The History Hour

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

World Service,420 episodes

Episodes

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Secret D-Day rehearsal and YouTube begins
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes
26 Apr 2025,51 mins
The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and World Book Day
An hour of historical reporting told by the people who were there
19 Apr 2025,51 mins
Bonus: Defeated
How ordinary people in Germany experienced the end of World War II
14 Apr 2025,49 mins
Nazis and sex strikes
The 1933 Reichstag fire, and Liberia's women in white
12 Apr 2025,50 mins
The wonder woman of the comic world and Namibia's 'ghost town'
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes
05 Apr 2025,51 mins
The phone call that changed Nigeria and a 'one of a kind' portrait of Nelson Mandela
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes
29 Mar 2025,50 mins
The history of space travel
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes
22 Mar 2025,51 mins
The Americans with Disabilities Act and the invention of GPS
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes
15 Mar 2025,51 mins
The invention of the shopping trolley and the Calais 'Jungle'
How the shopping trolley was invented in 1937 and the 2015 European migrant crisis
08 Mar 2025,50 mins
Discovering the haemoglobin structure and the Nellie massacre
One of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century and the Nellie massacre
01 Mar 2025,51 mins
Death of a language and the world’s longest kiss
We hear about the death of an ancient language and a record-breaking kiss
22 Feb 2025,51 mins
Great speeches from around the world
A look at some of the great speeches from the last decade of history
15 Feb 2025,51 mins
Cult films and a 'rockstar' philosopher
How a film flops become cult classics and the philosopher behind deconstruction theory
08 Feb 2025,50 mins
The 'Wolf Children' of World War Two and China's TV lessons
We hear from 'Wolf child' Luise Quietsch and how actress Kathy Flower became a star
01 Feb 2025,51 mins
Back to 1995
We’re hearing stories from 30 years ago
25 Jan 2025,50 mins
World War Two on film and Africa's landmark lifestyle magazine
Dramatizing World War Two history and the start of a landmark magazine for Africa
18 Jan 2025,51 mins
The Charlie Hebdo attack and the art of decluttering
10 years since the massacre in France plus Marie Kondo
11 Jan 2025,51 mins
The Boxing Day tsunami, and Alexa’s creation
Stories from the 2004 tsunami that destroyed parts of south-east Asia, plus making Alexa
04 Jan 2025,51 mins
German traditions and cooking for presidents
The British sitcom that’s loved by Germans, and the chef who’s cooked for five presidents
28 Dec 2024,50 mins
Referendums and cannibalism
Australia's 1999 referendum and a survivor recounts the horrific 1972 Andes plane crash
21 Dec 2024,51 mins
Panama and the 'Purple Heart Battalion'
How the Panama Canal changed the Americas, and the US military's most successful regiment
14 Dec 2024,51 mins
Women making a mark
Inspiring and influential women from around the world in partnership with BBC 100 Women
07 Dec 2024,51 mins
'Mozart of chess’ and the deepest man-made hole in the world
A compilation of Witness History and Sporting Witness episodes.
30 Nov 2024,50 mins
The Siege of Yarmouk and Iran's 'house churches'
The pianist who played on when Damascus was bombed and the Christians who met in secret
23 Nov 2024,50 mins
The ‘Battle of the Surfaces’ and becoming a republic
A half-clay, half-grass tennis court, losing a crown and a mine rescue
16 Nov 2024,50 mins
Female heroes of WW2 and the Iranian Revolution
Female heroes from WW2, the pioneering 'Baby' computer and the Iranian Revolution
09 Nov 2024,51 mins
Magic, illusion and tigers
The Siegfried and Roy show in Las Vegas which ended in a tiger attack and tragedy in 2003
02 Nov 2024,51 mins
Dungeons & Dragons and dinosaur remains
Fifty years of the fantasy tabletop role-play game and a fossil discovery
26 Oct 2024,51 mins
Flower revolutions
The Sunflower Movement in Taiwan in 2014 and the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003
19 Oct 2024,51 mins
Technology and artificial intelligence
The stories behind the first electronic computers, chatbots, QR codes and humanoid robots
12 Oct 2024,50 mins