Sinking of the Lusitania
Witness History7 Maj 2025

Sinking of the Lusitania

On 7 May 1915, the British ocean liner, the Lusitania, was sunk by a German submarine off the Irish coast, as it sailed from New York to Liverpool.

Thousands of passengers were onboard and 1,200 people died.

The attack helped turn American opinion against Germany.

In 2015, Alex Last used BBC archives to tell the story.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Sinking of the Lusitania. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Avsnitt(2000)

Campaigning against sex-selection in India

Campaigning against sex-selection in India

Over the last 50 years an estimated 46 million girls have been aborted in India. The cultural preference for boys and the development of pre-natal sex determination tests like ultrasound in the 1980s,...

2 Nov 20229min

Albania’s Stalinist purges

Albania’s Stalinist purges

In the 1970s, Albania’s Stalinist leader, Enver Hoxha, launched a new series of purges against government ministers and officials, following numerous purges in previous decades. Those accused of being...

1 Nov 202212min

The Little Black Book survival guide

The Little Black Book survival guide

In 1985, Carol Taylor wrote a survival guide for young black men in the Unites Stated who were stopped by the police. Her son, Laurence Legall, tells Ashley Byrne the story of the small and important ...

31 Okt 20229min

Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech

Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech

In October 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard made an impromptu speech in the Australian parliament setting out the misogyny she endured for years as a prominent female politician. Ten years on, she d...

28 Okt 20228min

Arrested for wearing trousers in Sudan

Arrested for wearing trousers in Sudan

In 1991, a law was introduced in Sudan which was used to control how women acted and dressed in public. It resulted in arrests, beatings and even deaths during the 30 years it was in place. Amiera Osm...

27 Okt 202211min

Theatre siege in Moscow

Theatre siege in Moscow

It is 20 years since heavily-armed Chechen rebels took an entire theatre full of people hostage. They threatened to kill them all if the Russian government didn't call off the war in Chechnya. When ...

26 Okt 202211min

The Iranian Revolution and women

The Iranian Revolution and women

Many women supported Iran’s 1979 revolution against the monarchy but some later became disillusioned. Islamic rules about how women dressed were just one of the things that women objected to. Sharan...

25 Okt 202211min

Indonesia’s indigenous people take a stand

Indonesia’s indigenous people take a stand

In 1998 President Suharto of Indonesia resigned after more than thirty years of military rule. It meant people from indigenous communities were finally free to speak out after years of being ignored.T...

24 Okt 202210min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
gynning-berg
aftonbladet-krim
p3-dokumentar
badfluence
en-mork-historia
mardromsgasten
blenda-2
nemo-moter-en-van
skaringer-nessvold
killradet
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
flashback-forever
hor-har
kod-katastrof
vad-blir-det-for-mord
rss-brottsutredarna
svenska-fall
p1-dokumentar
rss-sanning-konsekvens