BBC Radio Podcasts from Witness History: Archive 2011
Mixed race marriage victory in US
How Mildred and Richard Loving fought to get mixed-race marriages legalised across the US
Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-ins
A simple non-violent action to protest against racial segregation in restaurants and shops
The Freedom Riders
The story of an extraordinary act of courage by the civil rights leader Martin Luther King
Nelson Mandela's Autobiography
Written with the help of other ANC activists, how was the book smuggled out of prison?
ANC Bomb
The ANC party took its first violent action in 1961, a bomb at municipal offices in Durban
Apartheid in the 1950s
The mood across South Africa in the 1950s as the Apartheid laws were being put in place
The Voyage of the Empire Windrush
The story of the coming of the first West Indian migrants to Britain, back in 1948
US troops in Iraq
All US troops have now left Iraq. We take you back to when they first invaded in 2003.
The Creation of Tetris
One of the most popular computer games ever was invented in Moscow in 1984
Enid Blyton and the BBC
The difficult relationship between the BBC and the children's writer, Enid Blyton.
The release of Sakharov
In December 1986 the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov was allowed to return to Moscow.
The sinking of the Scharnhorst
She was one of Germany's greatest battleships during World War II.
The Christmas Truce
On Christmas Eve 1914, during World War I, British and German soldiers stopped fighting.
Billy Graham
How the world's best known evangelist began preaching internationally.
Concert for Bangladesh
In 1971 the first big rock benefit gig was organised by former Beatle, George Harrison.
The British Miners' strike
Christmas 1984 - a time of hardship for the protesters against the closure of coal mines
Spice Girls
Christmas 1996 and the Spice Girls are number one. 'Girl Power' is taking over the world.
Bangladesh wins independence
An inside account of the moment Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Kazakh uprising
In December 1986 Kazakhs began protesting against Moscow's rule.
Manuel Noriega
Twenty years ago the leader of Panama Manuel Noriega, was removed from power by the USA.
The Treaty of Rome
We take you back to the beginnings of the European project.
The Mozote massacre
In December 1981 hundreds of peasants were killed by the army in El Salvador.
Economic crisis in Argentina
It is 10 years since the height of the financial crisis in Argentina.
Pearl Harbour
It is 70 years since Japanese planes attacked the US Navy base in Hawaii.
The Bermuda Triangle
The story of the Bermuda Triangle began when five US Navy planes went missing in 1945.
The Pill
The pill meant reliable, convenient family planning - and sexual freedom
Ryan White
The story of a young haemophiliac who was banned from school after testing HIV positive.
The Winter of Discontent
In 1979 British public sector workers went on strike over pay.
The Battle in Seattle
In November 1999 police battled with anti-globalisation protestors for control of Seattle.
Plane spotters
In November 2001 a group of British tourists were arrested and put on trial in Greece.
Thalidomide
Fifty years ago the drug thalidomide was found to cause serious damage to unborn children
Ned Kelly's Last Stand
How the infamous Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, was finally captured in 1880.
Mobutu Sese Seko of Congo
How Mobutu Sese Seko run a kleptocratic dictatorship in Congo for 32 years.
Georgia's Rose Revolution
In November 2003 a popular uprising unseated the government of Georgia.
President Sadat of Egypt visits Israel
How Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to visit Israel in 1977.
Precious McKenzie - South African Weight-lifter
How he escaped apartheid South Africa and achieved international success
Nikola Tesla
He was one of the great pioneers of electrical power.
Kim Philby the spy
How a Soviet agent managed to fool the British intelligence service for years.
Cathy Come Home
It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness.
Great Lisbon Earthquake
How an earthquake in 1755 flattened Lisbon and led to a revolution in European thought.
Student Uprising in Greece in 1973
Alan Johnston reports on a student uprising against military rule in Greece in 1973.
Oh What A Lovely War
In the 1960s, radio and stage shows helped provoke a change in attitudes to World War I.
San Salvador offensive
In November 1989 the civil war in El Salvador hit the capital city.
The Death of Leonid Brezhnev
The Soviet leader died in November 1982 after years of ill health.
Mission to Mars
The first spacecraft to go to Mars left Earth in November 1964
Duncan Goodhew and the Moscow Olympic boycott
How the 1980 Moscow Olympics created a moral dilemma for British swimmer, Duncan Goodhew.
The death of Robert Maxwell
It is 20 years since the newspaper magnate disappeared off his yacht.
Hungarian uprising of 1956
Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest on 4 November 1956 ending a shortlived popular uprising.
75 years of BBC TV
On 2 November 1936 the first regular TV service in the world was launched by the BBC.
Keith Jarrett in Cologne
How a jazz concert organised by a 17-year old turned into a bestselling album.
Murder of Polish priest
In late October 1984 the body of a Polish priest was found in a town outside Warsaw.
Rumble in the Jungle
In October 1974 one of the greatest boxing matches of all time took place in Zaire.
Indonesian killings
In the autumn of 1965 a purge of communist sympathisers began in Indonesia.
The American POW who chose China
When the Korean War ended, a few US POWs chose to stay and live under communism.
The Joy of Sex
It is almost 40 years since the publication of a groundbreaking book about relationships.
Mau Mau uprising
It is 55 years since the Mau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi was arrested in Kenya.
Aberfan Disaster
It is 45 years since tragedy struck a Welsh mining village.
George Blake Escapes
In October 1966 a Soviet double agent escaped from a British jail.
Canada Kidnap - James Cross
In October 1970 James Cross, a British diplomat, was kidnapped by Quebec separatists.
Erich Honecker stands down
On 18 October 1989, the East German communist leader, was forced from power.
French Algerian Massacre
On 17 October 1961, French police turned against Algerian demonstrators in Paris.
Coca Cola Change 1985
In 1985 the soft drink company changed its age old formula.
First Birth Control Clinic Opened in the US
Margaret Sanger's clinic was open for 10 days giving women advice about contraception
USS Cole
On 12 October 2000, an American destroyer was attacked by al-Qaeda suicide bombers.
Burton and Taylor remarry
In October 1975 the filmstars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor got married - again!
The US Bombing of Afghanistan
It's 10 years since the first airstrikes on Afghanistan.
Assassination of Anwar Sadat
In October 1981 the President of Egypt was shot at a military parade.
The Manhattan Project
The invention of the atomic bomb was known as The Manhattan Project.
The Battle of Cable Street
In October 1936, fascists clashed with Jews, socialists and anarchists in London.
Mexico City Massacre
Just before the 1968 Olympics, the Mexican government cracked down hard on demonstrators.
Russian Rock concert
In September 1991 the first heavy metal rock concert was held at a Moscow airfield.
Babi Yar
On 29 September 1941, the organised massacre of Ukrainian Jews began.
Kidnap of US Ambassador in Brazil
In September 1969 left-wing activists kidnapped Charles Burke Elbrick in Rio de Janeiro.
Frank Zappa
He was one of the most innovative musicians in the USA in the 1960s.
The Cod Wars
Almost 40 years ago Britain and Iceland came to blows over fishing rights.
The Death Of Samuel Doe
He was the President of Liberia and in September 1990 he died a very violent death.
The Cultural Revolution in China
In the mid 1960s young people in China were encouraged to criticise their elders.
Assassination of Orlando Letelier
The Chilean politician was killed by a bomb in Washington DC, 35 years ago.
Arafat at the United Nations
In November 1974 the Palestinian leader was allowed to speak at the UN.
The Death of Dag Hammarskjold
The Secretary General of the UN was killed in a plane crash 50 years ago.
Black Wednesday
On 16 September 1992, Britain lost billions in foreign currency reserves in a single day.
Lehman Brothers
On 15 September 2008, the US investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.
Translator at Nuremberg
The trials of senior Nazis began in the autumn of 1945.
White Australia Policy
In the 1960s non-white immigrants were not welcome in Australia.
The 1980 Turkey coup
On 12 September 1980, the military took control of Turkey.
The Assassination of Ahmed Shah Massood
Two days before 9/11, al-Qaeda killed an Afghan anti-Taliban leader.
An Azerbaijani View of the Demise of the Soviet Union
How the collapse of the Soviet Union played out in the life of a teenager in Azerbaijan.
Great Fire of London
In 1666, a fire destroyed much of the city of London. Two diarists recorded what happened.
Assassination of Hendrik Verwoerd
It is 45 years since the South African Prime Minister was killed in Parliament.
The Women of Greenham Common
How an anti-nuclear march turned into a peace camp based outside a US airbase in the UK
The Scoop of the Century
The scoop of the century on the eve of World War II.
Drop City
The hippy commune in Colorado in the Summer of Love, 1967.
Cameroon's Lake Nyos Disaster
How villagers awoke to find hundreds of friends and neighbours mysteriously dead
Child evacuees from the Spanish Civil War
How thousands of Basque children were evacuated to Britain during the Spanish Civil War.
Woodstock Festival 1969
A pivotal moment in American popular culture - the Woodstock festival of 1969.
South African Student Sit-in Against Apartheid Injustice
White students in apartheid South Africa stage a sit-in protest against racial injustice.
Dr Spock: Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care
Dr Spock's Baby and Child Care, the book that revolutionised child care.
Stealing the Mona Lisa
The theft of the Mona Lisa from the museum of the Louvre in Paris in August 1911
The UN Baghdad bomb
The bomb that destroyed the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003.
The Moscow Coup
The failed attempt to overthrow the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachov in August 1991
The Hungarian Picnic
The picnic that led to the first breaches of the Iron Curtain in 1989
The Great Depression
During the 1930s the people of the US faced widespread economic hardship
The Goons
It is 60 years since The Goon Show first hit the airwaves
The Building of the Berlin Wall
On 13 August 1961, East German soldiers and construction workers began the Berlin Wall
Britain's first nudist beach
In August 1979 the seaside town of Brighton decided to open a nudist beach
Napster
It is 10 years since the closure of the world's first music-sharing website - Napster
Expulsion of the Chagos Islanders
A Chagos Islander talks of Britain's expulsion of his people from their homeland.
Wayne Gretzky
He was a Canadian sporting superstar but in 1988 he was sold to an American team
Exodus of Asians from Uganda
In 1972 the dictator Idi Amin announced that all Asians had 90 days to leave Uganda
The Voyage of the Kon-Tiki
In 1947 a Norwegian adventurer sailed across the Pacific on a wooden raft
Bologna bomb
In August 1980 a huge bomb destroyed much of Bologna railway station in Italy
Peace Activist Samantha Smith
A child dreams of world peace and writes a letter to the leader of the Soviet Union
Libya's Coup - 1969
The coup that brought Colonel Gaddafi to power in Libya.
MTV turns 30
It is 30 years since the launch of the first 24 hour music TV channel
The Shipbuilders' Clydeside "Work-In"
How Scottish workers took over their shipyards and warded off the threat of closure
Picasso
Sixty years ago a young art historian got to know the greatest painter in the world
Christian the Lion
The story of two Australians who berfriended a lion in London, and freed him in Africa
Telstar
Fifty years since the first transatlantic broadcast
The Kitchen Debate
In July 1959, two Cold War leaders argued over whose system was best
Moroccan exodus
In 1961 hundreds of Jewish children were smuggled from Morocco to Israel
Libyan prison massacre
In 1996 over a thousand prisoners were killed at a jail in Tripoli
The Genoa riots of 2001
It is 10 years since protests against a G8 summit turned violent on the streets of Genoa
Rupert Murdoch, the early years
Rupert Murdoch's career in the media began in the Australian town of Adelaide in the 1950s
The death of Tom Simpson
In July 1967 British cyclist Tom Simpson, rode himself to death on the Tour de France
The opening of Disneyland
In July 1955 the first ever Disney theme park was opened in California
The Crusaders capture Jerusalem
The tale of the momentous and bloody capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099
Battle of Britain
A Battle of Britain pilot reflects on being shot down and almost drowning in the sea
The Srebrenica massacre
In July 1995, Bosnian Serb fighters killed thousands of Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica
Boycott of The Sun newspaper
How the people of Liverpool boycotted Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper in the UK
The space shuttle
It is more than 30 years since the launch of the first space shuttle
Bradford riots
It is 10 years since riots engulfed the city of Bradford in the North of England
Piper Alpha
We hear from a survivor from the 1988 Piper Alpha oil rig disaster that killed 167 people
Prince Charles and Princess Diana in the USA
In 1985 the Royal couple made their first joint visit to America
Ron Kovic - Ex US Marine and peace activist
How ex-US Marine Ron Kovic became a peace activist after being paralysed in Vietnam
Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon
In 1975 he became the first African-American man to win the tennis tournament.
Camaron - Flamenco Legend
How a gypsy singer called Camaron de la Isla revolutionised the world of flamenco
Secret war in Yemen
In the 1960s, British mercenaries joined the fighting in Yemen's civil war
Elian Gonzalez
The six-year-old boy caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between Miami and Havana
President Kennedy's Visit to Ireland
President Kennedy's emotional visit to Ireland shortly before his assassination in 1963
Montserrat volcano
In June 1997 the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of Montserrat
Fermat's Last Theorem
Andrew Wiles on solving the problem which had intrigued mathematicians for centuries
Operation Barbarossa
An eyewitness account of the launch of Nazi Germany's attack on the Soviet Union
Australian evacuee
During WWII British children were sent away from the cities to escape German bombs
Rape of Nanjing
How the Japanese army went on the rampage in the Chinese city of Nanjing in 1937
Nureyev defects to the West
On 16 June 1961 the great ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev cut his ties with the Soviet Union
East German Uprising
In June 1953 East German workers went on strike in protest at Soviet rule
Newspaper Editor Rachel Beer
The story of the rise and fall of the first ever female editor of a British newspaper
OJ Simpson car chase
The LAPD detective who spoke to OJ Simpson as he was chased through Los Angeles in 1994
Italian internees
When Italy joined WW2 in June 1940, British-Italian men were rounded up and interned
Attack on the Osirak reactor
It is 30 years since Israeli war planes destroyed a nuclear reactor in Iraq
Imprisonment in Syria
As tensions in Syria worsen, we talk to a man who was jailed for opposing the Assad regime
World's First Environment Conference
The man who first coralled the international community to hold an environment summit
The early days of HIV/Aids
The experience of a Ugandan-born woman diagnosed with HIV in the early days of the virus
Retreat from Dunkirk
One soldier's frank account of his chaotic World War Two retreat from Dunkirk
The Massacre of Baghdad's Jews
The story of the massacre 70 years ago that led to the exodus of Baghdad's Jews
Attack at Lod Airport
It is almost 40 years since an attack at the airport outside Tel Aviv
Assassination of Trujillo
It is 50 years since the assassination of Rafael Trujillo - Dominican Republic dictator
Pakistan nuclear test
It is 13 years since Pakistan first tested a nuclear weapon
Amnesty at 50
It is half a century since the launch of the human rights group Amnesty International
Mariel Boatlift from Cuba
Mass exodus: how 125,000 Cubans left the island from Mariel harbour in 1980
Chanel No. 5
In 1921 the most famous perfume ever, was launched in France
Manchester United 1968
In May 1968 Manchester United Football club won its first European cup
The Irish Contraceptive Train
A group of women challenged a ban on contraception and took a train to get them
Leopold and Loeb
In May 1924 two rich and educated teenage boys killed an acquaintance in Chicago
Crimean Tatars
In May 1944 the Tatar people of Crimea were forced into exile by the Soviet army
The Irish pirate Queen
Over 400 years ago an Irish woman pirate met Queen Elizabeth I
The fall of Berlin
The Red Army took control of the German capital Berlin, in May 1945
Easter Rising in Ireland
Eye-witness accounts of the Irish rebellion against British rule at Easter 1916.
Peter the Wild Boy
Nearly 300 years ago a feral child was brought to the court of King George I in London.
The death of President Tito
President Tito of Yugoslavia was one of the great characters of post-war Europe
Italian Bombing of Libya - 1911
The letters of an Italian pilot reveal how he carried out the first air raid in history
Ulrike Meinhof
In May 1976 the German left-wing extremist Ulrike Meinhof killed herself in prison
Victory in Europe Day
On May 8 1945, Winston Churchill announced the end of the war in Europe.
Four minute mile
In 1954 a record was broken when a young British athlete ran a mile in under four minutes
Festival of Britain
It is 60 years since the opening of the Festival of Britain
Al-Qaeda 1998 Embassy Bombings in Africa
Following Osama Bin Laden's death, we recall al-Qaeda's attacks in Africa in 1998
Fall of Berlin
The experiences of one German woman after Berlin fell to the Red Army in 1945
Ukraine Famine
How famine devastated Ukraine in the 1930s
Dennis Tito - The first space tourist
Ten years ago an American businessman called Dennis Tito became the first space tourist
Rock against Racism 1978
How an anti-racism concert in London in 1978 influenced a generation
The bombing of Guernica
It was one of the worst atrocities of the Spanish Civil War.
The Hitler diaries hoax
In 1983 a German magazine believed it had found Hitler's wartime diary.
Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Witness takes you back to the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Romanian family history
One family's extraordinary story kept hidden for decades by the communist secret police
Gandhi's Salt March protest
How Gandhi's Salt March in 1930 showed the power of peaceful protest in India
Waco siege
How a man from northern England lost his entire family in the siege of Waco in 1993
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Cuban exiles, backed by the US government, tried to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro
Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier
She was a Hollywood superstar - he was Prince of a tiny European state
The Hama massacre 1982
In 1982 people in the Syrian city of Hama rose up against the Assad regime
Windscale - Britain's worst nuclear accident
In 1957 a nuclear reactor in the north of England caught fire
Yuri Gagarin
The first man in space became a hero and a poster boy for Soviet achievement
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player
Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams
The African chief who gave up his throne for love.
The Rwandan genocide
A plane crash on 6 April 1994, set off a wave of killing in Rwanda which lasted 100 days
The death of Kurt Cobain
Thirty years ago, the lead singer of the rock band Nirvana was found dead in his home
The Gotti trial
John Gotti was a mafia boss who had escaped jail for years.
Poll tax riots
The anti-poll tax demonstration of March 1990 brought thousands onto the streets of London
Reagan assassination attempt
The man who helped to save Reagan's life
Bungee jumping
On April Fool's Day 1979 - the first ever bungee jump was attempted.
War in East Pakistan
In 1971, war began between East and West Pakistan - leading to the creation of Bangladesh
Posh and Becks - the wedding
In July 1999 two members of British celebrity royalty tied the knot
The BBC Russian service
For 65 years the BBC World Service has broadcast in Russian, this weekend it stops
Leonardo da Vinci v Michelangelo
Over 500 years ago in Renaissance Italy, a battle was underway between two great painters.
22/03/2016
History as told by the people who were there
Tokaimura nuclear accident
In September 1999 there was a nuclear accident at Tokaimura in Japan
Isherwood in Berlin
The English author Christopher Isherwood lived in Berlin throughout the 1930s.
Ordination of Women Priests
Angela Berners-Wilson on her experiences that day, and her long fight to become a priest
Halabja
In March 1988 Iraqi forces attacked the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons
Three Mile Island
In March 1979, the US suffered its worst nuclear accident
Air strikes on Libya 1986
It is almost 25 years since the US decided to take military action against Libya
Madrid train bombings
On 11 March 2004, bomb attacks in Madrid left 191 people dead
Dunblane school shooting
The lasting emotional impact of a gun attack at a small Scottish school in 1996
Zeebrugge ferry disaster
Survivors recall when a Belgian ferry capsized and killed more than 190 people
Political Activist Rosa Luxemburg
A revolutionary theorist and feminist icon, Lenin called her the Eagle of the Revolution
Ivory Coast civil war
How a brutal civil war broke out in Ivory Coast in 2002.
Witness: Weathermen radicals in the USA
The inside story of how three Weatherman revolutionaries died in New York in March 1970
Rhodesian republic
In 1970, the white minority thought they could rule Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, for ever
The Krakow Ghetto
In March 1941 the Nazi authorities in Krakow moved the city's Jews into a ghetto
Libya 1969 coup
It is over 40 years since Colonel Gaddafi took power in Libya in a military coup
Edward and Mrs Simpson
He was the new British King and she was an American divorcee
Assassination of Malcolm X
How black leader Malcolm X was assassinated in New York in February 1965.
Nicaraguan elections
It is 21 years since the left-wing Sandinista government in Nicaragua lost power
Khrushchev's Secret Speech
How Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev secretly denounced Stalin as a tyrant
People Power in the Philippines
How people power brought down President Marcos of the Philippines in 1986.
Algeria emergency
How Algeria's experiement with democracy ended in civil war and a state of emergency.
The Lindbergh kidnapping
On 1 March 1932, the baby son of one of the most famous men in America went missing
Dolly the Sheep
What was the first cloned mammal like and why did she die young?
The death of Captain Cook
In February 1779 the British seafarer Captain Cook was beaten to death in Hawaii
Fall of Singapore
The British colony of Singapore fell to Japanese forces on this day in 1942
Assassination of Rafik Hariri
On February 14 2005, Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri was assassinated
The death of Pushkin
In February 1837 the great Russian poet - Alexander Pushkin died
A communist in the US
On 9 February 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy began his hunt for communists in the US
The Docklands bomb
On 9 February 1996, a bomb exploded in London bringing an IRA ceasefire to an end
Shot down in Iraq
It is 20 years since international forces united to drive Iraq out of Kuwait
Duvalier flees Haiti
Twenty-five years ago today, the President of Haiti Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country
Sarajevo marketplace massacre
On February 5 1994 there was an attack on a marketplace in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo
Revolution in Iran
The first week of February 1979 saw a revolution unfolding in Iran
Death of Sid Vicious
The last days of punk icon, Sid Vicious, in New York in 1979
The North Sea Flood
On the last day of January 1953 high tides and storms brought a huge flood to Holland.
The siege of Leningrad
Hundreds of thousands of civilians died of starvation during the siege of Leningrad.
Siege of Sidney Street
The bloody battle between British police and a group of revolutionaries in London in 1911
Conflict in Somalia
In January 1991 the government of Siad Barre in Somalia, collapsed
Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff
One of the worst maritime disasters in history - the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff
Funeral of Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill, the British wartime leader, died on 24 January, 1965
Execution of Louis XVI
On 21 January 1793 the French king, Louis XVI was executed in Paris
Ben Ali Comes to Power in Tunisia
The story of how Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali came to power in Tunisia
Palomares nuclear accident
How a B-52 bomber crashed on the Spanish coast while carrying four nuclear weapons.
Crossing Antarctica
In January 1997 Borge Ousland became the first person to cross the Antarctic alone
Kindertransport - Oliver's story
The story of a boy who escaped Nazi Germany on a kindertransport train heading for Britain
Football wages
We take you back to 1961 when the cap on football wages was abolished in England
Wikipedia - 10 years on
It is 10 years since the Wikipedia online encyclopedia was launched
Cryonic freezing
In 1967 a group of enthusiasts first tried to cryonically freeze a human being.
Crossing the Rubicon
When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon river 2,000 years ago he changed history
Bojinka Airline Plot
The Manila-based plot to blow up a dozen airliners over the Pacific Ocean
Clinton impeachment
On January 7 1999 the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton began in the US Senate
Sudan's civil war
In 1983 a civil war broke out in Sudan which would last for more than 20 years.
Afghanistan's Secret Schools for Girls
How Afghan women resisted the Taliban's efforts to prohibit education for girls
LBJ State of Nation
US President Lyndon B Johnson makes his first State of the Nation address.
Alaska statehood
On January 3 1959 Alaska finally became a fully fledged member state of the USA.