Between 1984 and 1986, to celebrate 100 years since it was dedicated, the Statue of Liberty underwent a multi-million-dollar restoration project.

The statue was a gift to the USA by France, to celebrate 100 years of American independence.

The project also restored the former immigration processing centre on the nearby Ellis Island, which became a National Museum of Immigration.

The entire project was funded by private investment.

Peter Dessauer, one of the architects who oversaw the process, tells Tim O’Callaghan about the challenges involved.

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.

(Photo: The Statue of Liberty under restoration in 1985. Credit: Gene Kappock/NY Daily News via Getty Images)

In 1946, Mexican American Raoul Cortez launched the first US radio service in Spanish. Based in San Antonio, Texas, he used charm and creativity to win over advertisers in a time when Hispanic consumers weren't seen as a relevant market.

Raoul's grandson Guillermo Nicolas spoke to Stefania Gozzer about the challenges his grandfather faced to push forward in building a pioneering business that would turn him into a broadcasting mogul.

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.

(Photo: Raoul Cortez with two of his children at KCOR. Credit: Guillermo Nicolas)

In 1955, Rosa Parks made civil rights history in the US when she refused to give up her seat on the bus.

Segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama, meant that when a bus was full, black passengers had to stand and give up their seat to white passengers.

Her subsequent arrest sparked a boycott of the city's buses by the African American population.

Led by Dr Martin Luther King, the protest became one of the most significant campaigns of the civil rights movement - and ultimately led to victory in the courts.

In November 1956, the US Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that bus segregation was unconstitutional.

Vicky Farncombe tells the story using BBC archive interviews. This episode was first broadcast in 2024. It contains outdated language.

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.

(Photo: Rosa Parks. Credit: Getty Images)

In September 1997, the remains of a Native American chief were returned to the United States, more than a century after his death in England.

Chief Long Wolf, a Lakota leader, died in 1892 while touring with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

His family knew he had been buried in London, but they didn't know where, until a British woman came across his story in a second‑hand book.

Following an exhumation, he was finally returned to his ancestral homeland in South Dakota.

Helen Ledwick speaks to Mary Black Feather Condon, Chief Long Wolf’s great‑granddaughter, about his extraordinary journey home.

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.

(Photo: Chief Long Wolf and his family. Credit: Johnny Eggitt/AFP via Getty Images)