Witness History
BBC World Service
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
5 snips
May 13, 2026 • 9min
Uncovering a lost burial ground in Rio
Merced Guimarães dos Anjos, an eyewitness and founder of the New Blacks Research and Memory Institute, discovered an enslaved people’s burial ground beneath her 1866 Rio home. She recounts finding bones during renovations. The conversation covers the cemetery’s scale, the human cost of the transatlantic trade, creating a research centre, public remembrance and struggles with authorities and funding.
May 12, 2026 • 11min
The fossil that revealed the first dinosaur feathers
Philip Currie, Canadian palaeontologist known for recognising feathered dinosaurs, recounts the 1996 Chinese fossil that changed thinking. He describes seeing the specimen in Beijing, identifying Sinosauropteryx’s insulating proto-feathers, and the disputes and split-sale that followed. The story traces how those finds helped cement the link between some dinosaurs and birds.
May 11, 2026 • 11min
Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Chief Wilton Littlechild, Cree lawyer, former MP and residential school survivor, reflects on his role helping document abuses and reconciliation. He describes being taken at six, the schools’ aim to erase Indigenous culture, and the trauma survivors shared. The commission’s finding of cultural genocide and the 94 calls to action are discussed.
8 snips
May 8, 2026 • 11min
Sir David Attenborough's first Zoo Quest
Sir David Attenborough, veteran broadcaster and naturalist who pioneered BBC natural history TV, recounts his 1954 Sierra Leone Zoo Quest. He recalls planning the hunt for the elusive white-necked picathartes. He talks about recruiting a cameraman, surprising villagers with a tape recorder, locating nests, and how illness pushed him into the studio and began his on-screen career.
4 snips
May 7, 2026 • 11min
Africa's worst stadium disaster
Herbert Mensah, former Asante Kotoko chairman and survivor who later founded the May 9th Foundation, recounts the Accra stadium disaster. He describes the charged derby, a controversial late goal, and fans throwing seats. He recalls police firing tear gas, the ensuing stampede, desperate rescue efforts, and the long aftermath including inquiries and support for bereaved families.
6 snips
May 6, 2026 • 11min
Finding the world’s most complete T-rex fossil
Peter Larson, founder of the Black Hills Institute and leader of the Sue T. rex excavation, recalls finding and uncovering the world's most complete T. rex. He describes the 17-day dig, the careful preparation of the skeleton, disputes over ownership and the FBI seizure, and the dramatic auction and museum sale. He also reflects on the controversies around commercial fossil collecting.
May 5, 2026 • 9min
Norway's WW2 railway sabotage plot
Gunnar Deinboll Jenssen, nephew of Lieutenant Peter Deinboll who led wartime sabotage in Norway, shares family recollections of resistance actions near Orkanger. He recounts the plan to strike a sulphur supply line, the risky attack on a transformer powering mine trains, a timer failure and a seven-hour escape to Sweden. He also describes local support, exile work in London, and postwar recognition.
7 snips
May 4, 2026 • 10min
Nuns killed in Algeria
Sister Lourdes Migueles, a Spanish Augustinian nun and trained nurse who has served in Algeria for decades, gives first‑hand recollections. She recounts immersing herself in Algerian life, the rising violence of the early 1990s, the October 1994 shootings that killed two fellow nuns, and the pain of being forced to leave before later returning to rebuild community work.
May 1, 2026 • 10min
The origins of World Press Freedom Day
Gwen Lister, a veteran Namibian newspaper editor and press freedom campaigner, chaired the 1991 Windhoek seminar. She recalls tension running a paper under threat and the risks she faced, as well as the drafting and adoption of the Windhoek Declaration. The conversation traces how those five days led to global recognition of press freedom and the creation of World Press Freedom Day.
12 snips
Apr 30, 2026 • 10min
Inside the Cuban thaw
Ben Rhodes, former White House deputy national security advisor who helped negotiate the 2014 US–Cuba opening. He recounts secret talks with Alejandro Castro, the Vatican-mediated meeting that sealed the deal, and the shock of the 2014 announcement. He also reflects on the 2017 rollback and his feelings of betrayal.
