The Hungarian Revolution

American artist Keith Haring became extremely successful and popular in the 1980s for his mix of graffiti and pop art-style work. In 1986, he was invited to paint a mural on the Berlin Wall by the director of the Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, Dr Rainer Hildebrandt. The mural spanned 300 metres and incorporated the three colours of the German flag. Keith Haring said he wanted the mural to be a sign of unity for people on both sides of the wall. Dr Hildebrandt’s wife, Alexandra, has been telling Tim O’Callaghan about her memories of Keith’s visit to Berlin. Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories. When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations.

In 2011, Maltese voters were called to the polls to decide whether Malta should remain one of the few places in the world where divorce was not permitted. The referendum divided the country. Supporters of divorce, including a group of MPs and civil rights campaigners, argued that couples should have the right to end a marriage that had irretrievably broken down. Opponents, led by the Catholic Church and backed by the government, argued that divorce would weaken family values. The campaign was triggered by a private member's bill introduced by Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, then a Nationalist MP. He spoke to Stefania Gozzer about the fierce debate his proposal sparked across Maltese society and the consequences that followed. Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories. When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations.

In 2006, Ten Canoes made Australian cinema history. It became the first feature film performed entirely in Aboriginal languages and the first to bring a traditional Yolngu story to the screen. Shot in the remote swamplands of Arnhem Land, the production relied on old anthropological photographs, clan languages and ancestral hunting knowledge to recreate life before European settlement. For the cast, many of whom had never acted before, the experience was transformative. One of them was Frances Djulibing, chosen unexpectedly by director Rolf de Heer to play Nolingo, the jealous second wife at the centre of the story. Filming meant confronting crocodile infested waters, performing in traditional clothing, and speaking the language rhythms of her own clan. Frances tells Ashley Byrne how stepping into her ancestors’ world — and seeing it later on a cinema screen — became an emotional moment for her community, and how the film carried her from the swamps of Arnhem Land to red carpets in Paris. A Made in Manchester production. Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories. When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations.

In 1959, British conservationist and author Gerald Durrell opened the gates to a zoo with one clear aim - to save endangered species from extinction. Gerald had grown up fascinated by the natural world and had spent years travelling across the globe, collecting animals for major zoos in the United Kingdom. It was during these trips that he saw just how quickly the animals he loved were disappearing. He witnessed habitats being destroyed and species being pushed to extinction. Then came his idea of a zoo that would do more than simply display animals; it would protect and breed endangered species, in the hope of one day releasing them back into the wild. But first he needed the money. Encouraged by his eldest brother, Gerald turned to writing, releasing bestselling books including My Family and Other Animals, which brought his childhood adventures in Corfu to millions of readers around the world. In 1959, he finally opened Jersey Zoological Park. Amelia Cox tells his story through the BBC Archive. Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories. When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Manchester City supporters became famous for an unusual sight on the terraces: inflatable bananas. What began as a light-hearted joke soon turned into one of the most memorable fan crazes in English football. Uma Doraiswamy tells the story of football, terrace culture and one of the game’s most unlikely symbols. She speaks to former Manchester City striker Imre Varadi, whose name became intertwined with the phenomenon and also hears from Dr Gary James, a lifelong City supporter who was among the first to embrace the fruity craze. Together they recall how thousands of the inflatable fruits appeared on the terraces, why the trend caught on, and how it became part of Manchester City’s history. They also reflect on the humour, loyalty and sense of community that defined football fandom before the Premier League era. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded. Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created. (Photo: Football fans at Manchester City match with inflatable bananas. Credit: Glenn Copus/ANL/Shutterstock)