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Witness [world Service] 
Witness [world Service]
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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| Afghan Coup Part One | 20091228 | It's exactly thirty years since Soviet forces overthrew the Afghan government. Thirty years ago Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the govermnent in Kabul. In the first of two programmes marking those events Lucy Williamson hears from a young eyewitness to events. | |
| Afghan Coup Part Two | 20091229 | It's exactly thirty years since Soviet soldiers invaded Afghanistan - part two. In the second of two programmes marking thirty years since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Lucy Williamson brings together two people who lived through those events. One from each side of the conflict. | |
| Saddam Execution | 20091230 | What was it like growing up in the shadow of Saddam Hussein? On the 30th of December 2006 the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was executed for crimes against humanity. But what was it like growing up in his shadow? Lucy Williamson investigates. | |
| The Millenium Bug | 20091231 | Ten years ago on New Year's Eve computer experts were preparing themselves for disaster. On New Year's Eve 1999, although most of the world was partying, there were worries that the beginning of the year 2000 could lead to all sorts of computer problems. They called it the Millenium Bug. | |
| Ghana Coup | 20100101 | How a New Year's coup in Ghana led to changes for the country's journalists. We take you back almost thirty years to a New Year's Eve coup in Ghana - and journalists in the capital have to be on their guard. | |
| Airlift To America | 20100104 | In the late 1950s a plan to educate young Africans leaders is born. A scholarship programme for young Africans which started in the late 1950s eventually led to the first african-american President of the United States. Claire Bowes looks into the African Airlift Foundation. | |
| Ethiopian Jews | 20100105 | How one Ethiopian jew made the trip to Israel and the culture shock that awaited him. How a young man left his home and family in rural Ethiopia and made the dangerous journey to modern-day Israel as part of a secret operation to rescue his people. | |
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| Witness | 20100122 | Queen Victoria died exactly 109 years ago today - we hear from her shocked subjects. In 1901 Queen Victoria ruled over an empire encompassing nearly a quarter of the globe. She was the most famous woman alive so why did her death - at the age of 81 - come as such a shock? We hear from some of the people who were there. | |
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| Idi Amin | 20100125 | In 1971 the notorious Ugandan dictator Idi Amin took power. It was a day of great joy. Overthrowing a government in Uganda is not an easy job. We hear from a soldier who helped bring Idi Amin to power in 1971. It was a day of great joy, armoured vehicles were decorated with flowers and girls threw themselves at him! But three years later with rumours of human rights abuses growing he's persuaded to help overthrow him. But when that goes wrong he ends up face to face with the dictator. | |
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| Somalia 1991 | 20100126 | What was it like living in Mogadishu at the height of Somalia's civil war? Somalia has been in a state of civil war for almost 20 years now. We talk to one man who headed back to Mogadishu when the fighting was fierce - not to join the battle, but to help the sick and injured. | |
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| Hitler's Book | 20100127 | The story of a young American soldier and the book he found in Hitler's house. When US troops made it to Hitler's mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden at the end of World War Two, many of them looked for souvenirs to take home with them. One soldier found a large book, full of pictures which he carried around for the rest of the war. He's only just found out what it is. | |
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| Palestine Post | 20100201 | The bombing of a Jewish newspaper in Jerusalem over 60 years ago. The Palestine Post was the precursor to today's Jerusalem Post - and back in 1948, just before the birth of Israel - it was a target for bombers. A former journalist remembers. | |
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| Miracle On Ice | 20100222 | When the US hockey team met their Russian rivals at the 1980 Olympics, tensions were high. When the USA and the Soviet Union met in an ice-hockey match during the 1980 Winter Olympics - political tensions were high. Witness hears from two of the players who took part. | |
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| Playboy Club | 20100301 | Fifty years ago the first Playboy Club opened in Chicago - with bunnies. When Hugh Hefner opened his first Playboy Club in Chicago fifty years ago he decided to dress all the bargirls and waitresses in bunny costumes. They were known as Bunnygirls - in today's programme we hear from a former Bunnygirl, and Hugh Hefner himself. | |
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| Tower Bridge Jet | 20100405 | Why one man flew his fighter jet through Tower Bridge in London. It was on April 5th 1968 that a young pilot in Britain's Royal Air Force decided to protest against the UK government. He chose to do it by flying through central London in a jet fighter. | |
| Rwanda Genocide | 20100406 | On April 6th 1994 the genocide in Rwanda began. Journalist Lindsey Hilsum lived through it The killing that began in Rwanda on April 6th 1994, was to last for 100 days. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed by their fellow citizens. Journalist Lindsey Hilsum was there. | |
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| Beirut Bombing | 20100419 | The US Embassy in Beirut was attacked by a suicide bomber in April 1983. In April 1983 a suicide bomb attack against the US Embassy in Beirut changed relations between America and the Islamic world forever. Ryan Crocker tells Witness about the bombing - and its aftermath. | |
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| Hitler's Death | 20100430 | It's exactly 65 years since Adolf Hitler killed himself in a bunker in Berlin. The German leader Adolf Hitler killed himself on April 30th 1945. Berlin was surrounded by Soviet troops and World War Two was nearing its end. Witness brings you firsthand accounts of his death. | |
| U2 Spy Plane | 20100503 | An american U2 spy-plane was shot down over the Soviet Union during the Cold War. When an american U2 spy-plane was shot down over Soviet territory in 1960, its pilot, Gary Powers, was lucky to escape alive. Witness tells the story of his survival, and his subsequent trial and imprisonment in Moscow. | |
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| Cultural Revolution | 20100517 | In May 1966 China felt the first stirrings of the Cultural Revolution. Over forty years ago, the Cultural Revolution swept over Communist China. Lucy Williamson talks to a former schoolgirl who joined the Red Guard. | |
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| Watergate | 20100531 | US President Richard Nixon was brought down by the Watergate inquiry. Senator Howard Baker was a Republican supporter of US President Richard Nixon. But in the 1970s he served on the Watergate committee which eventually led to the president's resignation. He talks to Witness. | |
| Palestinian Story | 20100601 | 20100607 | In 1948 the creation of Israel led to many Palestinians becoming refugees. The creation of the state of Israel in 1948, led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. We hear one man's story from that time. |
| Jeopardy | 20100602 | is a popular American quiz show. Ken Jennings is the man who kept on winning it. Ken Jennings is the man who won the popular US quiz show Jeopardy more times than anyone else. He tells Witness how it felt during his winning streak. Jeopardy is a popular American quiz show. | |
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| Peron Returns | 20100621 | In 1973 Juan Peron returned to Argentina from exile. But his homecoming turned to chaos. When former President Juan Peron returned to Argentina from exile in 1973 he was greeted by a crowd of millions at the airport. But chaos soon broke out. | |
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| African Embassy Bombings | 20100809 | The simultaneous bomb attacks on two United States embassies in Africa in 1998. A Kenyan man blinded during a bomb attack on the US embassy in Nairobi tells Witness how he's come to terms with his injuries. Other survivors describe that day. | |
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| The Kursk Disaster | 20100812 | It's exactly 10 years since the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sank in the Barents sea. When the submarine Kursk went missing on a training exercise - teams of experts from around the world offered to help. One of them tells Witness how it feels to be stuck at the bottom of the sea. | |
| Partition - Part 1 | 20100813 | When India gained independence it was split into 2 new countries, India and Pakistan. The Partition of India led to millions of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs having to flee their homes during terrible religious violence. This is the first of two editions of Witness remembering that time. | |
| India's Partition - Part Two | 20100816 | When India gained independence it was split into two new countries - India and Pakistan The Partition of India led to millions of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs fleeing their homes during terrible religious violence. This is the second of two programmes remembering that time. Listen to the story of Chandra Joashi, who was only twelve years old when his family was caught on the wrong side of the dividing line. | |
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| The Baltic Chain Protest | 20100823 | How millions of people in the Baltic states held hands to protest against Soviet rule. One of the key moments in the protests in Eastern Europe in 1989 came when millions of people in the Baltic states formed a human chain by holding hands across their three countries. It was a key point in what became known as the Singing Revolution. Witness talks to one of the organisers of a protest which defied the might of the Soviet Union. | |
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| Hurricane Katrina | 20100830 | A New Orleans deacon describes how his community survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It's five years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of America. Witness speaks to Harold Toussaint, a deacon from New Orleans who refused to evacuate so he could help his community survive in the rising flood waters. | |
| Libya Coup | 20100831 | In 1969, a group of Libyan army officers take power in an overnight coup. Before dawn on 1 September 1969, a group of army officers seized control of Libya from the reigning monarch. Among them was a young soldier called Muammar Qadhafi. Witness hears from two Libyans who experienced those heady and confusing events. | |
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| Lord Mountbatten | 20100906 | , pillar of the British establishment, was killed by the IRA in 1979. On September 5th 1979, world leaders and European royalty gathered in London for the funeral of Lord Mountbatten. He'd been killed in a bomb attack by Irish republicans. His grandson Timothy Knatchbull tells Witness about the day he lost, not just his grandfather, but his identical twin brother Lord Mountbatten, pillar of the British establishment, was killed by the IRA in 1979. | |
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| Wolfenden Report On Homosexuality | 20100909 | In 1957, a government committee shocked Britain by calling for homosexuality to be legal. In the 1950s, the British government clamped down on what it considered a plague of homosexuality. Hundreds of men were arrested and sent to jail. For Witness, one gay man recalls those times and his reaction to the first report calling for homosexuality to be made legal. | |
| Chile Coup | 20100910 | The playwright, Ariel Dorfman, recalls the coup in Chile in September 1973. The playwright, Ariel Dorfman, is renowned internationally for works such as Death and the Maiden, which examines how societies can become complicit with torture. Much of his work is inspired by the coup in Chile on 11 September 1973. Ariel Dorfman was then an advisor to President Salvador Allende, who died that day, as did many of his colleagues. By a twist of fate, the young playwright survived. Ever since, he has been reflecting on the coup and the military repression that followed. story of our times told by the people who were there. | |
| Star Trek | 20100913 | How the sci-fi classic Star Trek was born. Herb Solow was head of the TV studio which made the first series of Star Trek. He tells Witness how it became a success despite the early bad reviews. | |
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| Bokassa's Downfall | 20100920 | In 1979 the Emperor of the Central African Republic, Jean Bedel Bokassa, was overthrown. It was on September 20th 1979 that French forces drove the Central African dictator, Jean Bedel Bokassa from power. Witness remembers his rule, and his downfall. (Photo: Bokassa at his coronation. Getty Images). | |
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| Iran-iraq War | 20100922 | On September 22nd 1980 Saddam Hussein sent Iraqi troops into Iran. The Iran-Iraq War lasted for eight years and was to become one of the bloodiest wars in recent history. Pooneh Ghoddoosi was just a child when it started - a teenager when it ended. | |
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| Last Days Of Nasser | 20101001 | A chauffeur recalls the dramatic final days of President Nasser of Egypt. President Nasser of Egypt electrified the Arab world with his charisma and his dream of Arab nationalism uniting the Middle East. His death in 1970 was a traumatic moment for millions of Egyptians. Witness speaks to a former Egyptian chauffeur who observed Nasser's final days first-hand. | |
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| Che Guevara | 20101008 | On the 9th of October 1967 Che Guevara was killed by armed forces in the Bolivian jungle. After Che Guevara was executed in the Bolivian jungle, his body was put on display as proof of his death. Journalist Richard Gott, who saw it, says that's when his legend really began to take off. | |
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| Land Speed Record | 20101015 | October 15th 1997 a British team set a land speed record which still hasn't been beaten. Andy Green was the driver who travelled faster than the speed of sound - in a car - to set the world land speed record. He tells Witness how it happened. | |
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| Death Of The Dodo | 20101029 | Why did the Dodo become extinct? First discovered on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius in the late 16th Century - the Dodo was extinct within a few decades. But what led to its demise? Using contemporary accounts from sailors and naturalists, Witness investigates. | |
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| Burma Elections | 20101105 | It's twenty years since Burma last held a general election. We hear from someone who was there about the atmosphere, the excitement and the risks of living through that time. What was it like to vote in Burma's last general election in 1990? | |
| Rabin Assassination | 20101105 | It is exactly 15 years since the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. On November 4th 1995 the Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen sang at a peace rally in Tel Aviv alongside Israel's leader Yitzhak Rabin. Moments later the Prime Minister was shot. Aviv Geffen talks to Witness about that night, and its effect on his life. | |
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| Princess Diana And Panorama | 20101119 | It is 15 years since Princess Diana spoke openly about the breakdown of her marriage. The week that Prince William chose to announce his engagement coincides with the anniversary of an interview that the late Princess Diana gave to the BBC TV programme Panorama. | |
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| Freddie Mercury | 20101126 | The last days of Freddie Mercury battle with Aids. Freddie Mercury's personal assistant remembers the last days of the musician's battle with Aids. | |
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| Kindertransports | 20101203 | In December 1938 the Kindertransports began, carrying Jewish children to safety in Britain The first trains full of Jewish children left Berlin in early December - heading for sanctuary in Britain. The Kindertransports only stopped with the outbreak of war in September 1939. They helped thousands of children from all over Nazi occupied Europe to escape the Holocaust. | |
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| Washington Snipers | 20101217 | It is 7 years since one of the Washington snipers, Lee Boyd Malvo, was convicted of murder It is seven years since one of the Washington snipers, Lee Boyd Malvo, was convicted of murder. He and John Allen Muhammad had terrorised the US capital for three weeks in autumn 2002, killing at random. Witness hears from one man who lost his brother during their rampage. | |
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| Georgia In Crisis | 20101222 | Christmas 1991 was a very difficult time for the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Christmas 1991 was a difficult time for the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Economic and political difficulties crippled the government. Armed men roamed the streets of the capital Tblisi, looting and fighting. | |
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| Christmas Truce | 20101224 | World War One, Christmas Eve, 1914 and soldiers from both sides are laying down their arms For several days over Christmas in 1914 the fighting stopped on the battlefields of the First World War. British and German soldiers left their trenches to sing carols, exchange gifts and even play football. Using archive recordings from the BBC and testimony from the Imperial War Museum, Witness takes you back to that Christmas Truce. | |
| Jamaica Slave Rebellion | 20101227 | The story of a major revolt by slaves that was brutally crushed in 19th century Jamaica. The emergence of Samuel Sharpe as a Jamaican national hero as he led the island's slaves in a rebellion against the overseers and sugar plantation owners in 1831. | |
| The Great Escape | 20101228 | The last surviving member of a mass breakout from a German prisoner of war camp speaks. The film, The Great Escape, has become a favourite in the UK. It is about a mass breakout from a German prison camp during World War 2. Ken Rees is the last surviving member of the escape effort. | |
| Assad And Syria | 20101229 | It is 40 years since Hafez al Assad seized power in Syria. Hafez al Assad was the Syrian Defence Minister in the winter of 1970 when his struggle for power came to a head. His former friend, the hardline Baathist, Salah Jadid, was jailed for life. | |
| Hamlet | 20101230 | - by William Shakespeare - is still popular four centuries after it was written. The play Hamlet can tell us a great deal about the time in which it was written. At the turn of the 16th century England was faced with many of the problems which plague its hero. Hamlet - by William Shakespeare - is still popular four centuries after it was written. | |
| Chiapas Uprising | 20101231 | On January 1 1994 indigenous people in southern Mexico began their rebellion. People in the Chiapas region, led by the charismatic, ski-mask wearing, sub-commandante Marcos, rose up against the Mexican state. They called themselves, Zapatistas. | |
| Alaska Statehood | 20110103 | On January 3 1959 Alaska finally became a fully fledged member state of the USA. We hear from Dennis Egan, whose father was to become the first governor of the newly formed state. He remembers the hope, pride and emotion of that historic day. | |
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| The North Sea Flood | 20110131 | On the last day of January 1953 high tides and storms brought a huge flood to Holland. When a winter storm combined with high tides to breach sea defences in the Netherlands, over 1800 people drowned. A survivor remembers the once in a lifetime flood. | |
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| Duvalier Flees Haiti | 20110207 |   25 years ago today, the President of Haiti, Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country.After weeks of popular unrest, the dictator known as Baby Doc Duvalier, finally left Haiti on February 7, 1986. But Haitians did not find the peace and prosperity they had hoped for after the fall of the Duvalier dynasty. | |
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| Assassination Of Rafik Hariri | 20110214 |  On February 14 2005, Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri was assassinatedThe former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, was driving through central Beirut when a remote-controlled bomb was detonated under his armour-plated car. 22 other people were killed in the attack. | |
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| Algeria Emergency | 20110221 |  How Algeria's experiement with democracy ended in civil war and a state of emergency.Rioting in Algeria in October 1988 killed around 500 people and started a period of political turmoil. A short-lived experiment in democracy ended in a violent civil war between Islamists and the Algerian army. A state of emergency remains in force until today. Witness speaks to a foreign journalist and an Algerian student who both experienced a turning point in the country's history. | |
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| Assassination Of Malcolm X | 20110228 |  In February 1965, the controversial black leader, Malcolm X, was assassinated in Harlem, New York.Witness speaks to a supporter of Malcolm X who saw the killing. How black leader Malcolm X was assassinated in New York in February 1965. | |
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| Ivory Coast Civil War | 20110307 |  How a brutal civil war broke out in Ivory Coast in 2002.In 2002, a brutal civil war broke out in Ivory Coast. It turned the once prosperous city of Abidjan into a place where African migrants and westerners all feared for their lives. Paul Welsh covered the Civil War for the BBC. He recalls the atmosphere in Abidjan and how journalists themselves were targetted. | |
| Rosa Luxemburg | 20110308 |  , the revolutionary theorist and feminist icon, was born 140 years agoTo mark a century of International Women's Day we bring you a portrait of the revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg. Feminist icon, writer and theorist - Lenin called her the Eagle of the Revolution. Rosa Luxemburg, the revolutionary theorist and feminist icon, was born 140 years ago. | |
| Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster | 20110309 |  Survivors recall when a Belgian ferry capsized and killed more than 190 peopleWe hear what it was like to be trapped in the Herald of Free Enterprise car ferry when it sank off the Belgian port of Zeebrugge in 1987 - killing more than 190 people. | |
| Dunblane School Shooting | 20110310 |  The lasting emotional impact of a gun attack at a small Scottish school in 1996In 1996, a heavily-armed gunman killed sixteen children at a primary school in the small Scottish town of Dunblane. The attack caused shock not just in Britain, but around the world. Witness speaks to the father of one of the victims. The loss of his daughter made him a campaigner for gun control. | |
| Madrid Train Bombings | 20110311 |  On March 11th 2004, bomb attacks in Madrid left 191 people dead.Bombs planted on Spanish commuter trains and detonated at the height of the morning rush hour caused chaos. One rescue worker remembers that day. Photo: One of the wrecked trains outside Atocha station (AP). | |
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| Bangladesh Independence | 20110403 |  It is 40 years since the beginning of the battle for independence in Bangladesh.When Meghna Guhathakurta was 14 years old her father was killed during a crackdown by the Pakistani military. During what they called 'Operation Searchlight' they targeted intellectuals sympathetic to the cause of Bengali nationalism. Meghna and her parents. | |
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| The Gotti Trial | 20110405 | John Gotti was a mafia boss who had escaped jail for years. John Gotti was a mafia boss who had escaped prison for years. In April 1992 he was finally convicted on several counts of murder - and was jailed for life. One of the prosecutors, Patrick Cotter, tells his story. Photo of John Gotti: AP. | |
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| 10/04/2011 | 20110408 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| The Gotti Trial | 20110409 | John Gotti was a mafia boss who had escaped jail for years. | |
| The Gotti Trial | 20110410 |  John Gotti was a mafia boss who had escaped jail for years. | |
| 10/04/2011 | 20110411 |  | |
| Jackie Robinson | 20110411 | was the first black Major League Baseball player. Jackie Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player. He broke the colour bar in professional baseball in the USA. He suffered discrimination and abuse along the way. Photo: AP. | |
| The Brixton Riots | 20110411 |  In April 1981 the streets of South London erupted in violence.The fighting was mainly between young members of the black community and the Metropolitan police. A former rioter and a former policeman tell their very different stories. This programme was first broadcast last year. Photo: Press Association. | |
| 11/04/2011 | 20110412 |  | |
| Jackie Robinson | 20110412 |  was the first black Major League Baseball player. | |
| 12/04/2011 | 20110413 |  | |
| 13/04/2011 | 20110414 |  | |
| 14/04/2011 | 20110415 |  | |
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| 15/04/2011 | 20110416 |  | |
| Jackie Robinson | 20110416 | was the first black Major League Baseball player. He broke the colour bar in professional baseball in the USA. He suffered discrimination and abuse along the way. Photo: AP. | |
| Grace Kelly And Prince Ranier | 20110417 | She was a Hollywood superstar - he was Prince of a tiny European state. Their wedding turned into a media frenzy. One of her bridesmaids remembers that day. (Photo credit: Associated Press). | |
| Jackie Robinson | 20110417 | was the first black Major League Baseball player. He broke the colour bar in professional baseball in the USA. He suffered discrimination and abuse along the way. (Photo credit: AP). | |
| The Hama Massacre 1982 | 20110417 | 20110418 | In 1982 people in the Syrian city of Hama rose up against the Assad regime. We hear from two men who as children, lived through the government crackdown that followed. (Photo credit: Hama skyline). |
| Windscale - Britain's Worst Nuclear Accident | 20110417 | In 1957 a nuclear reactor in the north of England caught fire When things started to go wrong at the Windscale nuclear plant, workers rushed in to help. Witness hears from two men who helped bring things under control during Britain's worst nuclear accident. | |
| Yuri Gagarin | 20110417 | It is 50 years since Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. The young cosmonaut became a hero around the world and a poster boy for Soviet technological achievement. (Photo credit: Getty Images). | |
| 14/04/2011 | 20110418 | | |
| Bay Of Pigs Invasion | 20110418 | In April 1961 Cuban exiles, backed by the US government, tried to overthrow Castro. In April 1961 Cuban exiles, backed by the US government, tried to overthrow Fidel Castro. 50 years ago boatloads of counter-revolutionaries stormed the beaches of a bay in Cuba. They soon ran out of ammunition, and without backup their mission failed. We hear from one of those exiles. | |
| Bay Of Pigs Invasion | 20110419 | In April 1961 Cuban exiles, backed by the US government, tried to overthrow Castro. | |
| 19/04/2011 | 20110420 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| 20/04/2011 | 20110421 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| 21/04/2011 | 20110422 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
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| Bay Of Pigs Invasion | 20110423 | In April 1961 Cuban exiles, backed by the US government, tried to overthrow Castro. | |
| 19/04/2011 | 20110424 | ||
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| Bay Of Pigs Invasion | 20110424 | In April 1961 Cuban exiles, backed by the US government, tried to overthrow Castro. | |
| 21/04/2011 | 20110425 | ||
| Romanian Family History | 20110425 | It is 21 years since a Romanian woman was finally able to uncover her family history - kept hidden for decades by the communist secret police. Nick Thorpe reports for Witness. One family's extraordinary story kept hidden for decades by the communist secret police. | |
| The Hitler Diaries Hoax | 20110425 | In 1983 a German magazine believed it had found Hitler's wartime diary. It sold the rights to other papers including the Times in London. Journalist Phillip Knightley doubted their authenticity from the start. | |
| The Hitler Diaries Hoax | 20110426 | In 1983 a German magazine believed it had found Hitler's wartime diary. | |
| 26/04/2011 | 20110427 | ||
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| The Hitler Diaries Hoax | 20110430 | In 1983 a German magazine believed it had found Hitler's wartime diary. | |
| 26/04/2011 | 20110501 | ||
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| The Hitler Diaries Hoax | 20110501 | In 1983 a German magazine believed it had found Hitler's wartime diary. | |
| 28/04/2011 | 20110502 | ||
| Dennis Tito - The First Space Tourist | 20110502 | Ten years ago an American businessman called Dennis Tito became the first space tourist. He was 60 years old when he paid millions of dollars to be blasted into space alongside two Russian astronauts. He has been talking to Witness. | |
| Fall Of Berlin | 20110502 | The experiences of one German woman after Berlin fell to the Red Army in 1945. In 1945, the Red Army occupied part of Berlin as the Second World War came to an end. Witness speaks to one German woman about life in the city under the Soviet troops. | |
| Fall Of Berlin | 20110503 | The experiences of one German woman after Berlin fell to the Red Army in 1945. | |
| 03/05/2011 | 20110504 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| 04/05/2011 | 20110505 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| 05/05/2011 | 20110506 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
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| Fall Of Berlin | 20110507 | The experiences of one German woman after Berlin fell to the Red Army in 1945. | |
| 03/05/2011 | 20110508 | ||
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| Fall Of Berlin | 20110508 | The experiences of one German woman after Berlin fell to the Red Army in 1945. | |
| 05/05/2011 | 20110509 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| 09/05/2011 | 20110510 | 20110511 | |
| Ulrike Meinhof | 20110510 | In May 1976 the German left-wing extremist Ulrike Meinhof killed herself in prison She and Andreas Baader had led a terror campaign against the West German state in the early 1970s. Journalist Stefan Aust knew her well, he talks to Witness. Photo: Press Association. | |
| 11/05/2011 | 20110512 | ||
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| Ulrike Meinhof | 20110514 | In May 1976 the German left-wing extremist Ulrike Meinhof killed herself in prison. | |
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| Ulrike Meinhof | 20110515 | In May 1976 the German left-wing extremist Ulrike Meinhof killed herself in prison. | |
| 12/05/2011 | 20110516 | ||
| 16/05/2011 | 20110517 | ||
| The Fall Of Berlin | 20110517 | The Red Army took control of the German capital Berlin, in May 1945. The Soviet soldiers had a terrifying reputation and civilians in their path feared looting and violence. One German woman who survived that time tells her story. Photo: Associated Press This programme was scheduled for broadcast on May 2nd but postponed due to the death of Osama bin Laden. | |
| 17/05/2011 | 20110518 | ||
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| 19/05/2011 | 20110520 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
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| The Fall Of Berlin | 20110521 | The Red Army took control of the German capital Berlin, in May 1945. | |
| 17/05/2011 | 20110522 | ||
| 18/05/2011 | 20110522 | ||
| 19/05/2011 | 20110522 | ||
| 20/05/2011 | 20110522 | ||
| The Fall Of Berlin | 20110522 | The Red Army took control of the German capital Berlin, in May 1945. | |
| 19/05/2011 | 20110523 | ||
| 23/05/2011 | 20110524 | ||
| Manchester United 1968 | 20110524 | In May 1968 Manchester United Football club won its first European cup. In May 1968 Manchester United Football club won its first European cup at Wembley. A supporter and a player talk about the match, and the emotions. Listen to David Sadler, and life-long fan Brian Hughes. | |
| 24/05/2011 | 20110525 | ||
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| 26/05/2011 | 20110527 | ||
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| Manchester United 1968 | 20110528 | In May 1968 Manchester United Football club won its first European cup. | |
| 27/05/2011 | 20110529 | ||
| Amnesty At 50 | 20110529 | It is half a century since the launch of the human rights group Amnesty International. Over the years it has highlighted thousands of cases where people have been imprisoned without trial. Maria was a teenager in jail in Uruguay when she was helped by one of its early letter-writing campaigns. (Photo: Maria today). | |
| Chanel No. 5 | 20110529 | In 1921 the most famous perfume ever, was launched in France. It was created for Coco Chanel - the fashion designer and good-time girl - who wanted something modern and fresh to suit the times. (Photo: A young Coco Chanel, credit Getty images). | |
| Manchester United 1968 | 20110529 | In May 1968 Manchester United Football club won its first European cup In May 1968 Manchester United Football club won its first European cup at Wembley. A supporter and a player talk about the match, and the emotions. Listen to David Sadler, and life-long fan Brian Hughes. Photo: David Sadler in action. Getty images. | |
| Mariel Boatlift From Cuba | 20110529 | How 125,000 Cubans left the island by boat in 1980 In 1980, more than 100,000 Cubans left the island in a boatlift from Mariel harbour. Witness speaks to the writer, Mirta Ojito, about how she fled from communism with her family. Photo: Mirta (left) with her father and sister. | |
| Pakistan Nuclear Test | 20110529 | It is 13 years since Pakistan first tested a nuclear weapon. Dr Samar Mubarakmand was a senior figure at the country's Atomic Energy Commission. He was given the job of organising the test. He talks to Witness. | |
| Amnesty At 50 | 20110530 | It is half a century since the launch of the human rights group Amnesty International. | |
| Assassination Of Trujillo | 20110530 | It is 50 years since the assassination of Rafael Trujillo - Dominican Republic dictator. Witness hears from 3 people who remember that day. Photo: Antonio Imbert, one of men who shot Trujillo. | |
| Assassination Of Trujillo | 20110531 | It is 50 years since the assassination of Rafael Trujillo - Dominican Republic dictator. | |
| Attack At Lod Airport | 20110531 | It is almost 40 years since an attack at the airport outside Tel Aviv It is almost 40 years since an attack at the airport outside Tel Aviv - more than 20 people were killed. This programme contains some graphic descriptions of violence - listeners may find it distressing. Photo: Ros Sloboda, a survivor of that day, tells her story. | |
| Attack At Lod Airport | 20110601 | It is almost 40 years since an attack at the airport outside Tel Aviv. | |
| 01/06/2011 | 20110602 | ||
| 02/06/2011 | 20110603 | ||
| 03/06/2011 | 20110604 | ||
| Assassination Of Trujillo | 20110604 | It is 50 years since the assassination of Rafael Trujillo - Dominican Republic dictator. Witness hears from three people who remember that day. Photo: Antonio Imbert, one of men who shot Trujillo. | |
| Attack At Lod Airport | 20110604 | It is almost 40 years since an attack at the airport outside Tel Aviv - more than 20 people were killed. This programme contains some graphic descriptions of violence - listeners may find it distressing. Photo: Ros Sloboda, a survivor of that day, tells her story. It is almost 40 years since an attack at the airport outside Tel Aviv. | |
| The Early Days Of Hiv/aids | 20110604 | The experience of a Ugandan-born woman diagnosed with HIV in the early days of the virus It's 30 years since the HIV virus was first identified by medical experts. In the early days, carriers of the virus were stigmatised and treatment was in its infancy. Alan Johnston talks to Ugandan-born Winnie Ssanyu Sseruma about her experiences of having HIV back in the 1980s. | |
| 01/06/2011 | 20110605 | ||
| 03/06/2011 | 20110605 | ||
| Assassination Of Trujillo | 20110605 | It is 50 years since the assassination of Rafael Trujillo - Dominican Republic dictator. Witness hears from three people who remember that day. Photo: Antonio Imbert, one of men who shot Trujillo. | |
| Attack At Lod Airport | 20110605 | It is almost 40 years since an attack at the airport outside Tel Aviv - more than 20 people were killed. This programme contains some graphic descriptions of violence - listeners may find it distressing. Photo: Ros Sloboda, a survivor of that day, tells her story. It is almost 40 years since an attack at the airport outside Tel Aviv. | |
| The Early Days Of Hiv/aids | 20110605 | It's 30 years since the HIV virus was first identified by medical experts. In the early days, carriers of the virus were stigmatised and treatment was in its infancy. Alan Johnston talks to Ugandan-born Winnie Ssanyu Sseruma about her experiences of having HIV back in the 1980s. The experience of a Ugandan-born woman diagnosed with HIV in the early days of the virus. | |
| The Massacre Of Baghdad's Jews | 20110605 | The story of the massacre 70 years ago that led to the exodus of Baghdad's Jews Eye witness accounts of the killing of hundreds of Jews in the streets of the Iraqi capital, Bagdhad. Witness hears how the massacre in 1941 led to the uprooting of this ancient community. | |
| 02/06/2011 | 20110606 | ||
| Retreat From Dunkirk | 20110606 | A British soldier tells us of one extraordinary day on the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II. We hear of how he managed to work his way through the chaos and constant danger, and escape to England. One soldier's frank account of his chaotic World War Two retreat from Dunkirk. | |
| World's First Environment Conference | 20110606 | The man who first coralled the international community to hold an environment summit The first international conference on the problems of the environment took place in 1972. Hear the story of the man, Maurice Strong, who made this important gathering possible. Photo: Maurice Strong (right) shakes hands with Brazilian Indian Chief Kanhok Caiapo. AFP/Getty. | |
| 06/06/2011 | 20110607 | ||
| World's First Environment Conference | 20110607 | The man who first coralled the international community to hold an environment summit. | |
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| 09/06/2011 | 20110610 | ||
| 07/06/2011 | 20110611 | ||
| 10/06/2011 | 20110611 | ||
| World's First Environment Conference | 20110611 | The man who first coralled the international community to hold an environment summit. | |
| 07/06/2011 | 20110612 | ||
| 08/06/2011 | 20110612 | ||
| 10/06/2011 | 20110612 | ||
| World's First Environment Conference | 20110612 | The man who first coralled the international community to hold an environment summit. | |
| 09/06/2011 | 20110613 | ||
| 13/06/2011 | 20110614 | ||
| Oj Simpson Car Chase | 20110614 | The LAPD detective who spoke to OJ Simpson as he was chased through Los Angeles in 1994 In June 1994, America watched in disbelief as the police chased the retired sports star OJ Simpson, along the freeways of Los Angeles. LAPD detective Tom Lange contacted OJ Simpson by cell phone and tried to calm him down. | |
| Rachel Beer - First Lady Of Fleet Street | 20110614 | The story of the rise and fall of the first ever woman editor of a British newspaper An account of the remarkable life of Rachel Beer, who challenged the prejudices of Victorian England and reached the top in journalism, only to be engulfed by disaster and lose everything. | |
| 14/06/2011 | 20110615 | ||
| Rachel Beer - First Lady Of Fleet Street | 20110615 | The story of the rise and fall of the first ever woman editor of a British newspaper. | |
| 15/06/2011 | 20110616 | ||
| 16/06/2011 | 20110617 | ||
| 17/06/2011 | 20110618 | ||
| Oj Simpson Car Chase | 20110618 | The LAPD detective who spoke to OJ Simpson as he was chased through Los Angeles in 1994. | |
| Rachel Beer - First Lady Of Fleet Street | 20110618 | The story of the rise and fall of the first ever woman editor of a British newspaper. | |
| 15/06/2011 | 20110619 | ||
| 17/06/2011 | 20110619 | ||
| Oj Simpson Car Chase | 20110619 | The LAPD detective who spoke to OJ Simpson as he was chased through Los Angeles in 1994. | |
| Rachel Beer - First Lady Of Fleet Street | 20110619 | The story of the rise and fall of the first ever woman editor of a British newspaper. | |
| 16/06/2011 | 20110620 | ||
| 20/06/2011 | 20110621 | ||
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| Australian Evacuee | 20110625 | During WW2 British children were sent away from the cities to escape German bombs. Most went to the countryside but some went as far away as Australia. Helen Cuthbert (right) and her sister were sent to live with their aunt there. | |
| 24/06/2011 | 20110626 | ||
| Australian Evacuee | 20110626 | During WWII British children were sent away from the cities to escape German bombs During World War II, many British children were sent away from the cities to escape German bombs. Most went to the countryside but some went as far away as Australia. Helen Cuthbert (right) and her sister were sent to live with their aunt there. During WW2 British children were sent away from the cities to escape German bombs. | |
| Montserrat Volcano | 20110626 | Fourteen years ago the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. Much of the south of the island was covered with ash and 19 people died. Hear Rose Willock, broadcaster and 'voice of Montserrat' as she remembers the 25 of June 1997. (Photo: BBC) In June 1997 the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. | |
| Operation Barbarossa | 20110626 | An eyewitness account of the launch of Nazi Germany's attack on the Soviet Union A frontline Soviet officer tells of what he saw the night that Hitler ordered Operation Barbarossa - Germany's invasion of the USSR. | |
| The Voyage Of The Empire Windrush | 20110626 | An account of the historic voyage of the Empire Windrush. The ship that brought the first 500 immigrants from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom more than six decades ago. The story of the coming of the first West Indian migrants to Britain, back in 1948. | |
| Fermat's Last Theorem | 20110627 | Solving the problem had intrigued mathematicians for centuries. In June 1993 a British academic, Andrew Wiles, thought he'd cracked it. But then someone pointed out a flaw in his calculations. It took him another year to correct it. Solving the problem which had intrigued mathematicians for centuries. | |
| President Kennedy's Visit To Ireland | 20110627 | President Kennedy's emotional visit to Ireland shortly before his assassination in 1963. The Irish author, Colm Toibin remembers President Kennedy returning to the land of his forefathers -- and being taken to the nation's heart as if he were one of its own. | |
| President Kennedy's Visit To Ireland | 20110628 | President Kennedy's emotional visit to Ireland shortly before his assassination in 1963. | |
| 28/06/2011 | 20110629 | ||
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| 30/06/2011 | 20110701 | ||
| 01/07/2011 | 20110702 | ||
| 28/06/2011 | 20110702 | ||
| President Kennedy's Visit To Ireland | 20110702 | President Kennedy's emotional visit to Ireland shortly before his assassination in 1963. | |
| 01/07/2011 | 20110703 | ||
| 29/06/2011 | 20110703 | ||
| President Kennedy's Visit To Ireland | 20110703 | President Kennedy's emotional visit to Ireland shortly before his assassination in 1963. | |
| 30/06/2011 | 20110704 | ||
| Camaron - Flamenco Legend | 20110704 | Flamenco singing was dwindling in popularity in Spain until the appearance of Camaron de la Isla. Thousands lined the streets at his funeral in Andalucia in 1992. Witness speaks to a guitarist called Marcos - one of Camaron's biggest fans and the author of a recent biography. Photo: Getty Images How a gypsy singer called Camaron de la Isla revolutionised the world of flamenco. | |
| Ron Kovic -- Ex Us Marine And Peace Activist | 20110704 | How ex-US Marine Ron Kovic became a peace activist after being paralysed in Vietnam. Ron Kovic tells of how he was shot and paralysed during a battle in Vietnam, and then went on to become a leading voice in the American anti-war movement. | |
| 04/07/2011 | 20110705 | ||
| Ron Kovic -- Ex Us Marine And Peace Activist | 20110705 | How ex-US Marine Ron Kovic became a peace activist after being paralysed in Vietnam. | |
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| Ron Kovic -- Ex Us Marine And Peace Activist | 20110709 | How ex-US Marine Ron Kovic became a peace activist after being paralysed in Vietnam. | |
| 05/07/2011 | 20110710 | ||
| 06/07/2011 | 20110710 | ||
| 08/07/2011 | 20110710 | ||
| Ron Kovic -- Ex Us Marine And Peace Activist | 20110710 | How ex-US Marine Ron Kovic became a peace activist after being paralysed in Vietnam. | |
| 07/07/2011 | 20110711 | ||
| Boycott Of "the Sun" Newspaper | 20110711 | How the people of Liverpool boycotted Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper. In 1989, the people of Liverpool began boycotting Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper over its reporting of the Hillsborough football disaster. The Sun later apologised, but sales in the city have never recovered. Witness speaks to a Liverpudlian involved in the boycott, and to a local radio journalist who remembers the city's anger. PHOTO: Press Association. | |
| Bradford Riots | 20110711 | It is 10 years since riots engulfed the city of Bradford in the North of England. There were running battles between police and young British Pakistanis. Mohammed Amran was on the streets throughout. Photo: Press Association. | |
| 11/07/2011 | 20110712 | ||
| Boycott Of "the Sun" Newspaper | 20110712 | How the people of Liverpool boycotted Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper. | |
| 12/07/2011 | 20110713 | ||
| 13/07/2011 | 20110714 | ||
| 14/07/2011 | 20110715 | ||
| The Crusaders Capture Jerusalem | 20110715 | The tale of the momentous and bloody capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099 A graphic account of one of the major events in the history of the Middle East. The conquest of Jerusalem by the Crusaders more than 900 years ago. | |
| The Opening Of Disneyland | 20110715 | In July 1955 the first ever Disney theme park was opened in California The opening day wasn't entirely successful. We hear from two people who were there. One a Disney employee, the other, a seven year old boy. | |
| 12/07/2011 | 20110716 | ||
| 15/07/2011 | 20110716 | ||
| Boycott Of "the Sun" Newspaper | 20110716 | How the people of Liverpool boycotted Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper. | |
| The Opening Of Disneyland | 20110716 | In July 1955 the first ever Disney theme park was opened in California. | |
| 12/07/2011 | 20110717 | ||
| 13/07/2011 | 20110717 | ||
| 15/07/2011 | 20110717 | ||
| Boycott Of "the Sun" Newspaper | 20110717 | How the people of Liverpool boycotted Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper. | |
| 14/07/2011 | 20110718 | ||
| The Crusaders Capture Jerusalem | 20110718 | A graphic account of one of the major events in the history of the Middle East. The conquest of Jerusalem by the Crusaders more than 900 years ago. The tale of the momentous and bloody capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099. | |
| The Death Of Tom Simpson | 20110718 | In July 1967 the British cyclist rode himself to death on the Tour de France. His teammate talks to Witness about Tom and the Tour. This programme was first broadcast last year. | |
| 18/07/2011 | 20110719 | ||
| The Death Of Tom Simpson | 20110719 | In July 1967 the British cyclist rode himself to death on the Tour de France. | |
| 19/07/2011 | 20110720 | ||
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| The Death Of Tom Simpson | 20110723 | In July 1967 the British cyclist rode himself to death on the Tour de France. | |
| 19/07/2011 | 20110724 | ||
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| 22/07/2011 | 20110724 | ||
| The Death Of Tom Simpson | 20110724 | In July 1967 the British cyclist rode himself to death on the Tour de France. | |
| 21/07/2011 | 20110725 | ||
| Libyan Prison Massacre | 20110725 | In 1996 over a thousand prisoners were killed at Abu Salim jail in Tripoli. Many people see the killings as the spark that eventually led to the uprising against Colonel Gaddafi's government. When protestors first went on the streets of Benghazi in February this year it was to demonstrate against the arrest of a lawyer who was investigating the killings. Photo: AP In 1996 over a thousand prisoners were killed at a jail in Tripoli. | |
| The Kitchen Debate | 20110725 | In July 1959 two Cold War leaders argued over whose system was best But who won the argument when Nikita Khrushchev and Richard Nixon went head to head in public? And why were they talking about kitchen appliances? Photo: AP. | |
| 25/07/2011 | 20110726 | ||
| The Kitchen Debate | 20110726 | In July 1959 two Cold War leaders argued over whose system was best. | |
| 26/07/2011 | 20110727 | ||
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| 29/07/2011 | 20110731 | ||
| The Kitchen Debate | 20110731 | In July 1959 two Cold War leaders argued over whose system was best. | |
| 28/07/2011 | 20110801 | It is 30 years since the launch of the first 24-hour music TV channel. It was to revolutionise the way that music was consumed and promoted - and the way that people watched television. Witness hears from one of the founders of MTV. | |
| Mtv Turns 30 | 20110801 | It is 30 years since the launch of the first 24 hour music TV channel It was to revolutionise the way that music was consumed and promoted - and the way that people watched television. Witness hears from one of the founders of MTV. | |
| Picasso | 20110801 | Sixty years ago a young art historian got to know the greatest painter in the world. John Richardson met Picasso in the South of France in 1951. Photo: AFP/Getty. | |
| 01/08/2011 | 20110802 | ||
| Mtv | 20110802 | It is 30 years since the launch of the first 24-hour music TV channel. | |
| Mtv Turns 30 | 20110802 | It is 30 years since the launch of the first 24 hour music TV channel. | |
| Samantha Smith | 20110802 | The story of a child who dreamed of world peace. She wrote a letter to the leader of the Soviet Union and found herself invited to summer camp on the Black Sea. This programme was first broadcast last year. Photo: Getty images. | |
| Samantha Smith | 20110803 | The story of a child who dreamed of world peace. | |
| 03/08/2011 | 20110804 | ||
| 04/08/2011 | 20110805 | ||
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| 05/08/2011 | 20110807 | ||
| Mtv | 20110807 | It is 30 years since the launch of the first 24-hour music TV channel. | |
| 04/08/2011 | 20110808 | ||
| Britain's First Nudist Beach | 20110808 | In August 1979 the seaside town of Brighton decided to open a nudist beach It was the first place in Britain to agree to allow naked bathing. At first it was a very divisive idea, which shocked some of the locals. | |
| The Voyage Of The Kon-tiki | 20110808 | In 1947 a Norwegian adventurer sailed across the Pacific on a wooden raft. Thor Heyerdahl had built the raft using only materials available to Americans before Columbus arrived on the continent. His son and his biographer talk about that extraordinary journey. Photo: Kon-Tiki Museum. | |
| 08/08/2011 | 20110809 | ||
| Britain's First Nudist Beach | 20110809 | In August 1979 the seaside town of Brighton decided to open a nudist beach. | |
| 09/08/2011 | 20110810 | ||
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| 11/08/2011 | 20110812 | ||
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| Britain's First Nudist Beach | 20110814 | In August 1979 the seaside town of Brighton decided to open a nudist beach It was the first place in Britain to agree to allow naked bathing. At first it was a very divisive idea, which shocked some of the locals. | |
| Expulsion Of The Chagos Islanders | 20110814 | A Chagos Islander talks of Britain's expulsion of his people from their homeland. How one man endured exile after the British expelled his people from the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to make way for an American military base. Image: Science Photo Library. | |
| 11/08/2011 | 20110815 | ||
| 15/08/2011 | 20110816 | ||
| 16/08/2011 | 20110817 | ||
| 17/08/2011 | 20110818 | ||
| The Hungarian Picnic | 20110818 | The picnic that led to the first breaches of the Iron Curtain in 1989 The picnic planned as a demonstration for European integration that ended with hundreds of East Germans escaping to the West through the Iron Curtain. We talk to one of the organisers of the picnic, on the border between Austria and Hungary in 1989, that prefigured the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. | |
| The Moscow Coup | 20110818 | The failed attempt to overthrow the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachov in August 1991 Mr Gorbachov was held prisoner in his holiday dacha in the Crimea on the Black Sea while tanks and troops were deployed on the streets of Moscow. One of Mr Gorbachov's neighbours recalls an abruptly curtailed telephone conversation, and a Moscow journalist remembers filming on the streets of a nervous capital. | |
| 18/08/2011 | 20110819 | ||
| The Moscow Coup | 20110819 | The failed attempt to overthrow the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachov in August 1991 Mr Gorbachov was held prisoner in his holiday dacha in the Crimea on the Black Sea while tanks and troops were deployed on the streets of Moscow. One of Mr Gorbachov's neighbours recalls an abruptly curtailed telephone conversation, and a Moscow journalist remembers filming on the streets of a nervous capital. | |
| The Un Baghdad Bomb | 20110819 | The bomb that destroyed the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003. The bomb that destroyed the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003, killing 22 people, among them the UN Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello. We hear from the UN mission's spokesman who was in the building when the blast occurred. | |
| The Un Baghdad Bomb | 20110820 | The bomb that destroyed the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003. | |
| The Goons | 20110821 | It is 60 years since The Goon Show first hit the airwaves A surreal comedy, much of it was written and performed by the comedian Spike Milligan. His producer Charles Chilton remembers him. | |
| The Hungarian Picnic | 20110821 | The picnic that led to the first breaches of the Iron Curtain in 1989 The picnic planned as a demonstration for European integration that ended with hundreds of East Germans escaping to the West through the Iron Curtain. We talk to one of the organisers of the picnic, on the border between Austria and Hungary in 1989, that prefigured the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. | |
| The Moscow Coup | 20110821 | The failed attempt to overthrow the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachov in August 1991. | |
| The Un Baghdad Bomb | 20110821 | The bomb that destroyed the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003. | |
| Stealing The Mona Lisa | 20110822 | The theft of the Mona Lisa in August 1911. The theft of the Mona Lisa from the museum of the Louvre in Paris in August 1911. The search for the famous painting would take two years and helped to cement its fame around the world. We hear how even the famous artist Pablo Picasso was arrested during the police investigation that involved detectives in both Europe and America. | |
| The Moscow Coup | 20110822 | The failed attempt to overthrow the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachov in August 1991. | |
| Stealing The Mona Lisa | 20110823 | The theft of the Mona Lisa in August 1911. | |
| 23/08/2011 | 20110824 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| 24/08/2011 | 20110825 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| 25/08/2011 | 20110826 | GETRIDOFTHIS. | |
| 26/08/2011 | 20110827 | ||
| Child Evacuees From The Spanish Civil War | 20110827 | How thousands of Basque children were evacuated to Britain during the Spanish Civil War. At the height of the Spanish Civil War, thousands of Basque children were evacuated to safety in Britain. In 1937, Herminio Martinez was sent away by his parents at the age of seven. It was 23 years before he saw them again. Herminio Martinez talks to Witness about his memories of the evacuation and the reunion with his family. PHOTO: Hutton Archive/Getty Images. | |
| Child Evacuees From The Spanish Civil War | 20110828 | How thousands of Basque children were evacuated to Britain during the Spanish Civil War. | |
| South African Student Sit-in Against Apartheid Injustice | 20110828 | White students in apartheid South Africa stage a sit-in protest against racial injustice. The story of how students at the officially designated "white" University of Cape Town campaigned in support of an academic who had fallen foul of apartheid's racist laws. Picture courtesy UCT. | |
| Stealing The Mona Lisa | 20110828 | The theft of the Mona Lisa from the museum of the Louvre in Paris in August 1911 The search for the famous painting would take two years and helped to cement its fame around the world. We hear how even the famous artist Pablo Picasso was arrested during the police investigation that involved detectives in both Europe and America. | |
| Woodstock Festival 1969 | 20110828 | It was a pivotal moment in American popular culture. Three days of music and much more on a muddy farm in upstate New York - the Woodstock festival of 1969. A self-confessed "Woodstock survivor" tells us how it changed his life. A pivotal moment in American popular culture - the Woodstock festival of 1969. | |
| Woodstock Festival 1969 | 20110829 | 20110830 | A pivotal moment in American popular culture - the Woodstock festival of 1969. |
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| 31/08/2011 | 20110901 | ||
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| The Scoop Of The Century | 20110903 | on the eve of World War II. How a young British reporter witnessed the German military build-up just days before the invasion of Poland in 1939. We hear her own account of a daring trip across the border. | |
| 02/09/2011 | 20110904 | ||
| Cameroon's Lake Nyos Disaster | 20110904 | How villagers in a remote region of Cameroon awoke one morning to find hundreds of their friends and neighbours had mysteriously died in the night. We hear from the scientists who were sent in to find out what had happened. How villagers awoke to find hundreds of friends and neighbours mysteriously dead. | |
| Drop City | 20110904 | The hippy commune in Colorado in the Summer of Love, 1967. The Summer of Love, 1967, and the commune in Colorado known as Drop City, where rumours of free love, drugs and a lot of music attracted not only hippies from all over the United States, but plenty of tourist buses too. photo: Getty Images. | |
| Libya's Coup - 1969 | 20110904 | On 1 September 1969, a military coup in Libya toppled the King and brought to power Colonel Gaddafi - for many Libyans, the only leader they have ever known. In contrast to today's long-drawn out and bloody struggle for power, it was all over very quickly in 1969. Photo: Getty Images The coup that brought Colonel Gaddafi to power in Libya. | |
| The Killer Lake | 20110904 | in Cameroon. | |
| The Scoop Of The Century | 20110904 | on the eve of World War II. on the eve of the Second World War. How a young British reporter witnessed the German military build-up just days before the invasion of Poland in 1939. We hear her own account of a daring trip across the border. The scoop of the century on the eve of World War Two. | |
| Libya's Coup - 1969 | 20110905 | The coup that brought Colonel Gaddafi to power in Libya. | |
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| 08/09/2011 | 20110909 | ||
| An Azerbaijani View Of The Demise Of The Soviet Union. | 20110909 | How the collapse of the Soviet Union played out in the life of a teenager in Azerbaijan. The story of how a teenage girl in Azerbaijan became disenchanted with Moscow's propaganda, and sided with nationalists who campaigned for the break-up of the Soviet Union. Konul Khalilova today. | |
| The Assassination Of Ahmed Shah Massood | 20110909 | Two days before 9/11, Al Qaeda killed an Afghan anti-Taleban leader. Two days before 9/11, Al Qaeda killed an Afghan leader in a suicide bombing. Ahmed Shah Massood had been one of the main figures opposing the Taleban. Photo: VT Freeze Frame. | |
| 09/09/2011 | 20110910 | ||
| The Assassination Of Ahmed Shah Massood | 20110910 | Two days before 9/11, Al Qaeda killed an Afghan anti-Taleban leader. | |
| An Azerbaijani View Of The Demise Of The Soviet Union. | 20110911 | How the collapse of the Soviet Union played out in the life of a teenager in Azerbaijan. | |
| Great Fire Of London | 20110911 | In 1666, a fire destroyed much of the city of London. Two diarists recorded what happened. In September 1666, a fire destroyed much of the city of London. The diarist, Samuel Pepys, and a schoolboy called William Taswell both watched in horror as the fire consumed houses and even St Paul's Cathedral. Witness briccngs together their aounts of a blaze which changed the city for ever. The programme also hears from Meriel Jeater, an expert on the fire from the Museum of London. PHOTO: A sketch of St Paul's burning from a contemporary pamphlet (Hutton Archive/Getty Images). | |
| Greenham Common | 20110911 | The women of Greenham Common and their protest against American cruise missiles. The women of Greenham Common. How an anti-war march turned into a peace camp that endured for nearly 20 years outside an American air base in rural England. We hear from one of the women who took part in the march, and founded the camp 30 years ago in September 1981. | |
| The Assassination Of Ahmed Shah Massood | 20110911 | Two days before 9/11, Al Qaeda killed an Afghan anti-Taleban leader. | |
| An Azerbaijani View Of The Demise Of The Soviet Union. | 20110912 | How the collapse of the Soviet Union played out in the life of a teenager in Azerbaijan. | |
| 12/09/2011 | 20110913 | ||
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| 14/09/2011 | 20110915 | 20110916 | GETRIDOFTHIS. |
| Black Wednesday | 20110916 | 20110917 | On 16 September 1992, Britain lost billions in foreign currency reserves in a single day. Norman Lamont was Chancellor of the Exchequer when the country had to crash out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. Image: VT Freeze Frame. |
| Lehman Brothers | 20110916 | On 15 September 2008, the US investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. Two New Yorkers at the centre of the crisis talk about the events leading up to that day. Photo: AFP. | |
| Black Wednesday | 20110918 | On 16 September 1992, Britain lost billions in foreign currency reserves in a single day. Norman Lamont was Chancellor of the Exchequer when the country had to crash out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. Image: VT Freeze Frame. | |
| Lehman Brothers | 20110918 | On 15 September 2008, the US investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. Two New Yorkers at the centre of the crisis talk about the events leading up to that day. Photo: AFP. | |
| Military Coup In Turkey | 20110918 | On 12 September, 1980, the army took control in Turkey. It was not the first time they had done so - but their actions still haunt Turkish politics today. An admiral and a former student activist recount their very different memories of that time. Photo: Getty Images. | |
| Translator At Nuremberg | 20110918 | The trials of senior Nazis began in the autumn of 1945. Howard Triest was a German Jew who acted as a translator during their questioning. Photo: Getty Images. | |
| Lehman Brothers | 20110919 | On 15 September 2008, the US investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. Two New Yorkers at the centre of the crisis talk about the events leading up to that day. Photo: AFP. | |
| The Death Of Dag Hammarskjold | 20110919 | The Secretary General of the UN was killed in a plane crash 50 years ago. He was on his way to Congo, in an attempt to prevent war. Two people who knew him well remember the man. Photo: Associated Press. | |
| The Death Of Dag Hammarskjold | 20110920 | The Secretary General of the UN was killed in a plane crash 50 years ago. | |
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| The Death Of Dag Hammarskjold | 20110925 | The Secretary General of the UN was killed in a plane crash 50 years ago. | |
| 22/09/2011 | 20110926 | ||
| 26/09/2011 | 20110927 | 20110928 | GETRIDOFTHIS. |
| Frank Zappa | 20110928 | He was one of the most innovative musicians in the USA in the 1960s. Listen to one woman's story of working for Frank Zappa. | |
| Kidnap Of Us Ambassador In Brazil | 20110928 | In September 1969 left-wing activists kidnapped Charles Burke Elbrick in Rio de Janeiro. They demanded the release of 15 of their comrades in exchange for his life. One of the kidnappers was Fernando Gabeira, then a young journalist. Photo: Fernando Gabeira in 2008. AFP/Getty Images. | |
| Kidnap Of Us Ambassador In Brazil | 20110929 | In September 1969 left-wing activists kidnapped Charles Burke Elbrick in Rio de Janeiro. | |
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| Assassination Of Anwar Sadat | 20111006 | In October 1981 the President of Egypt was shot at a military parade. On October 6, 1981 the President of Egypt was shot dead. He was killed by Egyptian officers taking part in a military parade. He was replaced by his Vice-President, Hosni Mubarak. Photo: AFP/Getty Images. | |
| The Manhattan Project | 20111006 | Seventy years ago the US President approved development of the world's first atomic bomb Seventy years ago the American president Franklin Roosevelt gave the go-ahead to the project to develop the world's first atomic bomb. Young scientist Bill Wilcox helped make the bomb. Photo: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY via AFP/Getty Images. | |
| Assassination Of Anwar Sadat | 20111007 | In October 1981 the President of Egypt was shot at a military parade. | |
| 07/10/2011 | 20111008 | ||
| 07/10/2011 | 20111009 | ||
| Mexico City Massacre | 20111009 | Just before the 1968 Olympics, the Mexican government cracked down hard on demonstrators. Just before the 1968 Olympics, the Mexican government cracked down hard against student demonstrators. Some were killed, others arrested - David Huerta was one of the young protestors, hear his story. Photo: Mexican soldiers arresting students after the shooting (Associated Press). | |
| The Manhattan Project | 20111009 | Seventy years ago the US President approved development of the world's first atomic bomb. | |
| Assassination Of Anwar Sadat | 20111010 | In October 1981 the President of Egypt was shot at a military parade. | |
| 10/10/2011 | 20111011 | ||
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| Birth Control In The Usa | 20111013 | On 16 October 1916, the first birth control clinic in the USA was opened. The woman behind it, Margaret Sanger, was arrested for breaking obscenity laws. Photo: Margaret Sanger (left) outside court, awaiting trial. | |
| Uss Cole | 20111013 | 20111016 | On 12 October 2000, an American destroyer was attacked by al-Qaeda suicide bombers. On 12 October 2000, an American destroyer was attacked by al-Qaeda suicide bombers in the Yemeni port of Aden. Kirk Lippold was the commanding officer on board that day. The attack left 17 sailors dead. |
| 13/10/2011 | 20111014 | ||
| Birth Control In The Usa | 20111014 | On 16 October 1916, the first birth control clinic in the USA was opened. | |
| 14/10/2011 | 20111015 | ||
| 14/10/2011 | 20111016 | ||
| Coca Cola Change | 20111016 | In 1985 the soft drink company changed its age old formula. | |
| Thai Student Massacre | 20111016 | In October 1976 security forces opened fire on student demonstrators in Bangkok. We hear from one of the students who survived the shooting but was arrested and held for several months. | |
| Birth Control In The Usa | 20111017 | On 16 October 1916, the first birth control clinic in the USA was opened. | |
| 17/10/2011 | 20111018 | ||
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| George Blake Escapes | 20111021 | In October 1966 a Soviet double agent escaped from a British jail. He was helped, not by the KGB, but by other former prisoners. Michael Randle was an anti-nuclear protestor who took part in the escape. (Photo: Michael Randle on his release from Wormwood Scrubs prison). | |
| 21/10/2011 | 20111022 | ||
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| Canada Kidnap | 20111023 | In October 1970 James Cross, a British diplomat, was taken hostage. The kidnappers were from the FLQ - the Front de Liberation du Quebec. Soon after, a provincial minister from Quebec was also kidnapped - he was found days later, dead in the boot of a car. Photo: James Cross and his wife Barbara, on his release. Getty Images. In October 1970 James Cross, a British diplomat, was kidnapped by Quebec separatists. | |
| French Algerian Massacre | 20111023 | On 17 October 1961, French police turned against Algerian demonstrators in Paris. Some were shot, others drowned in the Seine. For years the killings were not acknowledged. We hear from one man whose sister died that day. | |
| George Blake Escapes | 20111024 | In October 1966 a Soviet double agent escaped from a British jail. | |
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| Indonesian Killings | 20111028 | In the autumn of 1965 a purge of communist sympathisers began in Indonesia. Hundreds of thousands of people were caught up in the terror - many of them were killed. Others like Carmel Budiardjo and Putu Oka, were jailed for years without trial. | |
| The American Pow Who Chose China | 20111028 | When the Korean War ended, a few US POWs chose to stay and live under communism. When the Korean War ended, a few US POWs chose to stay with their captors and live under communism. David Hawkins was one of them. He tells his remarkable story to Witness. | |
| 28/10/2011 | 20111029 | ||
| Indonesian Killings | 20111029 | In the autumn of 1965 a purge of communist sympathisers began in Indonesia. | |
| Indonesian Killings | 20111030 | In the autumn of 1965 a purge of communist sympathisers began in Indonesia. | |
| Mau Mau Uprising | 20111030 | It is 55 years since the Mau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi was arrested in Kenya. He had been fighting against white rule in the British colony. Photo: Mau Mau suspects in a prison camp. Getty images. | |
| The Joy Of Sex | 20111031 | It is almost 40 years since the publication of a groundbreaking book about relationships. It was written by a British academic and illustrated with images of real people. It went on to sell millions of copies around the world. Image © Chris Foss courtesy www.ChrisFossArt.com. | |
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| Keith Jarrett In Cologne | 20111105 | How a jazz concert organised by a 17-year old turned into a bestselling album. And how it almost didn't happen. Vera Brandes describes the difficulties surrounding the legendary performance by the American pianist. Photo credit: Jacques Munch/AFP/Getty Images. | |
| The Death Of Robert Maxwell | 20111105 | It is 20 years since the newspaper magnate disappeared off his yacht. After his death it soon became clear that his publishing empire was in serious financial difficulties. We hear from one man who knew him well. | |
| 75 Years Of Bbc Tv | 20111106 | On 2 November 1936 the first regular TV service in the world was launched by the BBC. Initially it only had a few hundred viewers and was only broadcast for two hours a day. Viewers watched variety acts beamed live from the studios. | |
| Murder Of Polish Priest | 20111106 | In late October 1984 the body of a Polish priest was found in a town outside Warsaw. He was Father Jerzy Popieluszko and he had become the spiritual leader for the banned trade union Solidarity. It was later revealed that he had been kidnapped and killed by members of the Communist secret police. | |
| 75 Years Of Bbc Tv | 20111107 | On 2 November 1936 the first regular TV service in the world was launched by the BBC. | |
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| Mission To Mars | 20111113 | In November 1964 the first spacecraft to go to Mars left Earth It was to send back the first photographs of the Red Planet. Engineer John Casani designed the Mariner craft. | |
| San Salvador Offensive | 20111113 | In November 1989 the civil war in El Salvador hit the capital city. Rebels fighting the US-backed goverment began attacks in San Salvador. But after less than two weeks of gun-battles and street fighting the rebels left the capital. Image: VT Freeze Frame. | |
| The Death Of Leonid Brezhnev | 20111113 | The Soviet leader died in November 1982 after years of ill health. He had ruled the USSR for 18 years and presided over a period of economic and political stagnation. Image: Associated Press. | |
| Student Uprising In Greece In 1973 | 20111114 | The leader of a student protest in Greece nearly 40 years ago tells Alan Johnston about the moment when the country's military junta sent in the tanks, and how she only just managed to escape with her life. This programe was first broadcast last year. Alan Johnston reports on a student uprising against military rule in Greece in 1973. | |
| The Death Of Leonid Brezhnev | 20111114 | The Soviet leader died in November 1982 after years of ill health. | |
| Great Lisbon Earthquake | 20111115 | How an earthquake in 1755 flattened Lisbon and led to a revolution in European thought. On All Saints Day 1755, the Portuguese city of Lisbon was hit by a triple disaster - an earthquake, followed by a tsunami and a fire. One of the most splendid cities in Europe suffered massive damage and thousands of people were killed. The disaster also led to debate across Europe about whether earthquakes were a natural phenomenon or a message from God. Witness brings together accounts by British survivors of the earthquake, and hears from Edward Paice, author of Wrath of God - the Great Lisbon Earthquake. Image: Lisbon before the earthquake (Hulton Archive/Getty Images). | |
| Student Uprising In Greece In 1973 | 20111115 | Alan Johnston reports on a student uprising against military rule in Greece in 1973. | |
| Cathy Come Home | 20111116 | It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness. The hardhitting film, directed by Ken Loach, told the story of a young woman who fell on hard times and lost her home, her husband and then her children. | |
| Cathy Come Home | 20111117 | It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness. | |
| Kim Philby The Spy | 20111117 | How a Soviet agent managed to fool the British intelligence service for years. Even after he'd been identified as a spy by the Americans, Kim Philby, was allowed to stay in Britain. Photo: Kim Philby (right) protesting his innocence to the media. Getty Images. | |
| Kim Philby The Spy | 20111118 | How a Soviet agent managed to fool the British intelligence service for years. | |
| 18/11/2011 | 20111119 | ||
| Great Lisbon Earthquake | 20111119 | How an earthquake in 1755 flattened Lisbon and led to a revolution in European thought. | |
| Student Uprising In Greece In 1973 | 20111119 | Alan Johnston reports on a student uprising against military rule in Greece in 1973. | |
| Cathy Come Home | 20111120 | It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness. | |
| Student Uprising In Greece In 1973 | 20111120 | Alan Johnston reports on a student uprising against military rule in Greece in 1973. | |
| Cathy Come Home | 20111121 | 20111122 | It is 45 years since a BBC TV drama changed British ideas about homelessness. |
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| Mobutu Sese Seko Of Congo | 20111124 | 20111125 | Of the "Big Men" who ruled Africa after independence, few were as notorious as Mobutu Sese Seko. During his 32 years in power, Mobutu renamed Congo as Zaire and stole many millions of dollars. As the people of Congo prepare to vote for a new president, a former advisor to Mobutu remembers his years in power. Witness also hears from Michaela Wrong, author of "In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz". PHOTO: Mobutu shares a joke with a foreign visitor (HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES) How Mobutu Sese Seko run a kleptocratic dictatorship in Congo for 32 years. |
| Ned Kelly's Last Stand | 20111124 | How the infamous Australian outlaw, Ned Kelly, was finally captured in 1880. Ned Kelly, the infamous Australian outlaw, was captured in the remote settlement of Glenrowan in 1880. In a dramatic last stand, Kelly and his gang took hostages and tried to derail a police train. Kelly was hanged a few months after his capture. The rest of the gang were killed. Witness brings together eye-witness accounts of the last stand. The programme also hears from the Australian historian, Professor Carl Bridge. PICTURE: Ned Kelly is shot and captured while wearing his armour. (HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES). | |
| Ned Kelly's Last Stand | 20111125 | How the infamous Australian outlaw, Ned Kelly, was finally captured in 1880. | |
| 25/11/2011 | 20111126 | ||
| Georgia's Rose Revolution | 20111126 | In November 2003 a popular uprising unseated the government of Georgia. Demonstrators waving roses burst into Parliament and Eduard Shevardnadze was forced to stand down. Hear from one of the people on the streets of Tbilisi that day. | |
| President Sadat Of Egypt Visits Israel | 20111126 | In 1977, Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to visit Israel and address the Israeli parliament, or Knesset. At the time, Egypt was still formally at war with Israel - a country which no Arab nation then recognised. Sadat's visit led to a formal peace treaty betweem the two countries. Louise Hidalgo talks to the Egyptian cameraman, Mohamed Gohar - a favourite of Sadat's. PHOTO: Sadat addressing the Knesset (AFP/Getty Images) How Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to visit Israel in 1977. | |
| President Sadat Of Egypt Visits Israel | 20111127 | How Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to visit Israel in 1977. | |
| Mobutu Sese Seko Of Congo | 20111128 | How Mobutu Sese Seko run a kleptocratic dictatorship in Congo for 32 years. | |
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| Ryan White | 20111202 | To mark World Aids Day Louise Hidalgo reports on the story of Ryan White. He was a haemophiliac who was banned from school after testing HIV positive. His death from Aids, changed attitudes towards the disease in the USA. PHOTO: Associated Press The story of a young haemophiliac who was banned from school after testing HIV positive. | |
| The Us Embassy In Tehran | 20111202 | In 1979 student demonstrators attacked the American Embassy in Iran. They held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Barry Rosen was the US Press Attache - he spoke to Witness about his time in captivity. A hostage is paraded in front of the press: MPI/Getty Images. | |
| Plane Spotters | 20111203 | 20111204 | In November 2001 a group of British tourists were arrested and put on trial for spying in Greece. They were not spies, but aircraft enthusiasts. Hear how their British hobby resulted in suspicion, and ultimately jail. Paul Coppin with Greek police. Photo AP News. In November 2001 a group of British tourists were arrested and put on trial in Greece. |
| The Battle In Seattle | 20111203 | In November 1999 police battled with anti-globalisation protestors for control of the streets of Seattle. The demonstrators were protesting against World Trade Organisation talks taking place in the US city. Norm Stamper was the Chief of Police in Seattle at the time. Photo: AP In November 1999 police battled with anti-globalisation protestors for control of Seattle. | |
| The Us Embassy In Tehran | 20111203 | In 1979 student demonstrators attacked the American Embassy in Iran. | |
| The Winter Of Discontent | 20111205 | In 1979 British public sector workers went on strike over pay. Among those taking industrial action were grave-diggers. But the media, politicians, and even their own families turned against them at the thought of bodies being left unburied. | |
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| The Bermuda Triangle | 20111210 | The story of the Bermuda Triangle began when five US Navy planes went missing in 1945. No trace of the bombers was ever found - and since then - other ships and planes have diappeared in the same area of the Atlantic Ocean. Witness hears from one man who took part in the original search for Flight 19. | |
| The Mozote Massacre | 20111210 | In December 1981 hundreds of peasants were killed by the army in El Salvador. Men, women and children from the village of El Mozote were shot. Only one woman, Rufina Amaya, is known to have survived. Photo: Rufina Amaya at a funeral for the victims held in 2001. Credit AFP/Getty images. | |
| The Pill | 20111210 | 20111211 | On 4 December 1961 the contraceptive pill became widely available in the UK. For married women it meant reliable, convenient family planning - for unmarried women it meant sexual freedom. The writer Michelene Wandor was a student at Cambridge university at the time. PHOTO: Getty Images. |
| Pearl Harbour | 20111212 | It is 70 years since Japanese planes attacked the US Navy base in Hawaii. The action forced the USA into World War II. Jack Hammett, was a young naval medic who survived the carnage. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. | |
| The Treaty Of Rome | 20111212 | We take you back to the beginnings of the European project. We take you back to the early days of the European project. When 6 countries established the European Economic Community. The German delegation putting their signatures to the Treaty. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images. | |
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| The Treaty Of Rome | 20111213 | 20111217 | We take you back to the beginnings of the European project. |
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| The Treaty Of Rome | 20111217 | 20111218 | We take you back to the beginnings of the European project. We take you back to the early days of the European project when six countries established the European Economic Community. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images. |
| Anc Bomb | 20111219 | Fifty years ago the armed wing of South Africa's ANC party took its first violent action. Ronnie Kasrils tells us about planting a bomb at municipal offices in Durban. (Image: Ronnie Kasrils in 1961. Credit: Ronnie Kasrils). | |
| Spice Girls | 20111219 | 20111220 | Christmas 1996 and the Spice Girls are number one. 'Girl power' is taking over the world. In 1996 the Spice Girls were at the top of the charts. Their brand of cheeky British pop had taken the world by storm - they called it 'girl power'. We hear from two Spice Girls insiders about the early days when Baby, Sporty, Posh, Scary and Ginger were complete unknowns who used to travel by bus. PHOTO: Spice Girls at an awards ceremony in December 1996. |
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| Spice Girls | 20111224 | 20111225 | Christmas 1996 and the Spice Girls are number one. 'Girl power' is taking over the world. |
| Spice Girls | 20111225 | Christmas 1996 and the Spice Girls are number one. 'Girl Power' is taking over the world. In 1996 the Spice Girls were at the top of the charts. Their brand of cheeky British pop had taken the world by storm - they called it 'Girl Power'. We hear from two Spice Girls insiders about the early days when Baby, Sporty, Posh, Scary and Ginger were complete unknowns who used to travel by bus. PHOTO: Spice Girls at an awards ceremony in December 1996. | |
| The British Miners' Strike | 20111225 | Christmas 1984 was a difficult time for British miners who had been on strike for nine months. They had taken industrial action to try to save their coal mines from government closure. Listen to one miner's wife tell how her family made it through the anger and deprivation of that time. Photo: BBC Christmas 1984 - a time of hardship for the protesters against the closure of coal mines. | |
| The Christmas Truce | 20111225 | On Christmas Eve 1914, during World War I, British and German soldiers stopped fighting. Many of them left their trenches and started to talk and exchange gifts. But after a few hours of peace they were ordered back to their guns. Photo: Associated Press. | |
| Concert For Bangladesh | 20111226 | In 1971 the first big rock benefit gig was organised by former Beatle, George Harrison. He did it to raise money for refugees from the Bangladesh War of Independence. Hear from a friend, and a musician who were there. Photo: Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. | |
| The Sinking Of The Scharnhorst | 20111226 | She was one of Germany's greatest battleships during World War II. But on Boxing Day 1943 she was sunk in the freezing waters of the Arctic. Norman Scarth is a Witness listener who was on board a British ship and watched her go down. Photo: Norman Scarth the young sailor. | |
| The Release Of Sakharov | 20111227 | 20111228 | In December 1986 the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov was allowed to return to Moscow. He had spent seven years in internal exile. His release had been ordered by the reforming Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev |
| The Sinking Of The Scharnhorst | 20111227 | She was one of Germany's greatest battleships during World War II. | |
| Enid Blyton And The Bbc | 20111228 | 20111229 20120102 (WS) | The difficult relationship between the BBC and the children's writer, Enid Blyton. The children's writer Enid Blyton, was one of the most popular authors of the 20th Century. Books such as her Famous Five series were read by millions across the world. But Blyton was reviled by some senior managers at the BBC, who effectively banned her work between the 1930s and 1950s. Simon Watts uses audio and written archive to chart the difficult relationship between the author and the national broadcaster. |
| The Creation Of Tetris | 20111229 | In 1984 one of the most popular computer games ever was invented in Moscow. Hear from Alexey Pajitnov, the Russian who created it, and Henk Rogers, the American who helped to sell it around the world. Photo: Henk and Alexey. | |
| The Creation Of Tetris | 20111230 | In 1984 one of the most popular computer games ever was invented in Moscow. | |
| Us Troops In Iraq | 20111230 | All US troops have now left Iraq. We take you back to when they first invaded in 2003. US troops left Iraq earlier this month, well before their deadline of December 31st. We hear from one American soldier who remembers when they first invaded the country, almost 9 years ago. PHOTO: John Crawford and a colleague in Iraq. | |
| The Sinking Of The Scharnhorst | 20111231 | She was one of Germany's greatest battleships during World War II. | |
| Us Troops In Iraq | 20111231 | All US troops have now left Iraq. We take you back to when they first invaded in 2003. | |
| The Sinking Of The Scharnhorst | 20120101 | She was one of Germany's greatest battleships during World War II. | |
| Birth Of The Euro | 20120102 | How millions of Europeans celebrated the launch of the euro in 2002. At midnight on January the 1st 2002, the euro was launched simultaneously in 12 European countries. Millions of people lined up at cash machines to take out their first notes in the new currency. Louise Hidalgo talks to the European Central Bank official in charge of the biggest currency launch in history. (PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images). | |
| Enid Blyton And The Bbc | 20120102 | The children's writer Enid Blyton, was one of the most popular authors of the 20th Century. Books such as her Famous Five series were read by millions across the world. But Blyton was reviled by some senior managers at the BBC, who effectively banned her work between the 1930s and 1950s. Simon Watts uses audio and written archive to chart the difficult relationship between the author and the national broadcaster. PHOTO: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. The difficult relationship between the BBC and the children's writer, Enid Blyton | |
| Birth Of The Euro | 20120103 | How millions of Europeans celebrated the launch of the euro in 2002. | |
| The Capture Of The Uss Pueblo | 20120103 | In January 1968 an American spy ship was captured by North Korean forces. Its crew were held for almost a year but they found small ways to resist. Hear from one of the US sailors on board. Photo of the Pueblo's crew taken by North Korean military. | |
| The Capture Of The Uss Pueblo | 20120104 | In January 1968 an American spy ship was captured by North Korean forces. | |
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| Birth Of The Euro | 20120107 | How millions of Europeans celebrated the launch of the euro in 2002. | |
| The Capture Of The Uss Pueblo | 20120107 | In January 1968 an American spy ship was captured by North Korean forces. | |
| Birth Of The Euro | 20120108 | How millions of Europeans celebrated the launch of the euro in 2002. | |
| Crossing The Rubicon | 20120109 | Over 2000 years ago Julius Caesar made a decision which changed European history. That decision to cross a river and lead his army towards Rome was a point of no return for the ambitious governor of Gaul. | |
| The Hollywood Blacklist | 20120109 | A list of radicals in Hollywood and the entertainment industry was published by US anti-communists more than 60 years ago. The list was known as Red Channels and people whose names were on it found their careers in jeopardy. Walter Bernstein was a young screenwriter at the time. A list of radicals in the US entertainment industry was published more than 60 years ago. | |
| Crossing The Rubicon | 20120110 | 20120111 | Over 2000 years ago Julius Caesar made a decision which changed European history. |
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| Crossing The Rubicon | 20120115 | Over 2000 years ago Julius Caesar made a decision which changed European history. | |
| Vietnam Draft Pardon | 20120116 | 20120117 | In January 1977 President Jimmy Carter said draft dodgers could come home. It meant that people who had fled the USA to avoid serving as soldiers in Vietnam no longer faced jail. Michael Hendricks had gone to Montreal in Canada. |
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| Vietnam Draft Pardon | 20120122 | In January 1977 President Jimmy Carter said draft dodgers could come home. | |
| Jackson Pollock | 20120123 | It is one hundred years since the great American abstract painter was born. His distinctive technique of dripping paint onto canvas was part of a new wave of post-war art in the USA. Photo: AFP/Getty Images. | |
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| Jackson Pollock | 20120124 | It is one hundred years since the great American abstract painter was born. | |
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| Jackson Pollock | 20120129 | It is one hundred years since the great American abstract painter was born. | |
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| Death Of King George Vi | 20120206 | How Britain mourned the death of King George VI in 1952. On February 6th 1952, King George VI died after a long illness. Britain came to a standstill to mourn the monarch who had led the nation through World War II. Witness brings together BBC recordings from the time. PHOTO: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. | |
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| Death Of King George Vi | 20120207 | How Britain mourned the death of King George VI in 1952. | |
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| Death Of King George Vi | 20120212 | How Britain mourned the death of King George VI in 1952. | |
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| Sister Dorothy Stang | 20120214 | In February 2005 a Catholic nun working in the Amazon was murdered. Her killing had been ordered by powerful landowners who objected to her work with the rural poor. Her brother David tells the story of her work, and her death. Photo: Carlos Silva/AFP Audio Clips: Courtesy of Greenpeace. | |
| The Stolen Generation | 20120214 | Debra Hocking was taken from her indigenous Australian family as a baby. It was part of a government policy to try to assimilate Aboriginal children into white families. Photo: PM Kevin Rudd prepares to apologise to the Stolen Generation in Parliament on February 13 2008. (Getty Images). | |
| Sister Dorothy Stang | 20120215 | In February 2005 a Catholic nun working in the Amazon was murdered. | |
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| The Stolen Generation | 20120219 | Debra Hocking was taken from her indigenous Australian family as a baby. | |
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| The Assassination Of Georgi Markov | 20120229 | The Bulgarian dissident was attacked by a man with a poisoned umbrella on his way to work at the BBC World Service in Bush House. He died several days later in a London hospital. We hear from a colleague and friend, and one of the doctors who tried to save him. Photo: Georgi Markov The Bulgarian dissident was attacked with a poisoned umbrella on his way to Bush House. | |
| The Killing Of Olof Palme | 20120229 | On 28 February 1986, the Swedish Prime Minister was killed on a Stockholm street. He had been for an evening at the cinema with his wife. The police investigation into his murder is still open. Photo: Associated Press. | |
| Gujarat Riots | 20120302 | 20120303 | It is 10 years since communal violence broke out in the Indian state. It was sparked by an attack on a train full of Hindu pilgrims. Photo: Rioters in Ahmedabad on March 1, 2002. Credit Associated Press. |
| The First Flight Of Concorde | 20120302 | On 2 March 1969 the supersonic airliner took to the skies for the first time. But at the time, some campaigners believed it could damage buildings by flying so fast. Hear from the French pilot who guided it through its maiden trip. Photo: VT Freeze Frame. | |
| The First Flight Of Concorde | 20120303 | On 2 March 1969 the supersonic airliner took to the skies for the first time. | |
| Mary Quant And The Mini Skirt | 20120304 | It is almost 50 years since the young British designer led a fashion revolution. She remembers how the look that came to embody swinging London was created. (Photo: Mary Quant. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images). | |
| The Assassination Of Georgi Markov | 20120304 | The Bulgarian dissident was attacked with a poisoned umbrella on his way to Bush House. | |
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| Farzad Bazoft | 20120316 | On 15 March 1990, a young British journalist was executed in Iraq - he had been accused of spying. His name was Farzad Bazoft and he had been working for the Observer newspaper. We hear from two of the last people to see him alive. Photo: VT Freeze Frame On 15 March 1990, a young British journalist was executed in Iraq. | |
| The My Lai Massacre | 20120316 | On 16 March 1968, US soldiers went on the rampage through a Vietnamese village. They killed men, women and children in cold blood. We hear from one survivor, Pham Thanh Cong, who was 11 years old when the rest of his family were killed. Photo: Pham Thanh Cong now. Credit Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP/Getty Images. | |
| The My Lai Massacre | 20120317 | On 16 March 1968, US soldiers went on the rampage through a Vietnamese village. | |
| The Romans In Britain | 20120318 | In 1982 a British director found himself in a court battle over sex and nudity on stage. Michael Bogdanov had directed a play about the Roman invasion of Britain which drew parallels with the contemporary presence of British troops in Northern Ireland. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. | |
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| The Us Peace Corps | 20120324 | In 1961 President Kennedy set up a scheme to send idealistic young Americans abroad. At the height of the Cold War the underlying idea was to help give the USA a positive image in developing countries. Hear from one of the first volunteers who went to teach in Ghana. Photo: Robert Krisko during his Peace Corps days. | |
| How Little America Was Built In Afghanistan | 20120325 | In the 1950s, US engineers were sent to Afghanistan to build a huge dam. The aim was to irrigate the deserts of Helmand. The town of Lashkar Gah was built to house the workers. Photo: Lashkar Gah from the air, 1957. In the 1950s, US engineers were sent to Afghanistan to build a dam. | |
| Sarin Gas Attack In Tokyo | 20120325 | In March 1995 members of a Japanese cult released nerve gas in the metro. Thirteen people died and thousands were injured. Hear one man's account of the Aum Shinrikyo attack. Photo of Shoko Asahara the Aum leader. AP WirePhoto. | |
| The Bombardment Of Baghdad | 20120325 | On 20 March 2003 the US and its allies began their air strikes against Iraq. For millions of ordinary Iraqis it meant the beginning of three weeks of fear and helplessness. Hear what it was like for just one schoolgirl who lived through the bombardment. (Photo: Ramizi Haidar/AFP/Getty Images). | |
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| Pope John Paul Ii Visits Cuba | 20120401 | In 1998 the then Pope, John Paul II, made a visit to the communist island. It marked a change in relations between the Church and the government of Fidel Castro. But some Cubans hoped it would lead to much greater changes. Photo: AP/Vatican, Arturo Mari. | |
| The Falklands War | 20120402 | It is 30 years since Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands. In the first of 2 programmes we hear the story from the point of view of a resident of the islands who lived through the invasion and the subsequent war between Britain and Argentina. Photo: Press Association. | |
| The Falklands War | 20120403 | It is 30 years since Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands. | |
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| The Falklands War | 20120408 | It is 30 years since Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands. | |
| Eichmann On Trial | 20120409 | In 1961, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi in charge of concentration camps, was tried in Israel. In April 1961, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi official in charge of concentration camps, was put on trial in Israel. The trial helped reveal the full details of the holocaust. Witness speaks to one of the prosecutors, Gabriel Bach. The programme was first broadcast in 2010. PHOTO: Eichmann in the dock. (AFP/Getty Images). | |
| Eichmann On Trial | 20120410 | In 1961, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi in charge of concentration camps, was tried in Israel. | |
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| Eichmann On Trial | 20120415 | In 1961, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi in charge of concentration camps, was tried in Israel. | |
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| Dissidents Declared Insane | 20120417 | In the USSR, the authorities routinely declared political dissidents as suffering from schizophrenia and confined them in mental institutions. Witness speaks to Victor Davidov, a dissident who survived the experience, and to the international campaigner who helped win his release. PHOTO: Victor Davidov in the 1970s (private collection) How dissidents in the USSR were routinely declared insane and kept in mental institutions.  | |
| Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis | 20120417 | In 1997, left-wing rebels held 71 people hostage for over four months in Peru. One of the diplomats taken captive was the Bolivian ambassador to Peru. Photo: Peruvian soldiers bring the siege to an end. AP Wire  | |
| Auschwitz Convoy Escape | 20120418 | How a group of Jews escaped from a train bound for the Auschwitz death camp in 1943. In 1943, a group of Belgian Jews escaped from a train bound for the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. In the only incident of its kind, they were helped by members of the Belgian resistance. Witness speaks to Simon Gronowski, who, at the age of 11, jumped from the train to safety. PHOTO: Simon Gronowski with his parents (private collection)  | |
| Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis | 20120418 | In 1997, left-wing rebels held 71 people hostage for over four months in Peru. One of the diplomats taken captive was the Bolivian ambassador to Peru. Photo: Peruvian soldiers bring the siege to an end. AP Wire. | |
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| Auschwitz Convoy Escape | 20120419 | How a group of Jews escaped from a train bound for the Auschwitz death camp in 1943. | |
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| Auschwitz Convoy Escape | 20120422 | How a group of Jews escaped from a train bound for the Auschwitz death camp in 1943. | |
| Dissidents Declared Insane | 20120422 | How dissidents in the USSR were routinely declared insane and kept in mental institutions. In the USSR, the authorities routinely declared political dissidents as suffering from schizophrenia and confined them in mental institutions. Witness speaks to Victor Davidov, a dissident who survived the experience, and to the international campaigner who helped win his release. PHOTO: Victor Davidov in the 1970s (private collection). | |
| Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis | 20120422 | In 1997, left-wing rebels held 71 people hostage for over four months in Peru. | |
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| Gallipoli | 20120426 | In 1915, more than 40,000 men were killed during the Battle of Gallipoli. Among them were a large contingent of Australian and New Zealand troops, known as the Anzacs. One New Zealander recalled one of the worst battles of World War One in a BBC interview. PHOTO: Anzac Cove (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) One New Zealand soldier's account of surviving the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915. | |
| Studio 54 | 20120426 | It is 35 years since the legendary New York night club opened its doors. Its door policy was strict, its dance floor was full of the coolest people in the city. Listen to 3 people who knew it in its heyday. Photo: Former Canadian First lady, Margaret Trudeau, dancing at Studio 54. (Central Press/Getty Images) It is 35 years since the legendary New York night club opened its doors - to cool people. | |
| Studio 54 | 20120427 | It is 35 years since the legendary New York night club opened its doors - to cool people. | |
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| The Trial Of Oscar Wilde | 20120429 | How a court case ruined the 19th century playwright and wit. How a court case ruined the 19th century playwright. He championed the love that dare not speak its name, or homosexuality, but he was jailed and died in exile. Photo: Oscar Wilde (l) and Lord Alfred Douglas (r). Hulton Archive/Getty Images. | |
| The Right To Die | 20120430 | 20120506 | In 2002 a paralysed woman, known as Miss B, was allowed to die in a London hospital. She had gone to the High Court to win the right to have a ventilator which kept her alive, switched off. The judge in the case was Baroness Elizabeth Butler Sloss. Photo of Baroness Butler Sloss, Press Association. |
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| The Capture Of President Izetbegovic | 20120501 | 20120506 | In May 1992 the Bosnian president was taken captive by Serb soldiers. The siege of Sarajevo had just begun. With him, was his daughter Sabina - hear her story. Photo: President Alija Izetbegovic - VT Freeze Frame. |
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| The Los Angeles Riots | 20120502 | 20120503 | In May 1992 the people of South Central LA took to the streets in fury at police brutality. They were angry that LAPD officers accused of beating a motorist called Rodney King, had been acquitted. Hear Rodney King's take on the beating, and the unrest and violence that followed it. |
| The Los Angeles Riots | 20120502 | 20120506 | In May 1992 the people of South Central LA took to the streets in fury at police brutality. |
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| Suicide Of Gay Footballer | 20120503 | 20120504 | Justin Fashanu, Britain's first openly gay footballer, killed himself in May 1998. He committed suicide in London, following allegations that he had sexually assaulted a teenager. His niece Amal Fashanu speaks to Witness about her favourite uncle. |
| Suicide Of Gay Footballer | 20120503 | 20120506 | Justin Fashanu, Britain's first openly gay footballer, killed himself in May 1998. |
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| Suicide Of Gay Footballer | 20120504 | Justin Fashanu, Britain's first openly gay footballer, killed himself in May 1998. He committed suicide in London, following allegations that he had sexually assaulted a teenager. His niece Amal Fashanu speaks to Witness about her favourite uncle. | |
| The General Strike | 20120504 | 20120505 | In May 1926 workers across Britain went on strike in support of coal miners. Hear the memories of Hetty Bower, a left-wing Londoner who helped the strikers. Photo: Armoured cars protect a food convoy in London during the strike. Hulton Archive/Getty Images. |
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| The General Strike | 20120505 | In May 1926 workers across Britain went on strike in support of coal miners. Hear the memories of Hetty Bower, a left-wing Londoner who helped the strikers. Photo: Armoured cars protect a food convoy in London during the strike. Hulton Archive/Getty Images. | |
| Suicide Of Gay Footballer | 20120506 | Justin Fashanu, Britain's first openly gay footballer, killed himself in May 1998. | |
| The Capture Of President Izetbegovic | 20120506 | In May 1992 the Bosnian president was taken captive by Serb soldiers. The siege of Sarajevo had just begun. With him, was his daughter Sabina - hear her story. Photo: President Alija Izetbegovic - VT Freeze Frame. | |
| The Los Angeles Riots | 20120506 | In May 1992 the people of South Central LA took to the streets in fury at police brutality. They were angry that LAPD officers accused of beating a motorist called Rodney King, had been acquitted. Hear Rodney King's take on the beating, and the unrest and violence that followed it. | |
| The Right To Die | 20120506 | In 2002 a paralysed woman, known as Miss B, was allowed to die in a London hospital. She had gone to the High Court to win the right to have a ventilator which kept her alive, switched off. The judge in the case was Baroness Elizabeth Butler Sloss. Photo of Baroness Butler Sloss, Press Association. | |
| The Trial Of Charles Manson | 20120507 | 20120513 | He was responsible for a series of gruesome murders in the Hollywood hills. But he was not actually present at the killings. Hear how the prosecution managed to persuade a jury that he was the man behind the deaths. |
| Attack On Fela Kuti | 20120508 | 20120509 20120509 (WS) 20120513 (WS) | The day the Nigerian military stormed the musician's compound in Lagos. They burned down the buildings and threw his mother out of a window - she never recovered. Hear from one of his former wives about the events of that day. |
| Attack On Fela Kuti | 20120508 | 20120513 | The day the Nigerian military stormed the musician's compound in Lagos. |
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| The Seven Up Tv Series | 20120514 | 20120520 | In 1964 a British TV programme introduced a group of seven year olds to the viewing public In 1964 a TV programme introduced a group of seven year olds to the public. It has returned to film them every seven years since then, creating a fascinating record of changes in British life. The series has now reached 56 up. Michael Apted, its director, talks to Witness. Photo: Getty Images Entertainment. |
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| The Anschluss | 20120515 | 20120520 | In March 1938 Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany - it would not regain its independence for more than 17 years. One Vienna resident remembers the day that Hitler's troops marched in. Photo: Austrians welcoming German troops. Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. |
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| Star Wars - The Film | 20120521 | 20120527 | It is 35 years since one of the biggest movie franchises of all time hit cinema screens. It was made on a low budget and much of the filming was done in England. Hear from one of the English actors who found fame through Star Wars, playing the robot C3PO. Photo: Anthony Daniels with C3PO. (Getty Images.). |
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| The Dionne Quintuplets | 20120528 | 20120528 (WS) 20120603 20120603 (WS) | The story of the "miracle babies" who became global superstars in the 1930s. In May 1934, the first quintuplets ever to survive birth were born in a tiny rural settlement in northern Canada. The Dionne babies became global superstars and millions of people visited their specially-built nursery. But, once their fame was over, the Dionne Quintuplets all struggled to adapt to daily life and had to fight for compensation. Witness speaks to a biographer of the Quintuplets and brings together archive recordings from the height of their fame. PHOTO: |
| La Penca Bombing | 20120529 | 20120529 (WS) 20120530 20120530 (WS) | In May 1984 a bomber tried to kill an anti-Sandinista rebel leader in Nicaragua. The attack took place at a press conference and several journalists were killed and injured. Swedish journalist Peter Torbiornsson believes he inadvertently helped the bomber. |
| La Penca Bombing | 20120529 | 20120529 (WS) 20120603 20120603 (WS) | In May 1984 a bomber tried to kill an anti-Sandinista rebel leader in Nicaragua. The attack took place at a press conference and several journalists were killed and injured. Swedish journalist Peter Torbiornsson believes he inadvertently helped the bomber. |
| The Lod Airport Massacre | 20120530 | 20120530 (WS) 20120531 20120531 (WS) | Note that some people might find today's programme upsetting. It is 40 years since Japanese gunmen attacked the Lod airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. They were left-wing militants working for a Palestinian organisation. Twenty-six people were killed that day and more than 70 others were injured. Witness hears from Ros Sloboda, one of the survivors of the shooting. (Image: the aftermath of the attack. Credit: AFP) |
| The Lod Airport Massacre | 20120530 | 20120530 (WS) 20120603 20120603 (WS) | Note that some people might find today's programme upsetting. It is 40 years since Japanese gunmen attacked the Lod airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. They were left-wing militants working for a Palestinian organisation. Twenty-six people were killed that day and more than 70 others were injured. Witness hears from Ros Sloboda, one of the survivors of the shooting. (Image: the aftermath of the attack. Credit: AFP) It is 40 years since gunmen attacked an Israeli airport. We hear from a survivor. It is 40 years since gunmen attacked an Israeli airport. 26 people were killed that day. More than 70 others were injured. Ros Sloboda was one of the survivors of the shooting, she talks to Witness. Photo: the aftermath of the attack. Credit: AFP |
| The Biafran War | 20120531 | 20120531 (WS) 20120601 20120601 (WS) | Between 1967 and 1970 there was a civil war in Nigeria over the formation of the state of Biafra. Over a million people died through famine, disease and fighting. Witness hears from a man who fought in the war as a boy. (Image: a starving child in Biafra. Credit: Partington/Express/Getty Images.) Between 1967 and 1970 there was a civil war in Nigeria over the formation of Biafra. |
| Queen Elizabeth Ii's Diamond Jubilee: Punk Rock And The Queen | 20120601 | In 1977, The Sex Pistols punk rock band mocked Britain's Silver Jubilee celebrations. They even wrote a song with the same title as the national anthem - God Save the Queen. (Image: The Sex Pistols - left to right - Paul Cook, Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones and Glen Matlock. Credit: Press Association). | |
| African Troops During Wwii | 20120604 | 20120604 (WS) 20120610 20120610 (WS) | During World War II, African soldiers were a vital part of the Allied forces. Many of them were sent to Burma as reinforcements for the British troops there. Hear just some of their memories - recorded by the BBC in the 1990s. |
| African Troops During Wwii | 20120604 | 20120605 | During World War II, African soldiers were a vital part of the Allied forces. Many of them were sent to Burma as reinforcements for the British troops there. Hear just some of their memories - recorded by the BBC in the 1990s. |
| The Rosenhan Experiment | 20120605 | 20120605 (WS) 20120610 20120610 (WS) | In 1969 an American psychologist called David Rosenhan put psychiatrists to the test. He and several volunteers had themselves admitted to psychiatric hospitals, although they were perfectly sane. They then waited for the doctors to notice their normal behaviour. |
| The Rosenhan Experiment | 20120605 | 20120605 (WS) 20120606 20120606 (WS) | In 1969 an American psychologist called David Rosenhan put psychiatrists to the test. He and several volunteers had themselves admitted to psychiatric hospitals, although they were perfectly sane. They then waited for the doctors to notice their normal behaviour. |
| The Pompidou Centre | 20120606 | 20120606 (WS) 20120610 20120610 (WS) | It is 35 years since the opening of the iconic modern art centre in Paris. Richard Rogers was one of the two architects who won the commission to build it. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images |
| The Pompidou Centre | 20120606 | 20120606 (WS) 20120607 20120607 (WS) | It is 35 years since the opening of the iconic modern art centre in Paris. |
| Pollard Spy Case | 20120607 | 20120607 (WS) 20120608 20120608 (WS) | It's 26 years since an American intelligence analyst admitted selling secrets to Israel. Jonathan Pollard sold tens of thousands of confidential documents to Israeli agents over an 18-month period. We hear from one of the investigators who brought him down. Photo: Jonathan Pollard/AP |
| Pollard Spy Case | 20120607 | 20120607 (WS) 20120610 20120610 (WS) | It's 26 years since an American intelligence analyst admitted selling secrets to Israel. Jonathan Pollard sold tens of thousands of confidential documents to Israeli agents over an 18-month period. We hear from one of the investigators who brought him down. Photo: Jonathan Pollard/AP |
| Robert Kennedy's Funeral Train | 20120608 | How Americans lined the route of Senator Robert Kennedy's funeral train in 1968. In June 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy was gunned down during his campaign for the American presidency. Amid the nationwide mourning that followed, his funeral train travelled from New York to Washington with huge crowds lining the tracks. Witness speaks to Kennedy's former press secretary and to his former bodyguard. (Photo: Robert Kennedy campaigning in 1968. Credit: Getty Images). | |
| The Pentagon Papers | 20120611 | 20120612 | The man behind one of the most important security breaches in US history tells his story. In 1971, the New York Times published one of the most important leaks in US history - 7000 pages of top-secret Defence Department documents known as the Pentagon Papers. The Papers were leaked by a Pentagon analyst called Daniel Ellsberg in an attempt to end the Vietnam War. He tells his story to Witness. PHOTO: Daniel Ellsberg in the 1970s (Getty Images). |
| The Pentagon Papers | 20120611 | 20120617 | The man behind one of the most important security breaches in US history tells his story. |
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| The Death Of Roberto Calvi | 20120618 | 20120619 | On June 17, 1982 an Italian banker was found dead in mysterious circumstances in London. He had been in charge of a bank with close ties to the Catholic church. He was known as God's Banker. Photo: Express Newspapers/Getty Images. |
| The Death Of Roberto Calvi | 20120618 | 20120624 | On June 17, 1982 an Italian banker was found dead in mysterious circumstances in London. |
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| Anne Frank's Diary | 20120625 | 20120626 | In June 1947 the diary of Anne Frank was published for the very first time. Witness has been speaking to her first cousin and closest surviving relative, 87-year-old Buddy Elias. (Photo: Anne Frank/Press Association). |
| Anne Frank's Diary | 20120625 | 20120701 | In June 1947 the diary of Anne Frank was published for the very first time. |
| The Football War | 20120626 | 20120627 | It is over 40 years since a brief but bloody war between Honduras and El Salvador. The conflict coincided with the two countries meeting in the qualifiers for the 1970 football World Cup. Hear the story as told by the captain of El Salvador's football team - Salvador Mariona. |
| The Football War | 20120626 | 20120701 | It is over 40 years since a brief but bloody war between Honduras and El Salvador. |
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| The Disappearance Of Amelia Earhart | 20120702 | 20120703 20120708 (WS) | In July 1937 the female flyer disappeared in her plane somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. She was attempting to fly around the world following the Equator. With her record breaking solo fights and her striking looks she had become an international celebrity by the time she died. Photo:Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan shortly before their disappearance. Hulton Archive/Getty Images. |
| Mass Wedding In New York City | 20120703 | 20120704 20120708 (WS) | In 1982 4,000 people got married in a mass blessing carried out by Reverend Sun Myung Moon He founded the Unification Church in Korea and his followers believe he should choose their spouses. Hear from an American bridegroom who married his Korean wife that day. (Image: Philip Shanker and his Korean bride). |
| The Muslim Brotherhood - Hassan Al-banna | 20120704 | 20120705 20120707 (WS) 20120708 (WS) | Egypt now has a president from the Muslim Brotherhood - hear how it started 84 years ago. Egypt now has a president from the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement which began 84 years ago. Its founder was Hassan al-Banna - an Egyptian teacher and imam. His grandson, the Islamic intellectual, Tariq Ramadan talks to Witness. (Image: An undated picture of Sheikh Hassan al-Banna (1906-1949), the founder of Egypt's Moslem Brotherhood. Credit: AFP/Getty Images) |
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| Telstar | 20120709 | 20120710 (WS) 20120715 | It is 50 years since the first ever transatlantic satellite TV broadcast. France, Britain and America worked together to make it happen. Telstar was the name of the satellite which beamed the live pictures across the world. Hear from one of the engineers who helped to make it possible. |
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| Angola Mercenaries | 20120710 | 20120715 | In July 1976 four foreign mercenaries were executed for their part in Angola's civil war. Three of the men were from Britain, a fourth was from America. American attorney Bob Cesner, was one of the defence lawyers. (Image: Bob Cesner at the 1976 trial). |
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| Irving T Bush - Builder Of Bush House | 20120711 | 20120715 | After 70 years, the BBC World Service is leaving its home at Bush House in central London. BBC Arts Reporter Vincent Dowd uncovers the story of Irving T Bush, the American businessman who gave his name to an iconic building. (Image: Bush House). |
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| New York Blackout | 20120716 | 20120717 20120722 (WS) | It is 35 years since the streets of the Big Apple were plunged into darkness. In the height of a summer heatwave there were riots on the streets. But as one New Yorker remembers - it wasn't all bad. Photo: New Yorkers walking home in the dark. Copyright: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. |
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| The Murder Of Versace | 20120717 | 20120722 20120722 (WS) | In July 1997 the Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace, was shot dead. In July 1997 the Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace, was shot dead outside his Miami mansion. His murder set off a huge manhunt across the US and shocked the tightly-knit world of fashion. (Image: The late Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace. Credit: Associated Press) |
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| Miguel Angel Blanco | 20120718 | 20120722 20120722 (WS) | In July 1997, the armed Basque separatist group, ETA, kidnapped a young local councillor called Miguel Blanco and threatened to kill him within 48 hours. The ultimatum sparked nationwide protests against ETA on a scale never previously seen in Spain. Witness speaks to former Spanish Interior Ministry official, Gustavo de Aristegui. PHOTO: Miguel Angel Blanco's sister, Maria del Mar, in front of a mural of her brother. (Getty Images) How the killing of a young Basque councillor sparked huge anti-ETA protests in Spain. |
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| Roosevelt In The Amazon | 20120723 | 20120724 (WS) 20120728 (WS) 20120729 (WS) | How the American president Theodore Roosevelt nearly died in the Amazon in 1914. After Theodore Roosevelt lost the American presidential election of 1912, he decided to explore an unknown tributary of the Amazon called the River of Doubt. It was a trip that nearly killed both Roosevelt and his son, Kermit. Witness brings together first-hand accounts of the trip, with the help of Candice Millard, author of River of Doubt - Roosevelt's Darkest Journey. PHOTO: Roosevelt on the campaign trail in 1912 (Getty Images). |
| The First Ivf Baby | 20120724 | 20120725 (WS) 20120729 (WS) | In July 1978 the first baby to be conceived in a laboratory was born in England. She was called Louise Brown and her mother had been treated with a new technique, in vitro fertilisation. Millions of children have since been born using IVF. (Photo: Louise Joy Brown. Credit: Getty Images) |
| The Death Of Evita Peron | 20120725 | 20120726 (WS) 20120728 (WS) 20120730 (WS) | It is 60 years since the Argentine first lady died. During her short life she had become an icon for women and the poor in Argentina Hear from two very different women who remember meeting her. (Photo: Juan and Eva Peron in 1950. Credit: Associated Press) |
| The Farewell Dossier | 20120726 | 20120727 (WS) 20120729 (WS) | How a mole in the KGB sent secrets to France and the USA in 1981. His codename was 'Farewell' - and the information he gave to the West helped helped to hasten the end of the Soviet Union. Photo: Francois Mitterand and Ronald Reagan outside the White House. AFP |
| Womad | 20120727 | 20120728 (WS) | It is 30 years since the first Womad - world music festival- in England. It was the idea of rock star Peter Gabriel. The first festival featured drummers from Burundi, pop songs from Scotland and sitar music from India. Photo: Peter Gabriel today. (Martin Vennard) |
| Megan's Law | 20120730 | 20120731 (WS) 20120804 (WS) 20120805 (WS) | Eighteen years ago a little girl was raped and murdered in New Jersey, USA. After her death her parents began campaigning for a change in the law to force public awareness of sex offenders. (Photo: Megan's mother Maureen testifying at the trial of her murderer. Credit: AP) Eighteen years ago a little girl was raped and murdered - her killing changed US law. |
| The Battle Of Passchendaele | 20120731 | 20120801 (WS) 20120805 (WS) | It was one of the defining battles of the First World War. Britain and its allies had ambitious plans to break through German lines - but they ended up mired in mud. Listen to the voices of soldiers who took part - from the BBC archive. Photo: Getty Images. |
| Uss Nautilus: Under The North Pole | 20120801 | 20120802 (WS) 20120804 (WS) 20120806 (WS) | The first voyage to the North Pole under the icecap. Ken Carr remembers Nautilus's mission In 1958, the nuclear submarine USS Nautilus travelled under the Arctic icecap to the North Pole. Admiral Ken Carr remembers a mission spurred by the Cold War battle for technological supremacy. (Image: the USS Nautilus) |
| The Kon-tiki Adventure | 20120802 | 20120803 (WS) 20120805 (WS) | The story of Thor Heyerdahl's crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki. In 1947, Thor Heyerdahl sailed his balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki, across the Pacific Ocean to add weight to his belief that ancient peoples were capable of long sea journeys. He also wanted to prove that it was possible that Polynesia was first colonised by natives of South America. (Image: The Kon-Tiki raft. Credit: Getty Images) |
| The Death Of Marilyn Monroe | 20120803 | 20120804 (WS) | Marilyn Monroe is perhaps Hollywood's most enduring sex symbol and on the 50th anniversary of her death, two of her photographers - Eve Arnold and George Barris - remember the woman, her charm, her insecurity, her films and her affairs. (Image: Marilyn Monroe on set in the film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Credit: AP Photo/Courtesy Running Press) It's 50 years since the death of Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood's ultimate sex symbol. |
| Omarska Concentration Camp | 20120806 | 20120807 (WS) 20120811 (WS) 20120812 (WS) | The story of a survivor of Omarska concentration camp in Bosnia. Omarska was the first concentration camp discovered in Europe since World War II. One survivor, Satko Mujagic, tells of the torture and beatings inmates suffered during his ten weeks of incarceration. (Image Survivors of Omarska. Credit AP) |
| Bering Strait Swimmer | 20120807 | 20120808 (WS) 20120812 (WS) | In 1987, a 30-year-old American swimmer called Lynne Cox swam across the "Ice Curtain" between the USA and the Soviet Union. The Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait were only 2.7 miles apart, but divided by near-freezing water and Cold War rivalry. Lynne Cox talks to Witness. Her experiences are also recalled in her autobiography, Swimming to Antarctica. PHOTO: Lynne Cox on the Bering Strait. (Copyright Rich Roberts) How an American swimmer crossed the "Ice Curtain" between the USA and the Soviet Union. |
| Twenty-five Years Of Botox | 20120808 | 20120809 (WS) 20120811 (WS) 20120813 (WS) | It's quarter of a century since the world's most popular cosmetic treatment was discovered It's quarter of a century since the world's most popular cosmetic treatment was discovered by two doctors working in Vancouver. The husband and wife team discovered the skin-smoothing properties of botulinum toxin, which until then had been viewed primarily as a poison. Photo: Associated Press |
| Abebe Bikila The Barefoot Runner | 20120809 | 20120810 (WS) 20120812 (WS) | At the 1960 Olympics in Rome an Ethiopian athlete stunned the world. He was the first black African to win an Olympic gold medal and he did it without wearing shoes. Photo: AFP |
| The Plot To Kill Franco | 20120810 | 20120811 (WS) | The Scottish anarchist and the plot to kill General Franco. In 1964 an 18-year-old Scottish anarchist was part of an anti-Franco group in London. He smuggled explosives into Spain in a plot to kill General Franco. Stuart Christie, who is now in his sixties, recalls his clandestine journey across Europe, the secret signals and passwords he used, and his eventual arrest by Franco's secret police. Photo: Stuart Christie, photographed by Spanish police shortly after his arrest. |
| The Founding Of Napster | 20120813 | 20120814 (WS) 20120818 (WS) 20120819 (WS) | Shawn Fanning talks about how, as a teenager, he founded the file sharing website Napster. His was an extraordinary but shortlived success. The site attracted millions of users but also became a target for the music industry. Founded in 1999, it was closed down in 2001. (Image: Shawn Fanning. Credit: AP Photo/George Nikitin) Shawn Fanning talks about how he founded the file sharing website Napster. |
| Us Occupation Of Japan | 20120814 | 20120815 (WS) 20120819 (WS) | For six years following the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the US. For six years following the end of World War II in August 1945, Japan was occupied by the US. Akira Iriye was ten years old at the time and vividly remembers the surrender of his country to the Allied forces and the arrival of the first American GIs in Tokyo. (Photo: US President Harry S Truman holds up the official Japanese document of surrender with Emperor Hirohito's signature - Sept 1945. Getty Images) |
| The Last Viceroy Of India | 20120815 | 20120816 (WS) 20120820 (WS) | The daughter of the last British viceroy in India, Lord Mountbatten, remembers the transfer of power in 1947. Lady Pamela Hicks, who is now in her eighties, accompanied her father as he attended celebrations in both Karachi and Delhi. She remembers encounters both with Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, and Pandit Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. The daughter of the last British viceroy in India remembers the transfer of power in 1947. |
| Elvis - The Comeback Special | 20120816 | 20120817 (WS) 20120819 (WS) | On the 35th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, Witness goes back to a television special that revived his career at the end of the 1960s. At the time, Elvis was struggling to compete against new bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Witness speaks to Steve Binder, the director of what became known as the Comeback Special. PHOTO: Elvis in the late 1960s. (Getty Images) How a 1968 television special revived the career of the King of Rock and Roll. |
| The Assassination Of Ruth First | 20120817 | 20120818 (WS) | The parcel bomb attack that killed anti-apartheid activist Ruth First in 1982. Former anti-apartheid activist Alpheus Manghezi recalls the day in August 1982 when his colleague Ruth First was killed by a parcel bomb delivered to her office. Both Manghezi and First were living in exile in Mozambique. Manghezi describes how he visited the scene together with the Mozambican president, Samora Machel. The assassins were later identified as agents of the South African state. (Image: Former South African president Nelson Mandela unveiling a plaque dedicated to Ruth First and Joe Slovo in London. Credit: Getty Images) |
| Jacqueline Du Pre | 20120820 | 20120821 (WS) 20120825 (WS) 20120826 (WS) | makes one of the most famous classical recordings of the 20th Century. Jacqueline Du Pre makes one of the most famous classical recordings of the 20th Century. In August 1965, at the age of just 20, the British cellist Jacqueline Du Pre recorded the Elgar cello concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli. It became one of the most famous classical recordings of the 20th Century. Du Pre's career was cut short less than a decade later by multiple sclerosis. (Image: Jacqueline Du Pre in rehearsal) |
| Assassination Of Leon Trotsky | 20120821 | 20120822 (WS) 20120826 (WS) | The exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico City in August 1940, stabbed in the head with an ice-pick. Trotsky's grandson, Esteban Volkov, then aged 14, lived with his grandfather, and describes arriving home from school that fateful day. He also recalls a previous assassination attempt three months earlier. Photo: Esteban Volkov with his grandparents, Leon Trotsky and Natalia Sedova (courtesy of Trotsky Museum, Mexico City) The assassination of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotksy in Mexico City in 1940. |
| Windies Make England Grovel | 20120822 | 20120823 (WS) 20120825 (WS) 20120827 (WS) | The year the England cricket captain said he was going to make the West Indies "grovel". It's the summer of 1976 and the England cricket team is preparing for a series against the West Indies. The England captain, the South African-born Tony Greig, says in a pre-series interview that he intends to make his opponents "grovel". This was a highly provocative remark, made about a team of mainly black cricketers from the Caribbean in the era of apartheid; and a remark that Greig was made to regret once the teams took the field. (Image: Man of the match Michael Holding acknowledging the crowd after the fifth test for the Wisden Trophy at the Oval in 1976. Credit: Getty Images) |
| Hurricane Andrew | 20120823 | 20120824 (WS) 20120826 (WS) | In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit southern Florida, killing 44 people and causing billions of dollars of damage. Amid the chaos, weather forecaster Bryan Norcross stayed on air, dispensing calm advice to his viewers. The marathon broadcast made him a local hero. Bryan Norcoss recalls the hurricane for Witness. The audio in this programme was provided by The Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives (Image: Two people clearing rubble away from their family store. Credit: AFP) How broadcasting throughout a devastating storm made a Miami weatherman into a local hero. |
| The Death Of Getulio Vargas | 20120824 | 20120825 (WS) | The death of a president that shocked Brazil. In 1954 the president of Brazil, Getulio Vargas, chose to die rather than submit to the military. His sudden death resulted in a wide expression of public grief. His legacy was a letter to the Brazilian people that has passed into history. (Image: Getulio Vargas) |
| The Great Train Robbery | 20120827 | 20120828 (WS) 20120901 (WS) 20120902 (WS) | of 1963, when thieves stole more than £2 million. The Great Train Robbery of 1963, when thieves stole more than £2 million. The Royal Mail train was bound from Glasgow to London when it was held up. Most of the robbers ended up behind bars, but most of the money has never been recovered. |
| Bobby Fischer | 20120828 | 20120829 (WS) 20120902 (WS) | In 1972, the world was transfixed by a Chess match. At the height of the Cold War, volatile American Bobby Fischer took on Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union for the World Championship. Played in Iceland, the showdown was known as the "Match of the Century". Alex Last speaks to an Icelandic policeman who became a close companion of Bobby Fischer. PHOTO: AP In 1972, chess makes headlines as volatile American Bobby Fischer becomes world champion. |
| Soviet Protest Pioneers | 20120829 | 20120830 (WS) 20120903 (WS) | In 1968, seven Soviet intellectuals held a pioneering protest against the power of the Communist Party. Held in Moscow's Red Square, the demonstration was against the Soviet decision to crush the reformist movement in Czechoslovakia known as the Prague Spring. Although tiny in the number, the intellectuals attracted media attention in the West, even inspiring a protest song. Dina Newman talks to Pavel Litvinov, who organised the Moscow demonstration. How seven Soviet intellectuals held a pioneering protest in Moscow in 1968. |
| East Timor Referendum | 20120830 | 20120831 (WS) 20120902 (WS) | In 1999, the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. In response, militias loyal to Jakarta went on the rampage killing up to 1,000 people and overwhelming the United Nations mission. As the UN compound in Dili came under siege, British journalist Richard Lloyd Parry had to decide whether or not to stay in East Timor. PHOTO: Pro-Indonesia militiamen in Dili (Associated Press) How East Timor's vote for independence in 1999 sparked violence by pro-Indonesia militias. |
| The Death Of Princess Diana | 20120831 | 20120901 (WS) | The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, killed in a car crash on 31 August 1997. Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. Her companion, Dodi al-Fayed and the driver of the car also died. Witness speaks to one of her closest friends and a French doctor who attended the scene of the accident. (Image: Princess Diana. Photo credit VINCENT AMALVY/AFP/Getty Images) |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger And Mr Universe | 20120903 | 20120904 (WS) 20120908 (WS) 20120909 (WS) | Arnold Schwarzenegger first made his name in the 1960s as Mr Universe. He was a shy young man with little English, but he took the world of bodybuilding by storm. Witness meets two men who knew him in those days; a fellow competitor and a Mr Universe judge. Picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger courtesy of Getty Images. Arnold Schwarzenegger and bodybuilding in the 1960s. |
| The Riot In Chicago In 1968 | 20120904 | 20120905 (WS) 20120909 (WS) | The riot that overshadowed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968. In 1968, a riot overshadowed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. An anti-Vietnam War protest had long been planned, but things soon spiralled out of control. Witness talks to one of the organisers of the protest, who was hoping to persuade the government to stop the war. PHOTO: APA/Getty Images |
| Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty: 15 Years In A Foreign Embassy | 20120905 | 20120906 (WS) 20120908 (WS) 20120910 (WS) | In 1956 a Hungarian Cardinal sought refuge in the US Embassy in Budapest. Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty had been imprisoned by the communists in 1948. Released during the uprising against Soviet rule he faced re-arrest when Moscow ordered tanks into Budapest. (Image: Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
| Attack On Springboks In New Zealand | 20120906 | 20120907 (WS) 20120909 (WS) | In 1981 anti-apartheid protestors used a plane to attack South African rugby players. They wanted to stop them from playing against New Zealand's All Blacks. Hear from a player, and a protestor who were there. |
| The "last Indian" | 20120907 | 20120908 (WS) | In 1911, an American Indian called Ishi emerged from the North Californian forest after decades in hiding from Indian-hunters. He is thought to be the last survivor from the Yahi tribe. Ishi became a tourist attaction in San Francisco and many recordings were made of his stories and music. Louise Hidalgo retraces Ishi's story. PHOTO: Courtesy of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of California. How a Yahi Indian called Ishi emerged from the Northern Californian wilderness in 1911. |
| Mo Farah | 20120910 | 20120911 (WS) 20120915 (WS) 20120916 (WS) | The Somali-born runner, Mo Farah, has become one of the heroes of the London 2012 Olympics after winning Gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres for his adopted country. As Farah leads a parade of British athletes through London, Witness speaks to Alan Watkinson, the school sports teacher who transformed Farah's life. (Image: Mo Farah. Credit: Associated Press) How a London school sports teacher changed the life of the Somali-born Olympic champion. |
| Phoolan Devi - Bandit Queen | 20120911 | 20120912 (WS) 20120916 (WS) | It is 30 years since a teenage Indian woman spread fear in the North East of the country. She committed ruthless and violent acts as revenge, she said, for the abuse she had suffered at the hands of upper-caste men. Listeners may find some of the descriptions of violence in this report shocking. (Image: Phoolan Devi) |
| The Death Of Steve Biko | 20120912 | 20120913 (WS) 20120915 (WS) 20120917 (WS) | It is 35 years since the anti-apartheid activist died in a police cell. The South African police claimed he'd starved himself to death. Helen Zille was the journalist who helped uncover the truth behind his demise. (Image: Members of the Socialist Party of Azania (SOPA) hold a candle light memorial ceremony to mark the death anniversary of the anti-apartheid activist and founder of the Black Conscioussness Movement Steve Bantu Biko. Credit: RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP/GettyImages) |
| Dingo Baby Trial | 20120913 | 20120914 (WS) 20120916 (WS) | It is 30 years since an Australian woman was accused of murdering her daughter. It is 30 years since an Australian woman, Lindy Chamberlain, was accused of murdering her 9 week old baby. Lindy claimed her daughter was stolen by a wild dog. Photo: Getty Images |
| The Shooting Of Tupac Shakur | 20120914 | 20120915 (WS) | Sixteen years ago, the American hip hop star Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting. His bodyguard Frank Alexander has been talking to Witness about that day. Photo of Tupac Shakur in 1993. Associated Press. How the American hip hop star Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting. |
| A Polish Odyssey | 20120917 | 20120924 (WS) | One girl's story of exile and soldiering during World War II. Danuta Maczka was just 14 when her family was sent to Siberia in 1940. By the time she was 16 she had been recruited into a Polish army in the Middle East and was fighting the Nazis. One girl's story of exile and soldiering during World War Two. |
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| Mules And The Mujahideen | 20120919 | 20120920 (WS) 20120922 (WS) | Twenty-five years ago, a shipment of mules was sent from the USA to Afghanistan. They were part of Ronald Reagan's effort to help fight the Soviets. Witness hears from a Mujahideen commander and an American vet who dealt with the animals. Photo: AFP/Getty images. |
| Blasphemy In Pakistan | 20120920 | 20120921 (WS) 20120923 (WS) | In 1998 a Roman Catholic Bishop killed himself in protest at Pakistan's blasphemy laws. His name was Bishop John Joseph - and he believed that the laws were being used to persecute Christians. Hear from a Catholic priest who knew him well, but who still believes he should not have taken his own life. Photo: AFP/Getty Images. |
| The Hobbit | 20120921 | 20120922 (WS) 20120923 (WS) | How an Oxford academic came up with a story that charmed children for generations. How Oxford academic JRR Tolkein came up with The Hobbit, a story that charmed children for generations. Hear excerpts from the BBC's archive of interviews, including JRR Tolkein himself. (Image: JRR Tolkein in 1967. Credit: Associated Press) |
| Silent Spring | 20120924 | 20120925 (WS) 20121001 (WS) | It is 50 years since the publication of a book which helped launch the green movement. It is 50 years since the publication of a book which helped launch the environmental movement. Rachel Carson was the biologist who highlighted the dangers of pesticides, particularly DDT. |
| West Side Story | 20120925 | 20120926 (WS) | It is 55 years since a groundbreaking musical, West Side Story, opened on Broadway. Hear from a dancer and a producer involved in the original show. With music by Leonard Bernstein, it transferred the story of Romeo and Juliet to New York City. Photo: Leonard Bernstein. Copyright BBC. |
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| Ira Jail Break | 20120927 | 20120928 (WS) 20120930 (WS) | In September 1983 a group of IRA prisoners escaped from the high security Maze jail in Northern Ireland. Most of them had been jailed for bombings and killings carried out as part of their campaign against British rule. Hear from 'Bik' McFarlane - one of the leaders of the breakout. (Image: The Maze prison with its H blocks Credit: Press Association) |
| Sharon At The Al-aqsa Compound | 20120928 | 20120929 (WS) | In September 2000 the Israeli opposition leader visited the Al-Aqsa compound. In September 2000 the Israeli opposition leader visited the Al-Aqsa compound in Jersualem's old city. Hear from an Israeli, and a Palestinian who were there that day. Photo: Ariel Sharon at the compound. Credit: AFP/Getty Images. |
| German Refugees In Post-war Europe | 20121001 | 20121008 (WS) | At the end of World War Two, many ethnic Germans in Central Europe were forced to leave their homes. No longer welcome outside Germany they ended up in internment camps, sometimes for years at a time. Hear from one woman who lived through that time. (Photo: Martha Kent and her siblings after their release from Potulice concentration camp) |
| German Refugees In Post-war Europe. | 20121001 | 20121002 (WS) | At the end of WW2, many ethnic Germans in Central Europe were forced to leave their homes. At the end of World War Two, many ethnic Germans in Central Europe were forced to leave their homes. No longer welcome outside Germany they ended up in internment camps, sometimes for years at a time. Hear from one woman who lived through that time. |
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| The Achille Lauro Hijacking | 20121008 | 20121009 (WS) 20121015 (WS) | In 1985 the crew and passengers of an Italian luxury cruise liner were held hostage by gunmen from the Palestine Liberation Front in the Red Sea. The hijackers spent three days attempting to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails before trying to make a get away. Photo: The Achille Lauro and Egyptian security forces. AFP/Getty Images. In 1985 a luxury cruise liner was held by Palestinian gunmen in the Red Sea. Photo: The Achille Lauro and Egyptian security forces. AFP/Getty Images. |
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| Search For The Loch Ness Monster | 20121011 | 20121012 (WS) 20121014 (WS) | It is 25 years since the most in-depth and expensive survey of Loch Ness. The scientists were searching for infallible evidence of the mythical monster. Hear from the man in charge of Operation Deepscan - Adrian Shine. (Image: A 1934 picture of the alleged monster. Credit: Getty Images) |
| Modern Art In Tehran | 20121012 | 20121013 (WS) | It is 35 years since the opening of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. It contains one of the finest collections of modern Western art outside Europe and North America. Hear from its founder and architect - Kamran Diba Photo: A woman visitor to the Museum. AFP/Getty Images. |
| Cuban Missile Crisis - The Photos | 20121015 | 20121022 (WS) | It is 50 years since the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Dino Brugioni was a CIA expert whose job was to interpret the photographs of missiles in Cuba. Photo: President Kennedy in the White House during the crisis. Associated Press |
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| Cuban Missile Crisis - The Missiles | 20121022 | 20121023 (WS) 20121029 (WS) | It is 50 years since the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. Witness hears from a Cuban who found himself caught up in events as the Soviet missiles were moved into place. (Photo: US-taken aerial view of a Soviet Medium Range Ballistic Missile site on Cuba. Hulton Archive/Getty Images) It is 50 years since the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Hear from a Cuban who found himself caught up in events as the Soviet missiles were moved into place. |
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| The Iran-iraq War | 20121025 | 20121026 (WS) 20121028 (WS) | In the autumn of 1980 one of the longest wars of the 20th Century began. |
| Cuban Missile Crisis - The Showdown | 20121026 | 20121027 (WS) | Fifty years ago, the USA and the Soviet Union were poised to go to war over nuclear weapons in Cuba. The Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev finally offered to withdraw the missiles as the crisis came to a head. His son Sergei remembers those fraught few days. Photo: Courtesy of Sergei Khrushchev. Fifty years ago, the US and Soviet Union were poised to go to war over missiles in Cuba. |
| Russian Revolution | 20121030 | 20121031 (WS) 20121104 (WS) | It is 95 years since the October Revolution which led to the creation of the Soviet Union. Hear an account from the BBC's archive, of a young woman living in Moscow. Photo: A demonstration in Moscow during the revolution. AFP/Getty Images |
| Garbage, The City And Death By Fassbinder | 20121031 | 20121101 (WS) 20121104 (WS) | In 1985 a Frankfurt theatre attempted to stage a play by the controversial German writer. In 1985 a Frankfurt theatre attempted to stage a play by the provocative German writer, Rainer Werner Fassbinder. But the local Jewish community said the work was anti-semitic. Hear from an actress, and a protestor involved in the controversy. Photo: Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Copyright: BBC. |
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| The Crate Escape | 20121105 | 20121106 (WS) 20121112 (WS) | In London in 1984, a joint Nigerian-Israeli team attempted to kidnap and repatriate the exiled former Nigerian minister Umaru Dikko. Dikko, who'd fled Nigeria after a military coup, was accused of stealing $1 billion of government money. We hear from Charles David Morrow, the young British customs officer who foiled the kidnap plot. Photo: Umaru Dikko shortly after his release. BBC An incredible plot to kidnap, drug and repatriate Nigerian exile Umaru Dikko in 80s London Dikko, who'd fled Nigeria after a military coup, was accused of stealing 1 billion dollars of government money. |
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| Baby Fae And The Baboon Heart Transplant | 20121112 | 20121113 (WS) 20121119 (WS) | In 1984 doctors in California tried a revolutionary operation on a two-week-old baby girl. She had been born with a fatal heart condition - but there was no infant human donor available. Hear from the lead surgeon, and an intensive care nurse involved in the fight to save Baby Fae's life. Photo: Baby Fae listening to her mother's voice in the isolation unit. Courtesy of Loma Linda Hospital In 1984 doctors in California tried a revolutionary operation on a 2 week old baby girl. She had been born with a fatal heart condition - but there was no infant human donor available. Hear from the lead surgeon, and an intensive care nurse involved in the fight to save Baby Fae's life. |
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| The Lost Tribe Hoax | 20121115 | 20121116 (WS) 20121118 (WS) | In the 1970s the Filipino government annouced they had discovered a group of cave dwellers who were still living as people did in the stone age. But the tribe turned out to be a hoax that fooled the scientific community. Photo: Members of the Tasaday tribe photographed by Oswald Iten in the 1980s after they admitted the hoax. |
| Cesar Chavez - Yes We Can! | 20121116 | 20121117 (WS) | How the Mexican-American trade union leader Cesar Chavez inspired Latinos in the 1960s. In the 1960s, a wave of strikes and protest marches by Mexican-American farm-workers inspired Latinos across the US. The movement was led by Cesar Chavez - a man now regarded by his community as a civil rights hero. Witness speaks to Dolores Huerta, who worked closely with Chavez and coined the slogan "Yes We Can!" |
| Shoot | 20121119 | 20121120 (WS) | In November 1971 a young American artist decided to get a friend to take a shot at him. His name was Chris Burden and the shooting would go down in the history of performance art. He has been speaking to Witness about the ideas behind the event. |
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| Lee Harvey Oswald And The Ussr | 20121122 | 20121123 (WS) 20121125 (WS) | Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of killing President John F Kennedy in November 1963 had spent more than two years living in the USSR. He had defected there after serving as a US Marine. He got a job in Minsk, and got married but was then welcomed back to the USA. Photo: Associated Press, Lee Harvey Oswald in police custody. |
| The Trojan Room Coffee Pot | 20121123 | 20121124 (WS) | 20 years ago the world's first webcam was set up - and it was pointed at a pot of coffee. Twenty years ago the world's first webcam was created - and it was pointed at a pot of coffee. A camera was set up because computer scientists wanted to be able to see if a coffee pot in a room at Cambridge University was was full and fresh - or empty - and thus not worth a journey to the room where the coffee pot was kept. Soon computer geeks around the world were checking it daily. |
| The Secret Soviet Naval Mutiny | 20121126 | 20121127 (WS) 20121203 (WS) | In November 1975, an incredible mutiny took place aboard a Soviet warship, the Storozhevoy, in the Baltic sea. The Kremlin ordered the Soviet military to sink the ship. We speak to Boris Gindin, one of the survivors of the mutiny. Photo: A Soviet frigate similar to the Storozhevoy. In November 1975 an incredible mutiny took place aboard a Soviet warship in the Baltic. In November 1975 an incredible mutiny took place aboard a Soviet warship, the Storozhevoy, in the Baltic sea. The Kremlin ordered the Soviet military to sink the ship. We speak to Boris Gindin, one of the survivors of the mutiny. |
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| Iran Hostage Crisis - The Canadian Story | 20121129 | 20121130 (WS) 20121202 (WS) | In November 1979 Iranian revolutionaries stormed the US embassy in Tehran taking everyone inside hostage. But six Americans escaped - they sought refuge in the Canadian embassy. Their story is told in the Hollywood movie Argo. Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor had to get them safely out of the country. Photo: Iranians climbing the gates of the US embassy at the beginning of the hostage crisis. Copyright: AFP/Getty Images. |
| First Successful Sex Change | 20121130 | 20121201 (WS) | The story of Christine Jorgensen who had surgery to change her sex from a man to a woman. It is 60 years since newspapers in the US announced the successful operation of Christine Jorgensen. Once a soldier called George, she transformed herself into a woman and a glamorous Hollywood star. |
| The Bhopal Gas Disaster | 20121203 | 20121204 (WS) | In December 1984 thousands of people in the Indian city were killed by a chemical leak. In December 1984 thousands of people in the Indian city of Bhopal were killed by leak from a chemical plant. The city was enveloped by a cloud of poisonous gas. Two survivors of the disaster have spoken to Witness. Photo:Waiting for treatment outside the hospital. Copyright: Bedi/AFP/Getty Images |
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| The Origin Of Nollywood | 20121210 | 20121211 (WS) 20121217 (WS) | The story of the 1992 film which launched Nigeria's hugely successful movie industry. It was called "Living in Bondage". We speak to one of the stars of the film, Kanayo O. Kanayo. |
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| The M Room | 20121217 | 20121218 (WS) 20121224 (WS) | How exiles from the Nazis helped British intelligence listen in on German prisoners-of-war. Ninety-three-year-old Fritz Lustig, a refugee from Nazi Germany, is one of the last surviving members of the secret "M Room". He helped glean vital information from German POWs about Hitler's war machine. Photo: Sgt Fritz Lustig, circa 1942 (courtesy of Lustig family) Ninety-three-year-old Fritz Lustig, a German Jew, is one of the last surviving members of the secret "M Room". Photo: Sgt Fritz Lustig, cerca 1942 (courtesy of Lustig family) |
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| Mad Cow Disease - Cjd | 20121221 | 20121222 (WS) | In the 1990s it became clear that a brain disease could be passed from cows to humans. In the 1990s it became clear that a brain disease could be passed from cows to humans. The British government introduced a ban on beef on the bone. But for some people it was too late, members of their families were already sick. Photo: BBC. |
| Dusty Plays South Africa | 20121224 | 20121225 (WS) | In 1964 the British popstar Dusty Springfield went on tour in apartheid South Africa. In 1964 the British popstar Dusty Springfield went on tour in apartheid South Africa. She said she would only play to racially mixed audiences but the authorities didn't approve. She was forced to leave the country before she had finished her tour. Photo: Dusty in 1964 - BBC. |
| The Execution Of The Ceauåÿescus | 20121225 | 20121226 (WS) | On December 25th 1989, Nicolae and Elena CeauÅŸescu were executed by firing squad. It was the end of one of the most repressive regimes in former communist eastern Europe. Petre Roman took part in the revolution that overthrew the CeauÅŸescus and became the country's first democratic prime minister. Photo: Nicolae CeauÅŸescu shortly before his execution. |
| Vietnam War - Christmas Bombing Campaign | 20121226 | 20121227 (WS) 20121230 (WS) | 40 years ago the US launched its heaviest aerial bombardment of the Vietnam War. 40 years ago the Americans launched their heaviest aerial bombardment of the Vietnam War. It was to become known as the Christmas bombing campaign. 20 thousand tonnes of explosives were dropped on or around the Northern city of Hanoi. Photo: A B52 flying over Vietnam. Credit: VT Freeze Frame. |
| Maitatsine | 20121227 | 20121228 (WS) 20121230 (WS) | In 1980 thousands died in the Nigerian city of Kano in an uprising by an Islamic sect. In December 1980, thousands were killed in the Nigerian city of Kano following an uprising by an Islamic sect. The sect was led by a radical preacher, Maitatsine. We hear from a witness who saw hundreds of suspects summarily executed as the Nigerian state tried to crush the uprising. Photo: Kano old city wall c. 1975 |
| Big Brother - The Beginning Of Reality Tv | 20121228 | 20121229 (WS) | In December 1999 a young Dutch man won the first ever Big Brother reality TV show. It was to be the start of a global television phenomenon. But for 22-year-old Bart Spring in't Veld, his victory proved to be a mixed blessing. Photo: Big Brother winner Bart Spring in't Veld (Endemol) |
| Pong And The Birth Of The Computer Game | 20121231 | 20130101 (WS) 20130107 (WS) | It is 40 years since a video game was invented which would change the way we play. It is 40 years since a video game was invented which would change the way we play. An on screen version of table tennis, to begin with Pong was only played in video arcades. But soon a home version was created which people could plug into their televisions. Photo credit: BBC. |
| Donald Woods Flees South Africa | 20130101 | 20130102 (WS) | It is 35 years since the South African newspaper editor was forced into exile. It is 35 years since the South African newspaper editor was forced into exile. He had shown that the police had killed anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. After he published the story, he and his wife and children had to leave South Africa in fear for their lives. It would be more than 10 years before he could return home. Photo: Donald Woods and Nelson Mandela. BBC |
| The Keeling Curve | 20130102 | 20130103 (WS) 20130106 (WS) | How a young American scientist began the work that would show how our climate is changing. How a young American scientist began the work that would show how our climate is changing. His name was Charles Keeling and he meticulously recorded levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. His wife and son remember him. Photo: John Giles/PA Wire |
| Waiting For Godot | 20130103 | 20130104 (WS) 20130106 (WS) | How Samuel Beckett's existentialist masterpiece revolutionised the theatre 60 years ago. In January 1953, Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" had its premiere at a small avante-garde theatre in Paris. With its long pauses and lack of plot, the play was revolutionary. Simon Watts talks to Beckett's biographer and friend, Professor Jim Knowlson of Reading University. PHOTO: Samuel Beckett visting the BBC in 1977. |
| Donald Campbell's Fatal Crash | 20130104 | 20130105 (WS) | In January 1967 Donald Campbell was killed while trying to beat his own water speed record His famous jet-boat Bluebird crashed at around 300 miles per hour. Gina Campbell, his only daughter, was 17 years old at the time. Photo: |
| Operation No Living Thing | 20130107 | 20130108 (WS) 20130114 (WS) | In January 1999, a combined rebel force invaded the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown. Despite the presence of a Nigerian-led intervention force, the rebels took much of the city. Thousands were killed. We talk to a former rebel soldier who was there. Some listeners may find his account disturbing. Photo: Nigerian ECOMOG troops in Freetown Jan 1999 AFP/Getty Images |
| Johnny Cash Plays Folsom Prison | 20130108 | 20130109 (WS) 20130113 (WS) | It is 45 years since the Country and Western star played his first gig in a high-security jail. But the singer had been interested in prisoners' lives for years. His drummer remembers the day they first set foot in the prison. Photo: Johnny Cash - BBC. |
| Tito On Vis | 20130109 | 20130110 (WS) 20130113 (WS) | In 1944 the Yugoslav partisan leader found sanctuary on a tiny island in the Adriatic. In 1944, in the middle of World War Two, the Yugoslav partisan leader found sanctuary on a tiny island in the Adriatic Sea. His resistance to German occupation had made him a target and he was taken there for his own safety by the British. After the war he went on to lead Communist Yugoslavia until his death. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. |
| Festival In The Desert | 20130110 | 20130111 (WS) 20130113 (WS) | In 2001 a festival held in the Sahara desert launched Tuareg music on the world scene Islamist rebel groups in Northern Mali recently announced a ban on music in all areas under their control. We take you back to the first Festival in the Desert in 2001, which launched Tuareg music on the world scene. Photo: Tuareg at first Festival in the Desert. Copyright Andy Morgan |
| The Boxing Day Tsunami And Aceh | 20130111 | 20130112 (WS) | When the earthquake and tsunami of December 2004 hit Indonesia, over 130,000 people died. Dendy Montgomery was living in the city of Bandah Aceh which was laid waste by the disaster despite being 5 kilmoetres inland. |
| The Tuskegee Syphilis Study | 20130114 | 20130115 (WS) 20130121 (WS) | For 40 years, the US government conducted a secret experiment on 600 African-American men. For nearly 40 years, the US government conducted an experiment on a group of African-American men without their knowledge - to see what would happen if their syphilis was left untreated. Photo: US National Archive. For nearly 40 years, the US government conducted an experiment on a group of African-American men without their knowledge - to see what happened if syphilis was left untreated. |
| Chaim Soutine | 20130115 | 20130116 (WS) 20130120 (WS) | It is 120 years since the birth of the great Expressionist painter. Born near Minsk he lived most of his life in Paris. His works influenced Western artists for decades after his death in 1943. Image: La Jeune Anglaise. Credit: Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris. It is 120 years since the birth of the great Expressionist painter. Born near Minsk he lived most of his life in Paris. |
| Roe V Wade | 20130116 | 20130117 (WS) 20130120 (WS) | 40 years since the landmark decision in the US Supreme Court which made abortion legal. Hear from the young lawyer who brought the case. Her name was Sarah Weddington and she was fresh out of law school. Photo: Sarah Weddington. |
| Black Stars Of Ghana | 20130117 | 20130118 (WS) 20130120 (WS) | In the 1960s, the Ghanaian football team dominated Africa, winning tournament after tournament. Known as the Black Stars, they were an exciting attacking force which President Kwame Nkrumah hoped would help promote African unity. But in 1965, the Ghanaians faced an uphill struggle in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunis. Their star striker, Osei Kofi, remembers the match for Witness. PHOTO: Osei Kofi speaking to the BBC. Striker Osei Kofi on how the Ghanaian football team dominated Africa in the 1960s. |
| The Arrest Of Klaus Barbie | 20130118 | 20130119 (WS) | Thirty years ago, the former Gestapo chief, Klaus Barbie, was arrested in Bolivia. He had been in hiding in South America since 1949. Nazi hunters, Serge and Beate Klarsfeld, helped track him down. Photo: Klaus Barbie on his way to court in Lyon, France (AFP) |
| The Death Of Bassel Al Assad | 20130121 | 20130122 (WS) 20130128 (WS) | It is 19 years since the heir to the Syrian presidency died in a car crash. It is 19 years since the heir to the Syrian presidency died in a car crash. His younger brother Bashar, would eventually become the next President. Hear from someone who knew him well. Photo: AP Wire. |
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| The Capture Of Uss Pueblo | 20130123 | 20130124 (WS) 20130127 (WS) | American spy ship USS Pueblo was captured by North Korean forces forty-five years ago Forty-five years ago an American spy ship was captured by North Korean forces. The crew of USS Pueblo were held for almost a year, but they found small ways to resist. 'Skip' Carl Schumacher, a 24 year-old 1st Lieutenant, who was on board USS Pueblo, describes their ordeal. Photo: USS Pueblo's crew taken by North Korean military. |
| Hitler's Will | 20130124 | 20130125 (WS) | In January 1946 a young woman was given Hitler's will to translate into English. She had been sent to post-war Germany as part of the occupying forces. It was the culmination of her work for the British Army intelligence corps. Her name was Rena Stewart. Photo: Rena, front row, second from the left, in Germany in 1946. |
| Jimi Hendrix | 20130125 | 20130126 (WS) | In early 1967, the American guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, took London by storm. His flamboyant style and new ways of playing the electric guitar enthralled everyone from the Beatles to Eric Clapton. His English girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham, recalls her relationship with a man who would become a musical legend. PHOTO: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. The legendary guitarist's English girlfriend remembers his early days in 60s London. |
| Lagos Armoury Explosion | 20130128 | 20130129 (WS) 20130204 (WS) | Survivors relive the tragedy of the arms dump explosion in Lagos, Nigeria, 2002 In 2002, a huge weapons store exploded in Lagos, Nigeria, raining down explosives on the packed city. More than a thousand people died, thousands more fled their homes. We speak to some of the survivors. Photo: AFP In 2002 more than 1000 people died after a huge weapons store exploded in Lagos, Nigeria. |
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| Peter The Great In London | 20130130 | 20130131 (WS) 20130203 (WS) | How the young tsar's visit to 17th century England inspired him to modernise Russia. In January 1698, the young Peter the Great began a three-month visit to London. During his stay, the young Tsar got drunk and pursued actresses, but also found time to study British technology closely. Peter left London determined to turn Russia into a more western nation equipped with a Navy to rival England's. Witness tells the story of the tsar's visit using contemporary accounts. The programme also hears from Professor Anthony Cross, author of Peter the Great Through British Eyes. Image: Hulton Archive/Getty Images |
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| Hugo Chavez And The Failed Coup | 20130204 | 20130205 (WS) 20130210 (WS) | In February 1992 a group of Venezuelan army officers staged a coup, among them Hugo Chavez |
| "ghana Must Go" | 20130205 | 20130206 (WS) | Thirty years ago, Nigeria expelled up to 2 million African migrants. Most were Ghanaian |
| The Stolen Generation | 20130206 | 20130207 (WS) 20130210 (WS) | In 2008 the Australian Prime Minister apologised for the treatment of Aborigines In 2008 the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, apologised for the treatment of Aborigines. Particularly for the policies that led to indigenous children being taken from their families. Debra Hocking was taken from her mother and given to a white family in Tasmania. Photo: Aboriginal people gathered outside Parliament to hear the apology. Credit AFP/Getty |
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| The Algerian Massacres | 20130213 | 20130214 (WS) 20130217 (WS) | In the 1990s, the Algerian military was locked in a brutal struggle with radical Islamists. Its estimated that more than 150,000 were killed. The conflict was marked by massacres of entire villages. We report on the massacre of Sidi Hamed. (Photo: Women mourn victims in Sidi Hamed. Credit: AFP/Getty Images) In the 1990s, the Algerian military was locked in a brutal struggle with radical Islamists |
| The Fall Of Singapore | 20130214 | 20130215 (WS) | In February 1942 Britain's stronghold in South East Asia fell to the Japanese. In February 1942 Britain's stronghold in South East Asia fell to the Japanese. Tens of thousands of Commonwealth soldiers were taken prisoner. They were sent to prison camps across the region and set to work. Maurice Naylor worked on the Thai-Burma railway until World War Two ended. |
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| The Lost Egyptian Tomb | 20130218 | 20130219 (WS) 20130225 (WS) | In 1995, archaeologists in Egypt's Valley of the Kings made a remarkable discovery Alex Last has been speaking to Professor Kent Weeks, who led the team working on the lost tomb of KV5. Photo: Surveying inside KV5. Copyright: Theban Mapping Project |
| The Feminine Mystique | 20130219 | 20130220 (WS) 20130224 (WS) | In 1963, a frustrated American housewife, Betty Friedan, published one of the key texts in feminist thought. With its call for women to leave the home and enter the workplace, the Feminine Mystique paved the way for the women's liberation movement. Jo Fidgen speaks to two of Betty Friedan's children for Witness. The programme also contains archive recordings of Friedan herself. PHOTO: The Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. It's 50 years since a frustrated American housewife wrote one of the bibles of feminism. |
| People Power In The Philippines | 20130220 | 20130221 (WS) 20130224 (WS) | How four days of huge protests brought down Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. In 1986, four days of huge public protests brought down President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines. Kate McGowan, in Manila, talks to the leading Filipino novelist, Jose Dalisay, about the demonstrations. This edition of Witness was first broadcast in 2011. PHOTO: A rebel soldier points his gun at a portrait of Ferdinand Marcos during the uprising. (ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images) |
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| The Standoff At Wounded Knee | 20130227 | 20130228 (WS) 20130303 (WS) | Forty years ago, American Indian activists staged a protest against the US authorities. A siege began which lasted for over two months. One of the activists, Russell Means, spoke to the programme two years ago - he died in October last year. Photo: Dennis Banks (L) and Russell Means (R) during the siege. Credit: AFP Forty years ago, American Indian activists staged a protest against the US authorities. |
| Choosing A Pope | 20130228 | 20130301 (WS) | Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor tells the story of electing Pope Benedict at the Papal Conclave in April 2005. Cardinals are due to gather again to elected his successor. A Cardinal tells the story of electing Pope Benedict at the Papal Conclave in April 2005. |
| The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster | 20130301 | 20130302 (WS) | It's 70 years since 173 people were crushed to death at an air-raid shelter in London. It's 70 since 173 people were crushed to death at an air-raid shelter in east London during World War II. They were killed as they sought refuge in an underground train station. Sixty-two children were among the dead. We hear from one of the children who survived. Photo: Londoners sheltering from an air-raid in an underground train station, during World War II (Getty Images). |
| Armenia And Azerbaijan | 20130304 | 20130305 (WS) 20130311 (WS) | It is 25 years since violence broke out in the city of Sumgait in Azerbaijan. It is 25 years since violence broke out in the city of Sumgait in Azerbaijan. Anti-Armenian riots had to be put down by Soviet soldiers. They were a forewarning of the war that would split the region following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. |
| The Death Of Joseph Stalin | 20130305 | 20130306 (WS) | 60 years ago the Soviet dictator died and the whole of the USSR was plunged into mourning. Sixty years ago the Soviet dictator died and the whole of the USSR was plunged into mourning. Although many people were genuinely grieving, others had to put on a show of sadness. Hear from two young Russians of the time about how his death affected them. Photo: Associated Press |
| Skiing In The Swat Valley | 20130306 | 20130307 (WS) 20130310 (WS) | One man's mission to bring fun back to the battle-scarred Swat Valley in Pakistan. One man's mission to bring fun back to the battle-scarred Swat Valley in Pakistan. We speak to Matee Ullah Khan, ski enthusiast the pioneer instructor behind a local ski school in Malam Jabba. |
| Viagra | 20130307 | 20130308 (WS) | Fifteen years ago a new "wonder" drug was approved for use in the United States. Fifteen years ago a new "wonder" drug was first approved for use. It marked a breakthrough in the treatment of male impotence. We speak to two men who helped develop Viagra. Fifteen years ago a new "wonder" drug was first approved for use. It marked a breakthrough in the treatment of male impotence. We speak to two men who helped develop Viagra. |
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| The Tibetan Uprising | 20130311 | 20130312 (WS) 20130318 (WS) | In 1959 the people of Tibet turned against Chinese occupying forces. In 1959 the people of Tibet turned against Chinese occupying forces. Their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, escaped across the border to India. A shortlived battle for independence followed. Photo: Tibetan monks surrender their arms to members of the Chinese army (April 1959). AFP/Getty Images. |
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| Marie Stopes, Birth Control Pioneer | 20130313 | 20130314 (WS) 20130317 (WS) | In March 1921 Marie Stopes opened Britain's first birth control clinic in London. In March 1921, Marie Stopes opened Britain's first birth control clinic in London. The Mother's Clinic in Holloway offered advice to married mothers on how to avoid having any more children. Hear testimonies on the early days of birth control in Britain from the BBC archive. Picture: Popperfoto/Getty Images. |
| Giandomenico Picco - Hostage Negotiator | 20130314 | 20130315 (WS) | The UN envoy who tried to secure the release of Western hostages in Lebanon. He allowed himself to be abducted by their kidnappers on the streets of Beirut,time after time. He managed to arrange for 11 hostages to be freed. Photo: Giandomenico Picco in 1991. VT Freeze Frame. |
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| Iraq: Ten Years On - The Invasion Of Iraq | 20130319 | 20130320 (WS) 20130324 (WS) | John Crawford a college student and reserve soldier - was part of the US land invasion force that rolled into Southern Iraq in March 2003. Hear his story. Photo: US soldiers on waiting on the border between Kuwait and Iraq. Scott Nelson/Getty Images |
| Iraq: Ten Years On - Looting In Baghdad | 20130320 | 20130321 (WS) 20130324 (WS) | In April 2003, Baghdad descended into chaos as American troops took control of the city. In April 2003, Baghdad descended into chaos as American troops took control of the city. We hear the story of one Iraqi doctor who witnessed the lawlessness that engulfed Iraq's capital. (Photo: Looters in Baghdad 11 April 2003. AFP/Getty) |
| Iraq: Ten Years On - Working For The Americans | 20130321 | 20130322 (WS) | How one Iraqi who took a job with the US military, was threatened with death as a traitor. How one young Iraqi who took a job with the US military, was threatened with death as a traitor. Wisam worked as a delivery man and a translator for the Americans. He was sent a letter by the militias containing a bullet and told his days were numbered. Photo: Wisam, Baghdad, 2009 |
| Iraq:ten Years On - The Capture Of Saddam Hussein | 20130322 | 20130323 (WS) | In December 2003 the former Iraqi leader was finally caught by American forces. In December 2003 the former Iraqi leader was finally caught by American forces. He was found hiding in an underground bunker. Muwafaq al Rubaie helped to identify him, face-to-face. Photo: AP/US Army |
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| Unearthing The Terracotta Army | 20130327 | 20130328 (WS) | Discovered by chance by farmers digging a well, the secrets of the Qin Dynasty revealed after 2,000 years. We hear from the lead archaeologist responsible for one of the most important finds of the century, and what it tells us about the sophistication of the society at the time in China. Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images. |
| American Prisoners In Vietnam | 20130328 | 20130329 (WS) | After their release in 1973, former US prisoners of war began to talk about torture. After their release in 1973, former US prisoners of war began to talk about the torture they had suffered at the hands of the Vietcong. One of the POWs who spent longest in Vietnamese prison camps was Everett Alvarez - hear his story. |
| The Killing Of Archbishop Romero | 20130329 | 20130330 (WS) | On 24 March 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot dead while saying mass in San Salvador. On 24 March 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot dead while saying mass in San Salvador. His murder by a right-wing death squad, pushed El Salvador towards bloody civil war. Today, he is still revered by many Catholics as a saint. Photo: A portrait of Archbishop Romero on a wall in San Salvador (AFP) |
| Women And The Law In Britain | 20130401 | Over 175 years ago, a society hostess called Caroline Norton began campaigning for the rights of married women. Her husband had stopped her from seeing her children and had accused her of having an affair with the Prime Minister of the day. Image: Hulton Archive/Getty Images | |
| The Real Peter Pan | 20130402 | A family of real children inspired JM Barrie to write the story of Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. He first met them in Kensington Gardens in London. But their story is not a happy one. Photo: BBC The statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. | |
| Operation Babylift | 20130403 | As the Vietnam war ended and Saigon fell to communist forces, the US tried to fly thousands of orphans out of the country. One of the planes full of children crashed shortly after take off. Hear from two survivors. Photo: A North Vietnamese tank rolling through Saigon in April 1975. Credit: AFP/Getty Images | |
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| James Brown At The Boston Gardens | 20130405 | The soul singer's April 1968 concert was held amid rioting and violence provoked by the assassination of Martin Luther King. But despite the fears of the city's authorities, the streets of Boston were quiet the night James Brown and his band played. Listen to two people who were there. (Photo: Evening Standard, Hulton Archive) | |
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| Mickey Mouse Goes To Europe | 20130412 | When Disney opened its first theme park in Europe, just outside Paris, it was beset with problems from the start. It was years before the venture would break even. Bob Fitzgerald was the first CEO charged with launching Euro Disney, but his background was in the arts and he was more used to running operas and productions of Shakespeare than theme parks. (Image: Getty) | |
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| The Funeral Of Sir Winston Churchill | 20130417 | 20130422 (WS) | In January 1965 Britain held a state funeral for the man who led it through World War Two. In January 1965 Britain held a state funeral for the Prime Minister who led it through World War Two. His granddaughter Emma Soames spoke to Witness in 2011. Photo: Press Association. |
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| The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising | 20130419 | 70 years ago a few hundred Jewish fighters rose up against the German army as it began its final push to erase all traces of Jewish life in the Polish capital. Krystyna Budnicka is one of the very few Jews who survived the Uprising. As her older brothers fought, she hid in a sewer beneath the ghetto. Photo: STF/AFP/Getty Images. | |
| Haile Selassie Visits Jamaica | 20130422 | In April 1966 Ethiopia's ruler arrived in Jamaica. It was his first and only visit to the birthplace of the Rastafarian movement which revered him. In April 1966, Ethiopia's ruler made a spectacular arrival in Jamaica. It was his first and only visit to the birthplace of the Rastafarian movement which revered him. Photo: Haile Selassie in Addis Ababa, 1966. Getty Images | |
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| The Ballerina And The Coup | 20130426 | In April 1959 Dame Margot Fonteyn was part of a bizarre plot to topple the government of Panama. The ballerina's husband, Roberto Arias, the son of a former president, led the failed coup. Dame Margot bought hundreds of uniforms for the rebellion in New York. Photo: Dame Margot Fonteyn and her Panamanian husband (McCabe/Express/Getty Images) | |
| 20130429 | The story of our times told by the people who were there. | ||
| 20130430 | The story of our times told by the people who were there. | ||
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| 20130502 | The story of our times told by the people who were there. | ||
| The White Collar Art Collectors | 20130503 | 21 years ago, a priceless modern art collection was donated to the US National Gallery of Art. The donors were Herb and Dorothy Vogel – a former postal worker and a retired librarian. They’d spent over four decades building up the collection – which was crammed into their tiny Manhattan apartment. Photo copyright: Fine Line Media, Inc. | |
| Ira Hunger Strike | 20130506 | In 1981 the British government was faced with prisoners on hunger strike. The Irish republican activists were demanding to be treated as political prisoners not criminals. Several of them died in Northern Ireland - hear from one who survived. Photo:AFP/Getty Images | |
| Pavarotti's Uk Debut | 20130507 | On May 7th 1963, Luciano Pavarotti first perfomed on a British stage, in Northern Ireland. He was relatively unknown in those days but as a young singer who performed alongside him remembers, his talent shone out to everyone who heard him. Photo: Margaret Smyth as Kate and Luciano Pavarotti as Capt. Pinkerton, Belfast 1963. | |
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| The Arctic Convoys | 20130510 | We hear the story of Jack Humble, whose ship was torpedoed while escorting a convoy inside the Artic Circle. From 1941-45, Allied sailors and ships battled storms, bombers and U-boats to ferry war supplies to Russia in WW2. Photo: The story of our times told by the people who were there. | |
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| 20130516 | The story of our times told by the people who were there. |
