Witness Archive 2017
History as told by the people who were there. All the programmes from 2017.
Voyager: Around The World On One Tank of Fuel—Witness History
How two pilots became the first to fly non-stop around the world without refuelling
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The Climbers of Leningrad—Witness History
Mountaineers risked their lives to camouflage landmarks in the Russian city during WW2.
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"Spend, Spend, Spend" - The Miner's Wife Who Won Big—Witness History
How Viv Nicholson became a celebrity in Britain after winning the football pools in 1961.
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The First Kwanzaa—Witness History
The African-American winter holiday was invented in Los Angeles in 1966.
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Trivial Pursuit—Witness History
The game has become a holiday tradition with families around the world.
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To Kill A Mockingbird—Witness History
One of the most successful American films of all time was released at Christmas 1962.
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BR Ambedkar—Witness History
The Indian independence leader and campaigner for Dalit rights died in December 1956.
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The Exam That Changed China—Witness History
The return of university entrance exams showed the Cultural Revolution had really ended.
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The Development of WiFi—Witness History
Australian scientists were central to the development of wifi.
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Somalia's Islamic Courts Union—Witness History
How the Islamic movement brought a brief moment of peace to Mogadishu after years of war
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The Disappearance of Harold Holt—Witness History
The Australian Prime Minister went for a swim on December 17th 1967 - and never came back
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Otis Redding—Witness History
The great soul singer who was killed in a plane crash in December 1967
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The Great London Smog—Witness History
Thousands died as a thick polluted fog engulfed London in 1952
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The Unsung Hero of Heart Surgery—Witness History
The African-American lab technician whose surgery helped save millions of babies..
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Hypnotising Saddam's Son—Witness History
How an American hypnotist went to Iraq to treat Uday, the eldest son of Saddam Hussein.
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Art in Revolutionary Russia—Witness History
Avant-garde art flourished in Russia after the 1917 revolution but was later suppressed
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The Discovery of Whale Song—Witness History
Whales were being hunted to extinction until a biologist realised they could sing.
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Finland Wins Independence From Russia—Witness History
In December 1917 Finland became an independent country for the first time.
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Britain's withdrawal from South Yemen—Witness History
In 1967 Britain's departure from Aden leads to the creation of an independent South Yemen
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Mount Rushmore—Witness History
Construction on one of America's most famous monuments started in 1927.
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Science City in Siberia—Witness History
Thousands of scientists moved to deepest Siberia to dedicate their lives to research.
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The Poisoning of Litvinenko—Witness History
Former colonel in the Russian secret service Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London.
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The Prestige Oil Disaster in Spain—Witness History
How thousands of volunteers cleaned up after a huge environmental disaster in 2002
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The Audacious Plot to Kill a Colonel—Witness History
How El Salvador's leftist rebels led a top army officer into a deadly trap
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