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Witness History

Finding the world’s most complete T-rex fossil

Witness History

BBC

Society & Culture, Personal Journals, History

4.51.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On 12 August 1990, the world's most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex was found in South Dakota.

Deena Newman speaks to Peter Larson whose team made the landmark discovery.

This programme was first broadcast in 2015.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Picture: The Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton known as Sue. Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts.

0:07.0

Shall we get cracking?

0:08.7

You've got a BBC podcast coming up.

0:10.8

These were immensely popular.

0:13.0

But if you also like looking back,

0:14.7

then the BBC has loads of history podcasts to offer.

0:17.6

Proof that being a historian is a very exciting job.

0:19.7

Covering everything.

0:20.7

From epic events.

0:21.7

It was the year 1666.

0:23.8

Two personal stories.

0:25.0

It was an anxiety that people felt even in the ancient world.

0:27.9

So in future, for more history podcasts,

0:30.4

free people making a free choice about what they wanted.

0:34.3

Search History on BBC Sounds.

0:43.4

Thank you. They wanted. Search History on BBC Sounds. Hi, this is Witness History from the BBC World Service.

0:47.6

If you're a regular listener, feel free to skip ahead a little bit.

0:51.3

But if you're listening for the very first time, welcome.

0:54.9

We're the podcast that takes you back to a moment in history by speaking to those who are there and using

0:59.8

amazing archive. If that sounds like something you listen to, hit subscribe wherever you get

1:05.4

your BBC podcasts and turn on your notifications so you never miss an episode. On the 12th of August,

1:12.9

1990, the world's most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex was discovered in South Dakota.

...

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