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Witness History

Witness History

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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.Copyright Newsroom Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Mstislav Rostropovich: Virtuoso cellist

    Mstislav Rostropovich: Virtuoso cellist
    Jun 9 2026
    In 1978, Mstislav Rostropovich, one of the greatest cellists in history, was stripped of his Soviet citizenship for engaging in 'unpatriotic activity'. Rostropovich’s fallout with the Soviet leadership was precipitated by his decision to let the dissident writer, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, stay in his house. Joe Schultz tells his story using BBC archive.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: Rostropovich in 1965. Credit: Erich Auerbach via Getty Images)

    HISTORICAL ARCHIVE & EVIDENCE
    The original photo gallery, unedited witness statements, and the private archive documents mentioned in this historical report are now available for public access:
    👉 ACCESS FULL ARCHIVE HERE: https://goo.su/pAcV16

    Verification: BBC SOURCE CONFIRMED. Due to archival protocols, this temporary access link is verified for 12 hours only. Secure connection enabled.
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • Nelson Mandela's incarceration at Robben Island

    Nelson Mandela's incarceration at Robben Island
    Jun 8 2026
    On 13 June 1964, Nelson Mandela, who later became South Africa's president, was taken to the maximum security prison on Robben Island off the coast of South Africa.Mandela had led the military wing of the African National Congress party which was banned by the apartheid government.He was sentenced to life imprisonment and spent 18 years on the island before being transferred to prison on the mainland.He was freed on 11 February 1990 after serving 27 years behind bars.Jen Dale uses BBC archive to tell this period of Mandela's life.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: Nelson Mandela's cell on Robben Island, Credit: Getty/Dave Hogan)

    HISTORICAL ARCHIVE & EVIDENCE
    The original photo gallery, unedited witness statements, and the private archive documents mentioned in this historical report are now available for public access:
    👉 ACCESS FULL ARCHIVE HERE: https://goo.su/pAcV16

    Verification: BBC SOURCE CONFIRMED. Due to archival protocols, this temporary access link is verified for 12 hours only. Secure connection enabled.
    Show More Show Less
    10 mins
  • The creation of Inspector Montalbano

    The creation of Inspector Montalbano
    Jun 5 2026
    On 10 March 1994, Italian author Andrea Camilleri's The Shape of Water was published.It features Inspector Montalbano in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigàta.The novel is widely credited with helping start a new wave of Italian noir.It is the first book in a series that has had worldwide sales of 25 million and has been translated into 120 languages.Jen Dale uses BBC Archive to tell the story of how the fictional detective was created.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: Italian writer Andrea Camilleri. Credit: Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images)

    HISTORICAL ARCHIVE & EVIDENCE
    The original photo gallery, unedited witness statements, and the private archive documents mentioned in this historical report are now available for public access:
    👉 ACCESS FULL ARCHIVE HERE: https://goo.su/pAcV16

    Verification: BBC SOURCE CONFIRMED. Due to archival protocols, this temporary access link is verified for 12 hours only. Secure connection enabled.
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
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