1966 put many of Europe's most precious artworks at risk.
05 Nov 2009,10 mins
American citizens taken hostage at the US embassy in Tehran
US citizen Barry Rosen was held hostage for 444 days at the US Embassy in Tehran.
04 Nov 2009,9 mins
The Russian Revolution: Violence in Moscow
In 1917, a young girl watches the Russian Revolution unfold outside her window.
03 Nov 2009,10 mins
Solar Powered Cars
Witness is our new history programme. Today, a race with a difference across the Outback.
30 Oct 2009,10 mins
The Bombing of the Grand Hotel, Brighton
The night that Irish bombers tried to blow up the British Government in 1984.
29 Oct 2009,10 mins
28/10/2009 GMT
It is December 2001 and time to form a new government for Afghanistan post 9-11.
28 Oct 2009,10 mins
27/10/2009 GMT
It is 1967 and the Shah of Iran is finally getting crowned.
27 Oct 2009,10 mins
Spartak Moscow Football Disaster
A crush at a football stadium is covered up by the Soviet state.
26 Oct 2009,10 mins