Witness
Summary: History as told by the people who were there. Witness talks to people who lived through moments of history to bring you a personal perspective on world events. Broadcast on weekdays.
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- Artist: BBC World Service
- Copyright: (C) BBC 2015
Podcasts:
Steve Biko led the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa before he was killed in police custody
In 1957 the Chinese Communist leader, Chairman Mao, made a speech encouraging criticism of his Communist system saying 'Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend'. We hear from a man who made his views known and ended up in prison for twenty years
How rival youth gangs clashed at the English seaside resort of Brighton in 1964, sparking a moral panic.
In May 1939 more than 900 Jews, many of them young children, fled Nazi Germany aboard a luxury cruise liner.
In May 1974, the West German chancellor Willy Brandt was forced to resign after it was revealed that one of his aides was a spy for the East German secret police.
In 1974 the Swedish pop group made the breakthrough to international superstardom.
In 1979, a prominent Jewish businessman was one of hundreds of Iranians executed after appearing in front of a revolutionary court.
In May 1958 the great African-American singer gave his first performance for years at Carnegie Hall.
The former president of Crimea shares his memories of losing his office when he tried to bring the territory closer to Russia
In 1994, 'The Crow' was released in cinemas, despite lead actor Brandon Lee dying during filming. New computer technology was used to place his character in missing scenes.
Hear from someone on board the torpedoed Argentine ship during the Falklands War.
In 1934 Mao Zedong led some 86,000 followers on an epic journey across China to escape the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-Shek.
In April 2004, photographs were leaked to the US media showing American soldiers abusing Iraqi detainees at the military prison of Abu Ghraib.
In April 1945 the Italian fascist leader was killed by partisans and his body displayed in Milan
In April 1996, a gunman killed 35 people in the Australian town of Port Arthur. The deaths prompted major changes to the country's gun laws.