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Kultur & Gesellschaft

Witness History

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.

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Folgen von Witness History

2000 Folgen
  • Folge vom 11.12.2025
    The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa
    Following the abolishment of Apartheid in the 1990s, South Africa had to find a way to confront its brutal past without endangering the chance for peace. But it was a challenging process for many survivors of atrocities committed by the former racist regime. Sisi Khampepe served on the Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, she spoke to Rebecca Kesby in 2018 about how she had to put aside her own emotions and experiences at the hands of the police, to expose the truth about Apartheid. This programme contains contains harrowing testimony and graphic descriptions of human rights violations throughout.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by 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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.(Photo: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu at the Reconciliation and Truth commission. Credit: Reuters)
    Jetzt anhören
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    • Was ist das?
      Radio hören mit phonostar Help layer phonostarplayer Um Radio anzuhören, stehen dir bei phonostar zwei Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung: Entweder hörst du mit dem Online-Player direkt in deinem Browser, oder du nutzt den phonostar-Player. Der phonostar-Player ist eine kostenlose Software für PC und Mac, mit der du Radio unabhängig von deinem Browser finden, hören und sogar aufnehmen kannst. ›››› phonostar-Player gratis herunterladen X
  • Folge vom 10.12.2025
    The discovery of the coelacanth
    In 1938, South African museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discovered a coelacanth, a fish that was believed to have been extinct for 65 million years.It is thought to be our ancestor and the missing link between how fish evolved into four-legged amphibians.This was produced and presented by Rachel Naylor, in collaboration with BBC Archives.Eyewitness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by 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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.
    Jetzt anhören
    • im Online-Player
    • im phonostar-Player
    • Was ist das?
      Radio hören mit phonostar Help layer phonostarplayer Um Radio anzuhören, stehen dir bei phonostar zwei Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung: Entweder hörst du mit dem Online-Player direkt in deinem Browser, oder du nutzt den phonostar-Player. Der phonostar-Player ist eine kostenlose Software für PC und Mac, mit der du Radio unabhängig von deinem Browser finden, hören und sogar aufnehmen kannst. ›››› phonostar-Player gratis herunterladen X
  • Folge vom 09.12.2025
    Dismaland: Banksy's dystopian theme park
    In 2015, Banksy turned a derelict swimming pool in Weston-super-Mare, England, into a dystopian theme park which drew huge crowds and Hollywood stars.Working under cover of darkness, the street artist created Dismaland - a 'bemusement park' offering a satirical twist on mainstream resorts.The temporary exhibition featured a fire-ravaged castle, a riot police van sinking into a lake, and Cinderella’s upturned pumpkin carriage.Open for just five weeks, Dismaland sold thousands of tickets daily and injected an estimated £20 million into the local economy.Kurtis Young speaks to Reena Stanton-Sharma about his summer job as a steward at Dismaland.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by 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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.(Photo: A mermaid sculpture in front of the fairy castle. Credit: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
    Jetzt anhören
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    • Was ist das?
      Radio hören mit phonostar Help layer phonostarplayer Um Radio anzuhören, stehen dir bei phonostar zwei Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung: Entweder hörst du mit dem Online-Player direkt in deinem Browser, oder du nutzt den phonostar-Player. Der phonostar-Player ist eine kostenlose Software für PC und Mac, mit der du Radio unabhängig von deinem Browser finden, hören und sogar aufnehmen kannst. ›››› phonostar-Player gratis herunterladen X
  • Folge vom 08.12.2025
    The Balcombe Street IRA siege
    In December 1975, four members of one of the IRA’s deadliest units were chased by police through the streets of London before hiding out in a small flat owned by a middle-aged couple called John and Sheila Matthews. The resulting six-day siege was covered live on television and radio, and gripped Britain. It ended when Metropolitan Police negotiators persuaded the gunmen to leave the flat peacefully. In 2019, Simon Watts spoke to Steven Moysey who saw the siege unfold.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by 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 the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.(Photo: Police in action on Balcombe Street during the siege. Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
    Jetzt anhören
    • im Online-Player
    • im phonostar-Player
    • Was ist das?
      Radio hören mit phonostar Help layer phonostarplayer Um Radio anzuhören, stehen dir bei phonostar zwei Möglichkeiten zur Verfügung: Entweder hörst du mit dem Online-Player direkt in deinem Browser, oder du nutzt den phonostar-Player. Der phonostar-Player ist eine kostenlose Software für PC und Mac, mit der du Radio unabhängig von deinem Browser finden, hören und sogar aufnehmen kannst. ›››› phonostar-Player gratis herunterladen X