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)

The strike that shook up India's tea industry

The strike that shook up India's tea industry

In September 2015, thousands of women tea pickers went on strike at one of India’s biggest tea producers.They had picked more tea than ever that year but were furious that wages remained low and manag...

1 Okt 202510min

The birth of the Excel spreadsheet

The birth of the Excel spreadsheet

In September 1985, Microsoft introduced Excel, an electronic spreadsheet program that revolutionised the way we organise and analyse data.With its grid of rows and columns, it allows users to sort inf...

30 Sep 202510min

The Cradock Four killings

The Cradock Four killings

On 27 June 1985, four anti-apartheid activists from the rural town of Cradock in South Africa’s Eastern Cape were abducted at a roadblock. Their bodies were later found mutilated and burnt.Known as th...

29 Sep 202510min

Guinea stadium massacre

Guinea stadium massacre

On 28 September 2009, around 50,000 people took part in a rally to protest reported plans by military leader Moussa Dadis Camara to stand in the presidential election. It started peacefully, until tro...

26 Sep 202510min

The secretary who made millions from her typos

The secretary who made millions from her typos

In the 1950s, secretary Bette Graham from Texas was struggling to cope with her new electric typewriter.“My fingers would hang heavy on the sensitive keyboard and the first thing I'd know, I'd have a ...

25 Sep 20259min

DDLJ: India’s longest-running film

DDLJ: India’s longest-running film

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, the ultimate Bollywood romance was released to critical acclaim in October 1995, becoming the longest-running movie in Indian cinema history.The premiere was held at the M...

24 Sep 202510min

The birth of Médecins Sans Frontières

The birth of Médecins Sans Frontières

In 1971, 13 men sat down in a Paris office to launch what would become one of the world’s best known humanitarian organisations: Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors without Borders.The men were among...

23 Sep 202510min

The start of Scouting

The start of Scouting

In the early 1900s, while serving in the British Army, Lord Robert Baden-Powell laid the foundations for what would become one of the largest international youth movements, Scouting. His vision was to...

22 Sep 202510min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

en-mork-historia
podme-dokumentar
mardromsgasten
p3-dokumentar
badfluence
nemo-moter-en-van
skaringer-nessvold
killradet
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
hor-har
spar
rattsfallen
svenska-fall
flashback-forever
vad-blir-det-for-mord
rss-brottsutredarna
p3-historia
rss-sanning-konsekvens
aftonbladet-daily
sanna-berattelser