Witness History Episodes Episode guide
-
The rise of Hindu nationalism
The consolidation of the BJP as one of the major powers in Indian politics.
-
The man who invented wingsuits
The wingsuit is the ultimate in extreme sports clothing, for BASE jumpers and skydivers
-
The Amritsar Massacre of 1919
In April 1919 British Indian troops opened fire on protestors in the city of Amritsar
-
The man who made Marilyn Monroe dance
Choreographer Jack Cole had a huge influence on musical theatre and Hollywood films
-
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou's iconic memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was published in 1969
-
Abolishing the army
Costa Rica dissolved its Armed Forces after a brief civil war in 1948
-
The warship lost for more than 300 years
The discovery of a 17th century Swedish warship, the Vasa, in near perfect condition
-
EMDR: the eye-movement therapy
A therapy which seems to work for post-traumatic stress was developed in the late 1980s
-
Patty Hearst the rebel heiress
In April 1974 the heiress announced she supported her kidnappers' beliefs
-
Mindfulness for the masses
Scientist Jon Kabat-Zinn pioneered a meditative approach to treat pain and depression.
-
The secret Nazi past of Kurt Waldheim
How former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim's secret Nazi past was exposed
-
Around the world in 20 days
The record-breaking balloon flight
-
Drama in the British parliament
Prime Minister Jim Callaghan's desperate attempts to survive a no-confidence vote in 1979
-
The first home pregnancy test
A female designer working for a pharmaceutical company came up with the idea in the 1960s
-
The rise of Viktor Orban
Viktor Orban, now the populist Hungarian Prime Minister led a democratic movement in 1988
-
Autism and the MMR vaccine
How a British doctor misled the world by linking the MMR vaccine with autism.
-
The discovery of the Aztec Moon Goddess
How an accidental discovery in Mexico led to the uncovering of the Aztecs´ Great Temple.
-
The first democratic elections in the USSR
Soviet citizens voted in democratic elections for the first time in March 1989.
-
The millionaire Nazi war criminal
How the Dutch art collector Pieter Menten was exposed as a war criminal in the 1970s
-
How Little America was built in Afghanistan
In the 1950s, US engineers were sent to Afghanistan to build a dam.
-
Slaughterhouse-Five
In March 1969, American author Kurt Vonnegut published his cult anti-war novel.
-
China's breakthrough malaria cure
Chinese scientists used ancient traditional medicine to find a cure for malaria.
-
Lenin and the deadly mushrooms
A spoof TV show persuaded some Russians that Lenin took too many hallucinogenic mushrooms
-
The fall of Singapore
Life under Japanese occupation in Singapore during World War Two.
-
Britain's first female black headteacher
Yvonne Conolly was appointed head of Ringcross Primary school in North London in 1969
-
The woman who asked Britain to return the Parthenon marbles
Melina Mercouri asked Britain to return the Parthenon marbles removed by Lord Elgin.
-
Speaking out against my abuser: Daniel Ortega
How Nicaragua's president was accused of sexual abuse by his step-daughter
-
The creation of the Barbie doll
Hear from the woman who created the most famous doll in the world.
-
Britain's first Muslim woman in government
Sayeeda Warsi was appointed to the coalition government's Cabinet in May 2010
-
Happy Beer Day!
On March 1st 1989 Icelanders were allowed to buy beer for the first time in decades