Witness History Podcast
History as told by the people who were there.
Episodes to download
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Drum: Africa鈥檚 revolutionary magazine
Yesterday
The first African lifestyle magazine Drum, was first printed in 1951
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'I wrote Schindler's List'
Thursday
Thomas Keneally stumbled across the story of Oskar Schindler while buying a briefcase
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Thirty years on from the Kobe earthquake
Wednesday
On 17 January 1995, an earthquake devastated the city of Kobe, in Japan
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Confronting Betty Ford鈥檚 addiction
Tuesday
In 1978, former first lady Betty Ford sought help for addiction
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Franklin D Roosevelt鈥檚 New Deal
Monday
In 1933, President Roosevelt enacted the New Deal to drag the US out of depression
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The Bosphorus boat spotter tracking Russian military trucks
Last Friday
In 2015, ship spotter Y枚r眉k I艧谋k saw Russian military trucks on a ship going to Syria
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The mystery of Raoul Wallenberg
Thu 9 Jan 2025
The Swedish diplomat saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War Two
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The invention of the hotel key card
Wed 8 Jan 2025
In the 1970s, Norwegian Tor Sornes invented the hotel key card
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Charlie Hebdo attack
Tue 7 Jan 2025
On 7 January 2015, 12 people were shot dead at a satirical magazine in France
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Creating Alexa
Fri 3 Jan 2025
In 2000, two Polish students started creating a smart speaker which sounded human
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Klaus Fuchs: Oppenheimer鈥檚 atomic spy
Thu 2 Jan 2025
In 1950, Klaus Fuchs admitted passing top secret nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union
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Robert Ripley and the 鈥楤elieve It or Not鈥� empire
New Year's Day 2025
During the Great Depression, cartoonist Robert Ripley made millions from freaky facts
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Indian Ocean tsunami - Aceh
Tue 31 Dec 2024
In 2004, a deadly tsunami swept away entire communities around the Indian Ocean
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Indian Ocean tsunami - Tamil Nadu
Mon 30 Dec 2024
On 26 December 2004, communities around the Indian Ocean were swept away by a tsunami
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Dinner for One: How an English comedy became a German tradition
Fri 27 Dec 2024
The sitcom Dinner for One, recorded in 1963, has become a German New Year's Eve tradition
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'Kimchi war'
Boxing Day 2024
In the 1990s, a diplomatic dispute broke out between Japan and South Korea over kimchi
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Chef to five presidents
Christmas Day 2024
Cristeta Comerford was the first woman and person of colour to the White House's top chef
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'I created MasterChef'
Mon 23 Dec 2024
In 1990, the cookery programme MasterChef launched on 成人快手 TV
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Australian republic referendum
Fri 20 Dec 2024
On 6 November 1999, voters in Australia were asked if they wanted to become a republic
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Poland's bleak Christmas
Thu 19 Dec 2024
In 1981, the communist government of Poland declared martial law to suppress civil unrest
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Ceefax: the start of interactive television
Wed 18 Dec 2024
In 1974, the 成人快手 launched the world's first teletext service
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Surviving Andes plane crash
Tue 17 Dec 2024
In 1972, 16 people survived for two months in the Andes mountains after a plane crash
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Peshawar school massacre
Mon 16 Dec 2024
In 2014, one of Pakistan鈥檚 worst terror attacks took place at Peshawar Army School
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The birth of reggaeton
Fri 13 Dec 2024
In the 1980s, Leonardo Renato Aulder pioneered a movement in Panama with his friends
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The handover of the Panama Canal
Thu 12 Dec 2024
In 1999 the Panama Canal was handed over from US to Panamanian rule
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The Purple Heart Warriors
Wed 11 Dec 2024
In WW2, a Japanese American troop was one of the most decorated army units in US history
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Castro's Cuban revolution attempt
Mon 9 Dec 2024
In 1953, Fidel Castro attempted to revolutionise Cuba by attacking military barracks
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India鈥檚 1998 nuclear tests
Fri 6 Dec 2024
Nalini Malani made an artwork protesting against India's nuclear tests
