On this special hour-long episode of Witness from the BBC World Service, listen to incredible interviews looking at women’s history as told by people who were there.

The program features six selections from Witness. We hear from British suffragettes – considered by some at the time to be akin to terrorists – on their struggle for the vote. The first woman to run in a marathon, Kathrine Switzer, explains why the director of the Boston Marathon physically attacked her mid-race. Marsha Hunt recounts her time in London as an African American in the 1960s – and pokes holes in popular perceptions of the time. We travel with Irish campaigners for reproductive rights as they brought The Pill (actually aspirin tablets) back from Belfast to protest Irish laws against contraception. We hear the story of the first woman in space, Russian Valentina Tereshkova. And we join Jacqui Ceballos in New York as feminism entered a new phase during the street rally of 1970.

This program is available to air March 1-31st to coincide with Women’s History Month.

Rundown:

Billboard 00:00 – 00:59

IC: This is a…

OC: after the news.

DUR: 0:59

BBC Newscast 01:00 – 05:59

Part 1 06:00 – 29:00

IC: You’re listening to…

OC: …after this break.

DUR: 22:59

Items: Women’s Suffrage in Britain (numerous voices and archival recordings), The first woman to run a marathon (Kathrine Switzer, American), American Marsha Hunt and the 1960s.

Local break 29:01 – 30:00

Mid-show billboard 30:01 – 30:30

IC: Women’s history as told…

OC: …after the news.

DUR: 0:29

BBC Newscast 30:30 – 32:30

Part 2 32:31 – 59:00

IC: Welcome back…

OC:…thanks for listening.

DUR: 26:29

Items: The Irish Contraceptive Train (Nell McCafferty), the first woman in space (Russian Valentina Tereshkova, her daughter and archival tape), the 1970 Women’s Strike in New York (American Jacqui Ceballos).