Witness History podcast artwork
Society & Culture

Witness History

by BBC World Service
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Where it charts

Today’s combined position on our country charts.

United Kingdom · Society & Culture
#134 New on this chart
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Australia · Society & Culture
#152 New on this chart
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Ranking history

Society & Culture, United KingdomSociety & Culture, Australia
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About the show

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.

Latest episodes

  • The mirrors that lit up a dark Norwegian town

    October 7, 2026 · 10 min

    In October 2013, people in the small Norwegian town of Rjukan experienced winter sunshine for the first time in history. This was thanks to the arrival of an unusual invention - giant mirrors high up on one of the mountains that make up…

  • Egypt’s President Sadat is assassinated

    October 6, 2026 · 11 min

    President Anwar Sadat of Egypt was the first Arab leader to make peace with Israel, two years later he was assassinated. The president was killed at a military parade by a group of army officers, in October 1981. His decision to make…

  • The Peruvian pilots who secretly delivered fighter jets during the Falklands War

    October 5, 2026 · 11 min

    In June 1982, 10 Peruvian pilots were tasked with a secret mission: deliver fighter jets to Argentina as it battled the UK over the Falkland Islands. One of those pilots, Rubén Mimbela, tells Stefania Gozzer about the risks they faced and…

  • The first Rubik's Cube world champion

    October 3, 2026 · 11 min

    On 5 June 1982, a teenage refugee from Vietnam became the first Rubik's Cube world champion. Representing the United States, 16-year-old Minh Thai took on contestants from 18 other countries at the championship in Hungary. He made history…

  • Boer War: Siege of Ladysmith

    October 2, 2026 · 11 min

    The Siege of Ladysmith was a key moment in the Boer War, also known as the South African War. In 1899, British troops and civilians were trapped in the besieged South African town for 118 days. Using a BBC archive recording, James…

  • The Dead Sea Scrolls

    October 1, 2026 · 11 min

    In 1947, a missing goat led to the chance discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls. These ancient Jewish manuscripts became one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. British archaeologist Gerald Lankester Harding…

  • The contraceptive pill gets legalised in Japan

    September 30, 2026 · 11 min

    After decades of campaigning in Japan, the pill was finally legalised in 1999. In contrast, the male impotency drug Viagra was approved for use in just six months, and legalised before the contraceptive pill for women. Politician Yoriko…

  • Sulawesi's cave art and the origins of storytelling

    September 29, 2026 · 11 min

    In 2012, the discovery of rock art in caves on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi changed our understanding of early human history. Archaeologist Maxime Aubert tells Leo Dunlop how his team used a new dating technique to reveal that some of…