logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
10m 2s

Hunting the Unabomber

Bbc World Service
About this episode

During a 17-year bombing campaign, an elusive terrorist known as the Unabomber killed three and injured 23 Americans.

In 1995, he contacted The New York Times and The Washington Post promising to stop his terror attacks if they published his 35,000-word manifesto. The document explained his aim: to dismantle modern industrial society.

On the advice of the FBI and the Attorney General, the newspapers published the manifesto, which led to the Unabomber’s downfall.

Dr Kathleen Puckett was an FBI agent who uncovered his identity. She speaks to Ben Henderson.

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: Theodore 'Ted' Kaczynski in custody. Credit: Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Up next
Today
Argentina’s national genetics bank created to identify stolen babies
In 1982, Argentine geneticist Victor Penchaszadeh was living in exile in New York when he received a call that would change the course of his career. Two founding members of the campaign group, the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, were asking for his help to find their kidnappe ... Show More
10m 41s
Yesterday
The mystery of Evita’s corpse
When Eva Peron, Argentina's most famous First Lady, died in 1952, her body was embalmed. Three years later, her widower, Juan Peron, was deposed in a coup. But military officers feared her corpse would become a rallying point of protest against the new government. So they stole i ... Show More
10m 34s
Jul 7
Argentina’s 'trial of the juntas'
In 1985, Argentina’s former military leaders were put on trial accused of kidnapping, torturing and murdering thousands of their own people. The ‘trial of the juntas’ was the first major prosecution of war crimes since the Nuremberg trials following World War Two. Between 1976 an ... Show More
10m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2024
Fallout: The Unabomber’s Crimes and Manifesto (with Candice DeLong)
Ted Kaczynski, the man better known to the world as the Unabomber, died in 2023. But his manifesto and the ideas he presented as justifications for his killings have become more mainstream. We sat down with Candice DeLong, one of the FBI agents who helped capture Kaczynski in 199 ... Show More
48m 33s
Apr 2024
The history of art heists
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.It's 30 years since Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream, was stolen from the national gallery in Oslo, Norway. We hear from the man who helped to recover it.Our expert guest is hi ... Show More
50m 59s
Mar 2025
The invention of the shopping trolley and the Calais 'Jungle'
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.We find out how Sylvan Goldman’s invention of the shopping trolley in 1930s America turned him into a multi-millionaire.Our expert is Rachel Bowlby, Professor of Comparative Lite ... Show More
50m 55s
Feb 2024
Diving Into Life After Power
Jared Cohen is a modern renaissance man: global security expert, leader at some of the nation’s most influential corporations, New York Times best selling author, and … collector of Presidential hair? Yes, we’re serious. In this conversation about Jared’s soon-to-be-released book ... Show More
53m 33s
Jul 2024
The history of political assassinations – from Pharaohs to US Presidents
Political leaders have been targeted by assassins for thousands of years – Donald Trump being the latest example, after the attempt on his life in Pennsylvania. Historically, what impact have these actions had on societies the world over? What similarities are there between these ... Show More
33m 45s
Aug 2017
Geoff Martin and Erin Steuter, “Pop Culture Goes to War: Enlisting an Resisting Militarism in the War on Terror” (Lexington Books, 2010)
Two professors from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada have published a book about how American popular culture reinforces militarism in the United States. In Pop Culture Goes to War: Enlisting and Resisting Militarism in the War on Terror (Lexington Books, 2010) G ... Show More
58m 34s
Sep 2024
Fallout: The Unabomber’s Crimes and Manifesto (with Candice DeLong)
Ted Kaczynski, the man better known to the world as the Unabomber, died in 2023. But his manifesto and the ideas he presented as justifications for his killings have become more mainstream. We sat down with Candice DeLong, one of the FBI agents who helped capture Kaczynski in 199 ... Show More
49m 45s
Jan 2025
JFK Files Released By Trump - Was It a Mob Job? Feat Michael Franzese
The assassination of President John F Kennedy reverberated throughout the world as the tragic loss of a charismatic, energetic young leader. Known for his inspiring speeches and support for civil rights, his murder has spawned a library of conspiracies all about who could have be ... Show More
32m 17s
May 2024
India’s ambitious ID scheme and the iconic Princess Diana photo
This week, how more than one billion people living in India were given a unique digital ID during the world's largest biometric project. The Aadhaar scheme was launched in 2009 but it wasn't without controversy. Our guest, digital identity expert Dr Edgar Whitley, tells us about ... Show More
51m 1s
Feb 2024
William L. Bird, "In the Arms of Saguaros: Iconography of the Giant Cactus" (U Arizona Press, 2023)
An essential—and monumental—member of the Sonoran Desert ecosystem, the saguaro cactus has become the quintessential icon of the American West.In the Arms of Saguaros: Iconography of the Giant Cactus (U Arizona Press, 2023) shows how, from the botanical explorers of the nineteent ... Show More
48m 7s