Witness History

In 1974, an execution method known as the garrote, a chair with a metal collar tightened by a screw to break the neck, was used for the last time. Francisco Franco's regime used it to execute two young men on the same day. The last was Catalan Salvador Puig Antich, a 25-year-old member of an anarchist group that robbed banks to fund its activities and support working class people. He was accused o...

On 1 February 1969, the first African film festival of Ouagadougou opened in the Republic of Upper Volta, now known as Burkina Faso. In 1972, the event was made into an official institution by government decree. It became known as the Pan-African film festival of Ouagadougou - Fespaco for short. It is Africa's largest film festival and is held every two years. Alimata Salembéré was President of th...

In 2016, a fragile-looking aircraft with the wingspan of a jumbo jet and the power of a scooter attempted something no-one had ever managed before: flying around the world without a drop of fuel. But behind the serene images of Solar Impulse Two, gliding over oceans, was a story of near disaster, exhaustion, and a team pushed to breaking point. Bertrand Piccard - explorer, balloonist and one of th...

On 3 June 1998, a stone carving of Native American warrior Crazy Horse's face was unveiled in South Dakota. It is 27m tall and is part of a much larger sculpture showing the Native American warrior riding a horse and pointing towards the sacred Black Hills. When finished, it will be the largest mountain carving in the world. Crazy Horse helped defeat the US Army in 1876 at the Battle of the Little...

Before 1977, flamenco percussion relied solely on hand‑clapping and dancers' footwork. But that year, at a party in Lima, Peru, the cajon entered the scene. Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia and Brazilian percussionist Rubem Dantas attended an event at the Spanish embassy where they saw local musicians playing the cajon, an Afro‑Peruvian box drum that evolved from the wooden crates enslaved people u...

In March 2008, former female wrestler Juana Barraza was found guilty of murdering at least 11 elderly women in Mexico City. The murders took place over a period of seven years, and Barraza became known as the “little old lady killer”. She admitted to murdering three women and told investigators it was because of abuse she suffered in childhood at the hands of her alcoholic mother. In 2021, Mike La...

How and when did tea arrive in the UK? Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson take a look at the mythological origins, the role of a Portuguese princess and even going to war for a cuppa. We’ll start our journey with the first appearance of tea in England in the 1600s and its popularisation in the English royal court thanks to the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza who married King Charles II. The...

During the Spanish Civil War, the fascist dictator Francisco Franco rose to power. Around half a million people fled the fighting, but some chose to return even as the conflict continued. One of them was eight-year-old Felisa Umbon San Vicente. In 1937, her mother brought the family back from France to their village near Bilbao, in Spain’s northern Basque Country, close to the French border. Felis...

In 1985, one the world’s most recognisable fashion accessories was first launched – the Birkin handbag. Its origins have since become legend. The actress and model Jane Birkin said she was on a flight to London when her bag and contents spilt over the floor. The passenger sitting next to her remarked that she needed a bigger bag, and offered to make it for her. His name was Jean-Louis Dumas, then...

On 15 July, over 300 people were killed and more than 2,100 injured when rogue soldiers commandeered warplanes, tanks and helicopters in a failed coup attempt against President Tayyip Erdogan. Some of the fiercest fighting took place on the first bridge linking Europe to Asia. It was there civilians and police confronted soldiers in deadly clashes. The waterfront neighbourhood of Çengelköy is dire...

For generations, Inuit communities lived across the Arctic, travelling with the seasons and relying on the land. But in the mid-20th century, Canadian government policies, including relocations, moved many into permanent settlements, reshaping their way of life. In the 1970s, a new generation of Inuit activists launched a movement to reclaim control over their land and push for greater autonomy. I...

In 1967, American lineman JD Thompson was working on overhead power lines in Jacksonville, Florida, when his colleague Randall Champion accidentally grasped a live cable. Seeing his friend dangling high above the ground, JD ran over and climbed the pole to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. At the same time, local photographer Rocco Morabito just happened to be driving past and captured the mom...

In 1916, Zurich was a beacon for refugees. Fleeing the death and destruction of World War I, artists and free-thinkers from all over Europe fled to the neutral Swiss city. And it was here that the people who would start the art movement Dada came together. In a rare interview from 1959, held in the BBC archive, Richard Huelsenbeck describes how the group of young artists and pacifists shared a des...

On 9 July 2011, a new flag was raised in the city of Juba as South Sudan became the world's newest nation. It followed a peace deal that ended a long and bloody civil war in Sudan, which had killed more than two million people. Six months earlier, a referendum in the south of Sudan saw more than 99% of nearly four million voters choose independence. Malual Bol Kiir was 17 at the time and had been...

On the afternoon of 10 July 1976, there was an explosion at the ICMESA chemical factory near Seveso, in northern Italy. A cloud containing a poisonous gas called dioxin spread over the town. For days, residents didn't realise they were in danger. They later developed skin conditions like chloracne and thousands of animals died or had to be slaughtered. Rachel Naylor speaks to Giuseppe Cassina, for...

In the 1970s, thousands of immigrant workers living in "foyers" or workers' hostels across France stopped paying rent. They were protesting against rent hikes and living conditions in the foyers, known for their tiny box rooms and substandard conditions, and against the racism of the housing management companies. The strike mainly took place in foyers run by Sonacotra, formerly Sonacotral: the Nat...

In 1995, the British band Oasis released one of their biggest hits as a single from their number one album: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. The song Wonderwall was a departure from their usual music, but it has gone on to be one of their most successful songs and was a top 10 hit in 15 countries. It has also become an anthem for the British public and has become a key part of England’s 2026 Worl...

In 1962, cameras were allowed into the White House for the first televised tour of the American president’s renovated residence. And acting as the guide was one of the country’s most famous first ladies, Jackie Kennedy. When her husband became president in 1961, Jackie had been disappointed with the “dreary” furnishings in the 132-room mansion. So, she announced a plan, not to redecorate, but to r...

Between 1984 and 1986, to celebrate 100 years since it was dedicated, the Statue of Liberty underwent a multi-million-dollar restoration project. The statue was a gift to the USA by France, to celebrate 100 years of American independence. The project also restored the former immigration processing centre on the nearby Ellis Island, which became a National Museum of Immigration. The entire project...

In 1946, Mexican American Raoul Cortez launched the first US radio service in Spanish. Based in San Antonio, Texas, he used charm and creativity to win over advertisers in a time when Hispanic consumers weren't seen as a relevant market. Raoul's grandson Guillermo Nicolas spoke to Stefania Gozzer about the challenges his grandfather faced to push forward in building a pioneering business that woul...

In 1955, Rosa Parks made civil rights history in the US when she refused to give up her seat on the bus. Segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama, meant that when a bus was full, black passengers had to stand and give up their seat to white passengers. Her subsequent arrest sparked a boycott of the city's buses by the African American population. Led by Dr Martin Luther King, the protest became one...

In September 1997, the remains of a Native American chief were returned to the United States, more than a century after his death in England. Chief Long Wolf, a Lakota leader, died in 1892 while touring with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. His family knew he had been buried in London, but they didn't know where, until a British woman came across his story in a second‑hand book. Following an exhumat...

On 18 March 1959, Hawaii was brought into the United States of America as the 50th state with the passing of the Hawaiian Admission act. Five months later, on 21 August it was officially proclaimed the 50th state by President Eisenhower. Former governor of Hawaii, John Waihe'e, tells Jen Dale his memories of statehood and why Hawaii's history with America means it has become a divisive issue. Eye-...

For more than 25 years, Rata de dos patas has been one of Mexico’s most recognisable - and unusual - songs. A relentless string of insults, it was made famous by the singer Paquita la del Barrio. Composer Manuel Eduardo Toscano recalls the moment in 2000 that convinced him the song was right for Paquita, and reveals how it almost never saw the light of day. He speaks to Helen Ledwick about the son...

In July 1916, Britain led an Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front near the Somme river in France. The British army suffered 60,000 casualties on the first day. By the end of the battle in November, one million men had been killed or wounded. The Somme became synonymous with the horrors of war. We hear BBC archive recordings of veterans who fought in one of the bloodiest b...