Iran hostage crisis

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

One of the most dramatic moments from the Iranian revolution took place in November 1979. Young insurgents stormed the US embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran, taking 52 Americans captive. Barry Rosen was held hostage for 444 days. He told his story to Alex Last in 2009.

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: Barry Rosen waves to a crowd in 1981 at a ceremony celebrating the release of US hostages in New York's City Hall. Credit: Yvonne Hemsey via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	2020
0:02.2	presidential election ahead.
0:04.6	Join America on the road to the U.S. election.
0:07.5	It's the BBC podcast full of lively chats about politics
0:10.6	and social media investigations.
0:13.0	Expert insights this way.
0:15.1	We'll guide you through all the key moments
0:17.4	as the United States chooses which direction to go in next.
0:21.2	Final destination, the White House.
0:24.0	Navigate your way to Election Day and beyond.
0:26.7	America's.
0:27.6	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:33.1	Hello and welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service.
0:38.3	In 2009, Alex Lars spoke to Barry Rosen about the 444 days he spent in captivity
0:45.7	after student revolutionaries overran the US Embassy in Tehran.
0:51.2	It's November 1979, just months after the Iranian revolution had swept the Shah
0:57.4	from power. November 4th started out as a dreary rainy day, but it was a day like any day in Tehran.
1:06.1	There were marches going on all the time. You hear noises in the street and you hear Marg, Bar, Amrika, death to America,
1:13.7	or down with America.
1:15.2	Barry Rosen was press attaché at the U.S. Embassy.
1:19.2	At about 10 in the morning, I heard noises outside, looked at the window, a group of hardline students.
1:27.3	We were climbing over the fences of the
	...

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