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Kultur & Gesellschaft

Witness History

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

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Folgen von Witness History

2000 Folgen
  • Folge vom 28.01.2026
    Chile's 'Penguin Revolution'
    In 2006, hundreds of thousands of school children in Chile took over their schools and marched in the streets, in a protest about inequality in education. It was known as the "Penguin Revolution" because of their black and white school uniforms.The students were demanding good quality education for all children, regardless of whether they were rich or poor.Grace Livingstone speaks to Karina Delfino, who was a 16-year-old school girl and one of the leaders of the movement.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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.(Photo: Riot police block an avenue in Santiago during clashes with students, 5 June 2006. Credit: David Lillo/AFP via Getty Images)
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      Radio hören mit phonostar Help layer phonostarplayer Um Radio anzuhören, stehen dir bei phonostar zwei Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung: Entweder hörst du mit dem Online-Player direkt in deinem Browser, oder du nutzt den phonostar-Player. Der phonostar-Player ist eine kostenlose Software für PC und Mac, mit der du Radio unabhängig von deinem Browser finden, hören und sogar aufnehmen kannst. ›››› phonostar-Player gratis herunterladen X
  • Folge vom 27.01.2026
    The liberation of Auschwitz
    On 27 January 1945, prisoners at the Nazis’ largest death camp were freed by the Soviet Union’s Red Army.General Vasily Petrenko commanded one of the four units that liberated Auschwitz.The Nazis murdered 1.1 million people at Auschwitz-Birkenau between 1941 and 1945. Almost a million were Jews, 70,000 were Polish prisoners, 21,000 Roma, 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war and an unknown number of gay men.It was one of six death camps the Nazis built in occupied Poland in 1942, and it was by far the biggest.Vicky Farncombe produced this episode using an interview General Vasily Petrenko gave to the BBC’s Russian Service in 2001. He died in 2003. 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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.(Photo: Auschwitz survivors watch the arrival of Soviet troops come to free them. Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
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      Radio hören mit phonostar Help layer phonostarplayer Um Radio anzuhören, stehen dir bei phonostar zwei Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung: Entweder hörst du mit dem Online-Player direkt in deinem Browser, oder du nutzt den phonostar-Player. Der phonostar-Player ist eine kostenlose Software für PC und Mac, mit der du Radio unabhängig von deinem Browser finden, hören und sogar aufnehmen kannst. ›››› phonostar-Player gratis herunterladen X
  • Folge vom 26.01.2026
    John Logie Baird invents television
    On 26 January 1926, John Logie Baird first demonstrated his 'televisor' in public. It was the prototype for television. Many people couldn't believe what they were seeing whilst others thought it was a pointless invention. In 2010, Iain Logie Baird, the inventor's grandson, spoke to Claire Bowes.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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.(Photo: Inventor John Logie Baird. Credit: Topical PressAgency/Getty Images)
    Jetzt anhören
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      Radio hören mit phonostar Help layer phonostarplayer Um Radio anzuhören, stehen dir bei phonostar zwei Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung: Entweder hörst du mit dem Online-Player direkt in deinem Browser, oder du nutzt den phonostar-Player. Der phonostar-Player ist eine kostenlose Software für PC und Mac, mit der du Radio unabhängig von deinem Browser finden, hören und sogar aufnehmen kannst. ›››› phonostar-Player gratis herunterladen X
  • Folge vom 23.01.2026
    Agatha Christie: best-selling novelist of all time
    On 12 January 1976, author Agatha Christie died peacefully, aged 85.She created the detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.By the time of her death, Christie had written more than 80 books. Most of her works were detective novels but she also wrote romances, short stories, poetry and plays.In 2015, Louise Hidalgo spoke to her grandson, Mathew Prichard.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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.(Photo: English detective novelist, Agatha Christie. Credit: Bettman/Getty Images)
    Jetzt anhören
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    • Was ist das?
      Radio hören mit phonostar Help layer phonostarplayer Um Radio anzuhören, stehen dir bei phonostar zwei Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung: Entweder hörst du mit dem Online-Player direkt in deinem Browser, oder du nutzt den phonostar-Player. Der phonostar-Player ist eine kostenlose Software für PC und Mac, mit der du Radio unabhängig von deinem Browser finden, hören und sogar aufnehmen kannst. ›››› phonostar-Player gratis herunterladen X