Witness History Podcast
History as told by the people who were there.
Episodes to download
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The first cold chain vaccination storage system
Fri 26 Jul 2024
In 1974, Ghana pioneered a new system, to help immunise against serious diseases
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Building the Moscow Metro
Thu 25 Jul 2024
How the Moscow Metro was built using more than 10,000 Russian workers.
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Olympics: Zamzam Farah at London 2012
Wed 24 Jul 2024
Somali sprinter Zamzam Farah at the London 2012 Olympics
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The first Olympic 鈥榤ascot鈥�
Tue 23 Jul 2024
The creation of Shuss for the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France
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The 1924 Paris Olympics
Sun 21 Jul 2024
The last time Paris held the Olympic Games was 100 years ago in 1924
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How Ayia Napa became a clubbing capital
Fri 19 Jul 2024
In the 1990s, Ayia Napa, in Cyprus, went from quiet fishing village to party resort
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The missing people of Cyprus
Thu 18 Jul 2024
Between 1963 and 1974, more than 2,000 people in Cyprus went missing
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Cyprus 2003: Crossing the ceasefire line
Wed 17 Jul 2024
In April 2003, people in Cyprus crossed the ceasefire line for the first time in 29 years
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Cyprus 1974: The Final Landing
Tue 16 Jul 2024
In July 1974, Captain Adamos Marneros landed the last flight at Nicosia Airport in Cyprus
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Cyprus 1974: The Greek coup
Mon 15 Jul 2024
How a coup in Cyprus led to the division of the island鈥檚 communities
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Arrested for playing football in Brazil
Fri 12 Jul 2024
For nearly 40 years, women in Brazil were banned from playing football
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Italy's 'poison ships'
Thu 11 Jul 2024
In 1988, a ship carrying toxic waste arrived in Manfredonia, Italy
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The 1968 Mexico City massacre
Wed 10 Jul 2024
The massacre in Mexico City in October 1968, 10 days before the Olympics
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The day Celia Cruz returned to Cuba
Tue 9 Jul 2024
Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz's only return to the island in 43 years of exile.
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How the air fryer was invented
Mon 8 Jul 2024
In 2006, Dutch inventor Fred van der Weij cooked up an idea for a new kitchen device
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Conservative wipe-out in Canada
Fri 5 Jul 2024
In Canada's 1993 election, the governing party was routed, ending up with just two seats
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Fight the Power: The song that became an anthem of protest
Thu 4 Jul 2024
In 1989, Public Enemy provided the soundtrack for Spike Lee's movie, Do The Right Thing
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Georgia鈥檚 political crisis
Wed 3 Jul 2024
In 1991, the newly independent country found itself on the verge of a civil war
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Executed in Stalin鈥檚 Great Terror in Georgia
Tue 2 Jul 2024
In the 1930s, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin executed hundreds of thousands without trial
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Subway Art: The graffiti bible
Mon 1 Jul 2024
In 1984, Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper released an iconic photography book
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I designed Hello Kitty
Fri 28 Jun 2024
In 1974, a Japanese artist created a character who is now worth more than $80 billion
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The first CIA-backed coup in Latin America
Thu 27 Jun 2024
President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala was overthrown in a revolt sponsored by the US
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Dignitas: Founding an assisted dying society
Wed 26 Jun 2024
In 1998, Swiss lawyer Ludwig Minelli set up the controversial organisation Dignitas
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Sagrada Familia: Completing Gaudi鈥檚 vision
Tue 25 Jun 2024
How architects carried on building Barcelona's basilica after the death of designer Gaudi
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The expulsion of the Sudeten Germans
Mon 24 Jun 2024
Sudeten Germans were expelled by the Czechoslovak government after World War Two
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Kawarau Bridge: The first bungee jumping site in New Zealand
Fri 21 Jun 2024
In 1988 AJ Hackett brought bungee jumping to paying customers
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The first mega cruise ship
Thu 20 Jun 2024
In 1988, the world鈥檚 largest passenger ship set sail on her maiden voyage from the USA
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The beginning of Benidorm
Wed 19 Jun 2024
How one man grew a sleepy Spanish town into one of the world鈥檚 biggest holiday resorts
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How Canc煤n became a tourist destination
Tue 18 Jun 2024
In 1969, Antonio Enr铆quez Savignac started building Canc煤n
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The first budget transatlantic flights
Mon 17 Jun 2024
In 1955, an Icelandic airline slashed the cost of flying across the Atlantic
