Witness History

On 26 December 2004, an earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia sparking a tsunami which swept away entire communities around the Indian Ocean. In India, Choodamani and Karibeeran Paramesvaran’s children Rakshanya, 12, Karuyna, nine, and Kirubasan, five, were killed. A bereft Karibeeran asked his wife to buy them some poison but Choodamani heard a voice from God telling her to help those in n...

Every New Year’s Eve, millions of Germans turn on their TVs to rewatch an old favourite – the comedy Dinner for One. The black and white sketch is in English and features a British cast but is virtually unknown in the United Kingdom. The two-hander starts with butler James laying a table for five people for dinner. Then Miss Sophie arrives. It's her 90th birthday and she wants to celebrate with fo...

In the run-up to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, in the United States, a row broke out between Japan and South Korea over who would supply the athletes' village with kimchi. The two countries also took their dispute to the United Nations' Codex Alimentarius, an organisation which sets voluntary standards for food. Dr Chaelin Park from the World Institute of Kimchi tells Vicky Farncombe how Sout...

Cristeta Comerford has cooked for some of the most powerful people in the world. She spent almost three decades as a chef in the White House, serving five presidents from Bill Clinton to Joe Biden. On 5 August 2005, she made history by becoming the first woman and person of colour to be made executive chef of the White House kitchen. She speaks to Dan Hardoon about making it to the White House, he...

The arrival of instant noodles in India was a turning point in culinary history. In 1983, before Maggi 2-Minute Noodles launched, the country’s food culture centred around chapati, lentils and rice and the Indian economy was still a closed market. Sangeeta Talwar, formerly of Nestle India, tells Surya Elango how instant noodles forever changed the food habits of the country. Eye-witness accounts b...

In 1990, a cookery programme launched on BBC TV that would become a global phenomenon. Today, MasterChef airs in 70 countries around the world and has an estimated audience of one billion people. British film director Franc Roddam tells Vicky Farncombe how the idea for MasterChef came to him after he heard Hollywood bigwigs - including Mel Brooks - mocking British food. He wanted to prove that the...

On 6 November 1999, voters in Australia were asked if they wanted to break ties with the British monarchy and become a republic. The No campaign won with 55% of the vote. Rachel Naylor speaks to former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was chair of the Australian Republican Movement and leader of the Yes campaign, and Prof David Flint, the national convenor of Australians for a Constitutional M...

In 1981, the communist government of Poland declared martial law in an attempt to suppress rising protests and strikes. The civil unrest had been sparked by Solidarity, a trade union which became a social movement. Tanks and soldiers appeared on the street, Solidarity members were rounded up, and TV and radio stations shut down. For a devoutly Catholic country – Christmas was a sacred time, but un...

In 1974, the BBC launched the world's first teletext service. It provided information, like news and weather, through our TV screens, whenever users wanted, at the push of a button. Rachel Naylor speaks to Angus McIntyre, son of the late Colin McIntyre, Ceefax's first editor. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the ev...

When a plane carrying a team of young rugby players crashed into the Andes mountains in 1972, search teams soon gave up hope. But two months later, 16 passengers of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 emerged alive. The events became known as ‘The Miracle of the Andes’ and have previously been told in documentaries and films including Society of the Snow. One horrifying detail continues to fascinate au...

Ten years ago, the Taliban killed more than 140 people at Peshawar Army School on 16 December 2014. It’s one of the worst terror attacks in Pakistan’s history. Chemistry teacher Andaleeb Aftab survived by hiding in the staff toilets. The majority killed were young students, including Andaleeb’s 16-year-old son. She speaks to Ella Rule. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness Histo...

Singer and DJ, Leonardo Renato Aulder, got together with friends, including El General, to pioneer a movement in the 1980s which they called “reggae in Spanish”. It later became known as reggaeton. Many people think this globally popular music – with its legendary stars like Bad Bunny, Ivy Queen and Daddy Yankee - started in Puerto Rico, but they’re wrong. Renato, as he’s known, took dancehall mus...

The Panama Canal is a short cut between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean and plays a huge role in global shipping. The United States had rights to the land surrounding it, known as the canal zone, and also controlled the waterway itself. In 1977, responding to years of Panamanian protest, US President Jimmy Carter and Panama's General Omar Torrijos signed two new treaties, giving full control to Pan...

During World War Two, a Japanese American battalion became one of the most decorated army units in US military history. The 442nd Regimental Combat Unit earned more than 4,000 Purple Hearts and seven Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism in battle. The unit was set up in 1943, just over a year after Japan bombed the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. Following the attack, 120,000 Japan...

In 1953, Fidel Castro attacked military barracks in the east of Cuba in a bid to revolutionise the country. He failed, but it marked the beginning of his career as a guerrilla fighter. Michael Voss spoke to one of his comrades, Agustin Diaz Cartaya, in 2010. 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 sha...

In May 1998, India conducted five nuclear tests, drawing international condemnation. It was the first time the country had tested nuclear weapons for 24 years. Governments including the USA and Japan imposed economic sanctions on India, while Pakistan promised the tests “would not go unanswered”. Weeks later, Pakistan tested their own nuclear weapons. In response, the Indian artist, Nalini Malani,...

In October 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard made an impromptu speech in the Australian parliament setting out the misogyny she endured for years as a prominent female politician. In 2022, she spoke to Alex Collins about her career defining-speech which has been viewed online by millions of people. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the pas...

In May 1974, people gathered in Lisbon, Portugal, to see whether three women would be sent to jail for writing a book. Maria Teresa Horta, Maria Velho da Costa and Maria Isabel Barreno’s ‘Novas Cartas Portuguesas’ was banned after it was published and they were put on trial. The case of the ‘Three Marias’ became famous around the world. Laura Jones listens to an archive interview of Maria Teresa H...

Dr Katalin Karikó grew up in a small town in Hungary with no electricity or running water at home. She overcame great adversity to become a scientist and publish a groundbreaking paper in 2005 showing how the mRNA molecule could be used to protect the human immune system from viruses. But, her findings were initially overlooked and she even lost her job after failing to attract funding. However, s...

In 1972, feminist campaigner Gloria Steinem co-founded the first magazine in the US which was owned, run and written by women. Called Ms. Magazine, it covered issues including equal rights, abortion and domestic violence. The glossy covers helped bring feminism into the mainstream. In 2022, Gloria Steinem told Louise Hidalgo that it's one of the projects of which she's most proud. Eye-witness acco...

For 22 years, a travel and immigration ban was in place which stopped people with HIV legally entering the US. In 2009, President Barack Obama announced it would be lifted, from the start of 2010. HIV-positive passenger Clemens Ruland flew from Amsterdam to John F. Kennedy airport in New York and became the first passenger to fly legally into the US once the ban was lifted. He speaks to Megan Jone...

In the 1970s and 1980s, scientists in Russia managed to dig a hole more than 12,000 metres deep. It was called the Kola Superdeep Borehole. They wanted to achieve a world record and learn more about the Earth's crust. Rachel Naylor speaks to Prof David Smythe, a geophysicist who worked there for four months. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated b...

In June 1963, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk died after setting himself on fire in protest against the Catholic South Vietnamese government. Malcolm Brown's photograph of Thich Quang Duc's burning body became one of the most famous images of the 20th century. Sister Chan Khong witnessed the protest. She spoke to Lucy Burns in 2013. Some listeners may find this programme disturbing. Eye-witness account...

The Iran-Contra affair was a scandal that went right to the heart of Ronald Reagan’s White House and it became known as one of the most controversial political scandals in modern US history. In 1986, Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North was accused of orchestrating the illegal sale of weapons to Iran and using those profits to fund rebel groups in Central America. Five years after the affair, North spo...

Television extravaganza Strictly Come Dancing debuted in May 2004 in the UK, bringing ballroom dancing to a whole new generation. Pairing celebrities with professionals, it has gone on to become one of the most successful TV competitions in the world. In several countries, it’s called Dancing with the Stars. In 2019, co-creator and executive producer Karen Smith spoke to Ashley Byrne about the bri...