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BBC World Service

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

Witness History

In 1953, an Indian diplomat nicknamed the 'sombre porcupine' was given a rare opportunity when he was invited to the Kremlin to meet Joseph Stalin, one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. 

Krishna Menon was a key figure in India's fight for independence from British rule, and was close to Jawaharlal Nehru, who'd become independent India's first Prime Minister. 

Reena Stanton-Sharma listens to archive recordings of Menon recalling his impressions of the Soviet Union's leader in a 1967 BBC interview. 

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Krishna Menon. Credit: M Stroud/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

When Krishna Menon met Stalin

In 1999, a teenager's debut book unintentionally caused a royal scandal in Belgium that wouldn't be resolved for more than 20 years.

Each evening after he'd finished his homework, Mario Danneels dedicated his spare time writing a biography of Queen Paola. While researching her, he'd discovered that her husband, King Albert II, had fathered a child outside of his marriage.

It was just one sentence in his book but once the revelation was published it caused headlines across Europe which, as Mario tells Daniel Rosney, would weigh heavily on him until 2020.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Mario Danneels, 1999. Credit: Renders/Isopress-Senepart via Shutterstock)

Exposing King Albert II's secret child

In 1981, Poland's communist regime imposed martial law and the dissident Solidarity movement was suppressed. 

In response, Helena Luczywo helped set up an underground newspaper called Mazovia Weekly to communicate uncensored information to the population. 

Despite police raids and arrests, the newspaper played a significant role in the fall of communism in Poland. 

Helena tells Ben Henderson about the years she edited the newspaper while on the run.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Protest against martial law, 1982. Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images)

Poland’s underground newspaper

In 1980, Norway’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest included a traditional Sami joik song from the country’s indigenous community. 

It was the first time joiking was heard by an international audience. 

The song was originally created by Mattis Haetta as part of a protest against the building of a dam in Finnmark, in northern Norway – which would have flooded traditional Sami reindeer herding routes and villages. 

Surya Elango speaks to Inga Haetta, the sister of Mattis.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Mattis Hætta on Eurovision 1980. Credit: Stein Dag Jensen/National Library of Norway)

The Sami protest song that made Eurovision history

In 1997, Sweden changed television history. That year saw the launch of Expedition Robinson, widely regarded as the world’s first reality-based competitive television programme.

The premise was strikingly simple. A group of ordinary people were stranded on a remote island, where they were required to build shelter, compete in challenges and vote one another out — until only one contestant remained.

When the final votes were cast, it was Martin Melin who stood alone. In doing so, he became the world’s first reality TV winner — years before the genre would grow into a global entertainment force.

The programme’s path to broadcast was far from smooth. It prompted fierce ethical debate in Sweden and came close to being pulled before transmission. Yet once it aired, it became one of the country’s most talked-about and successful television shows.

Its format would go on to inspire the international hit Survivor, which marks its 50th US season in 2026.

Martin tells Maddy Savage how it felt to be part of a new cultural phenomenon.

A Podlit production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Martin Melin. Credit: Aftonbladet via Alamy)

When Sweden invented the reality game show

In 1996, the bricklayer renovating Merced dos Anjos’ home in Rio de Janeiro told her something strange had happened. Bones appeared as he was breaking ground. As she inspected the site, she found they were human. But why so many bones? Was it the work of a serial killer?

The answer was more macabre. They had unearthed an ancient cemetery. The discovery shed light on the brutal history of Brazil’s slavery past – and Rio’s role as the biggest slavery port in the Americas.

The neighbouring Valongo Wharf, today a World Heritage Site, received roughly one million African captives by 1831. Many were too weak after the transatlantic crossing and died soon after arriving. They were buried in the so-called New Blacks Cemetery.

Merced dos Anjos tells Julia Carneiro how the discovery upended her life and led her to create a research centre to shed light on Rio's painful past.

An Overcoat Media production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Merced Guimarães dos Anjos. Credit: Julia Dias Carneiro)

Uncovering a lost burial ground in Rio

In 1996, a fossil unearthed in China became the first confirmed record of a dinosaur covered in feathers.

Before this discovery, some palaeontologists had suggested that dinosaurs might have developed feathers and eventually evolved into modern birds, but the idea remained controversial due to the lack of concrete evidence.

Canadian palaeontologist Philip Currie was among the first experts to examine the specimen and recognise it as a feathered dinosaur. He tells Stefania Gozzer about the scientific debate the fossil ignited, as well as the challenges of accessing the specimen at a time when it was still difficult for Western researchers to study fossils in China.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken. 

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia. 

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: A cast of a Sinosauropteryx prima is on display in the Royal Ontario Museum. Credit: Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

The fossil that revealed the first dinosaur feathers

Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a seven-year project which examined the country’s residential school system. 

For more than 100 years, Indigenous children were taken from their families to boarding schools with the sole purpose to “kill the Indian in the child”. 

The schools were run by various church organisations on behalf of the Canadian government, and many children were subject to physical and sexual abuse. 

In 2015, the commission found that cultural genocide had been committed against Canada’s Indigenous people. 

Chief Wilton Littlechild was one of the three commissioners who travelled the country hearing survivor’s testimony. He has been speaking to Tim O’Callaghan. 

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Female students at a residential school with a nun in 1940. Credit: Reuters/ Canada. Dept. Indian and Northern Affairs/Library and Archives Canada)

Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission

In 1954, the BBC broadcast a new television programme in the United Kingdom. 

It was called Zoo Quest and it launched the career of a man who has since brought the natural world into millions of homes around the world, the broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. 

In 2021, Louise Hidalgo dove into the BBC archives to hear Sir David tell the story of the first natural history expedition for Zoo Quest - the hunt for the White-necked Picathartes in Sierra Leone in West Africa.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Sir David Attenborough plays recordings to Bundu Tribeswomen for Zoo Quest. Credit: BBC)

Sir David Attenborough's first Zoo Quest

On 9 May 2001, 127 people died and dozens more were injured at the Accra Stadium in Ghana.

It is Africa's worst football stadium tragedy.
 
The disaster happened at the end of a match between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak. Police fired tear gas after angry fans threw chairs onto the pitch. It caused a stampede.
 
Herbert Mensah was the Asante Kotoko chairman at the time and speaks to Jen Dale about his recollections of that day.

This programme contains distressing details.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. 

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. 

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Residents look at the empty Accra stadium after the stampede. Credit: Photo by Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images)

Africa's worst stadium disaster

Sales of alcohol in the USSR were severely limited in 1985 in a bid to fight drunkenness. But the anti-alcohol campaign was abandoned three years later when the Soviet economy was in trouble, and the government need more taxes. Dina Newman discussed the reasons for the campaign's failure with the former advisor to the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Alexander Tsipko. 

Photo: A Soviet anti-alcohol poster; Credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images.

USSR Wages War on Alcohol

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