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)

Omar Sharif stars in Lawrence of Arabia

Omar Sharif stars in Lawrence of Arabia

In 1962, Egyptian actor Omar Sharif made his Hollywood debut in Lawrence of Arabia, a sweeping epic that would become one of cinema’s most popular films.Using archive recordings, Gill Kearsley tells t...

19 Sep 202510min

The Aswan High Dam

The Aswan High Dam

In the early 1960s, Unesco appealed for scientists to go to Egypt to save antiquities that were threatened by the construction of one of the largest dams in the world, the Aswan High Dam on the River ...

18 Sep 202511min

Egypt criminalises sexual harassment

Egypt criminalises sexual harassment

In 2014, Egypt’s outgoing president, Adly Mansour, issued a decree which categorised sexual harassment as a crime punishable by a minimum six-month jail term and a fine of 3,000 Egyptian pounds which ...

17 Sep 202510min

Reforming Egypt’s divorce laws

Reforming Egypt’s divorce laws

In 1979, Egypt’s former first lady Jehan Sadat helped lead a campaign to grant women new rights to divorce their husbands and retain custody of their children. Married to President Anwar Sadat, she wa...

16 Sep 202510min

Mohamed Morsi: Egypt's first democratically elected president

Mohamed Morsi: Egypt's first democratically elected president

In June 2012, Mohamed Morsi, representing the Muslim Brotherhood, became Egypt's first democratically elected president.In 2022, Ben Henderson spoke to Rabab El-Mahdi, chief strategist to one of Morsi...

15 Sep 202510min

How the Philippines saved Jews during World War Two

How the Philippines saved Jews during World War Two

In September 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were introduced in Nazi Germany.In 1938, seven-year-old Lotte Hershfield and her family left their home in Breslau, which was part of Germany and is now known as ...

12 Sep 202510min

9/11: The generosity of Gander

9/11: The generosity of Gander

On 11 September, 2001, a small Canadian town called Gander became a haven for thousands of airline passengers and crew stranded after the 9/11 terror attacks.The attacks on the World Trade Center had ...

10 Sep 202510min

The story behind The Peter Principle book

The story behind The Peter Principle book

In 1969, a satirical book, The Peter Principle, suggested promotion led to incompetence.It was written by a Canadian Professor of Education, Dr Laurence J Peter and playwright Raymond Hull. The book w...

10 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
spar
flashback-forever
rattsfallen
svenska-fall
hor-har
vad-blir-det-for-mord
rss-brottsutredarna
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa
p3-historia
aftonbladet-daily
sanna-berattelser