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Kultur & Gesellschaft

Witness History

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.

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Folgen von Witness History

2000 Folgen
  • Folge vom 23.02.2026
    The storming of Spain's parliament
    In February 1981, armed Civil Guards tried to take control of the Spanish parliament.A total of 350 politicians were held hostage for 18 hours in the debating chamber including Joaquin Almunia, a young Socialist MP.In 2021, he spoke to Claire Bowes.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.(Picture: Colonel Antonio Tejero attempts to take over the Spanish parliament with the Guardia Civil. Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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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
  • Folge vom 20.02.2026
    The playboy spy who inspired James Bond
    During the 1940s, a playboy spy became one of wartime’s most successful double agents, as well as the reported inspiration behind James Bond.A gambler and womanizer who spoke several languages, Dusko Popov was approached by a friend working for the Abwehr, Germany’s military intelligence.But Dusko was vehemently anti-Nazi. He went straight to the British and volunteered his services, adopting the codename 'Agent Tricycle'. Intelligence officers then created realistic - but false - information for Dusko to pass back to his Nazi spymaster.And it was during this time, that Dusko’s path crossed with a British naval intelligence officer called Ian Fleming, later the creator of James Bond.Jane Wilkinson tells the story using BBC archives.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.(Photo: Dusko Popov. Credit: 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 19.02.2026
    'I taught the Dalai Lama'
    In 1944, two Austrian mountaineers fled into the forbidden land of Tibet to escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in India.Heinrich Harrer and his friend Peter Aufschnaiter spent seven years there.Harrer became a tutor to the young Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader.He later wrote a famous account of his visit called Seven Years in Tibet.Simon Watts presented and produced this episode in 2016, using interviews with Harrer from the BBC Archive.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: Portrait of the young Dalai Lama. Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via 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
  • Folge vom 18.02.2026
    The photo which symbolised Argentina’s resistance
    Adriana Lestido, an Argentinian newspaper photographer, captured a mother and her young daughter raising their arms in protest in 1982. With clenched fists and anguished faces, they were wearing white handkerchiefs tied around their heads representing the struggle for justice for the disappeared during Argentina's military dictatorship.The photo became a symbol of the resistance and is still used today. It embodies the spirit of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo who would meet once a week demanding the return of their loved ones. Adriana Lestido speaks to Reena Stanton-Sharma about capturing that iconic black and white picture. 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: Adriana Lestido's Madre y Hija from 1982. Credit: Adriana Lestido)
    Jetzt anhören
    • im Online-Player
    • im phonostar-Player
    • 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