Surprisingly true facts about the Statue of Liberty! From it’s mysterious and often mistaken origin to the damage it’s endured over the centuries.
#10 Assembly Required
The Statue of Liberty first arrived from France to New York Harbor via steamship in 1885. Considering the jaw-dropping, sheer size of the statue, it wasn’t exactly fit to travel by ship, and so it arrived split and divided up into a collection of crates. As the parts of the great statue arrived, Americans gathered in droves at the port with 200 thousand people in attendance to welcome the great new beacon of freedom. But it wasn’t until 1886, after Lady Liberty was fully constructed, that President Grover Cleveland presided over a massive dedication ceremony over land and sea, setting the precedent for the first ticker tape parade in the process.
#9 Bedloe’s Island
Long before the Statue of Liberty reached its shores, the small bit of land it now occupies was known as Great Oyster Island. The nearby tidal flats of the region were home to massive oyster beds that served as a main food source of the region for almost three centuries! The island would eventually be gifted by an English governor in 1664 to a British Captain, who then went on to sell it to one Isaac Bedloe. It was henceforth known as Bedloe’s Island and served a variety of uses over the next century as private property. The island would continue to change hands over the years, sometimes operating as a farm or hunting grounds, and even being utilized as a smallpox quarantine station. But during the American Revolution, British forces would attempt to use the island to house Tory sympathizers, but after the dust settled in 1776, the island’s structures were burnt down. In their stead, the US Army erected Fort Wood, which would go on to serve as the base of the Statue of Liberty. The name of the landmass would eventually be changed to Liberty Island by Congress in 1956.
From its origins, to what has been done with some of its parts, join me as I reveal to you some of the most surprising facts about the Statue of Liberty.
12. It Wasn’t American In Construction
When people think of the Statue of Liberty, they immediately think of what it meant to immigrants who came to the country in the early 1900’s. And in modern times, it’s recognized as one of the most important monuments in US history.
What many people forget was that this statue was not made by an American, period. Instead, it was made by a Frenchman, two in fact depending on how you look at it. First was French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. Yes, of the Eiffel Tower fame.
11. The “Common Name” Is A Nickname
If I were to say to you, “Statue of Liberty”, you would know exactly what I meant. You would picture the iconic statue, maybe even do the pose that Lady Liberty is doing. But what a lot of people don’t know…is that “The Statue Of Liberty” is a nickname for the statue given to it by the mainstream media. No, for real.
When the French constructed it and christened it on Liberty Island, they had a very long and poetic name for the statue, “Liberty Enlightening The World”.
10. There Is More Than One
Usually, when it comes to a major monument, there is just one of them. The White House, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, that kind of thing.
Others can be found in Las Vegas, Norway, Denmark, and even Rio De Janiero in Brazil!
9. The Statue and the Island Used To House People
When it comes to the monuments of the world, there are people who are “ordained” to take care of it over the long term and make sure that people don’t tag or violate the monuments. It’s often a thankless job because we don’t think about it that often. But now that we’re talking about it…who does take care of the Statue of Liberty?
That would be the superintendent of the site, and what’s more, those who are deemed the superintendent get a special honor. They get to actually live on Liberty Island.
8. You Were Once Able To Climb Up The Torch
If I was to ask you what the highest point of the Statue of Liberty was, you’d easily say, “The Torch”. After all, that’s the part of the statue that is the highest raised into the air via Liberty’s arm. Today, you can only go as high as the crown section of the statue. But once upon a time, you were able to go up the arm and climb to the very top of the torch.
7. It’s a Climb To The Top
You’d think that in the modern era that we live in that someone would’ve installed an elevator in the Statue of Liberty, but nope! That would require a lot of work on the structure and beyond. So because of that, if you wish to get to the crown of the statue and observe the view from on high…you need to climb stairs. And not just a few, 354 of them. I hope you all are in good shape!
6. The Spikes Are A “Halo”
There are many elements to the Statue of Liberty that make it such a visually striking statue. There’s Lady Liberty herself wrapped in a robe, the torch symbolizing a beacon of hope, the book she holds that is inscribed with the Declaration of Independence signing date and more. But with the crown, there are seven spikes that come off of it, and many think that it’s just an “extension” of the crown.
5. It Was A Lighthouse
While the torch that Lady Liberty holds is seen as a symbol of the “light of hope” or being a “beacon of light for all to see”, if you look at it close enough you’ll notice that the torch truly looks like it can be lightened up.
It wasn’t because of cost ironically enough, but rather, the light from the torch was too dim to see at sea. Which for a lighthouse is a bad thing. So, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the torch be shut down so more proper lighthouses in the area could be built.
4. It Didn’t Start Out Green
When the Statue of Liberty was constructed on Liberty Island, it wasn’t green as you see it now. It was copper, which is appropriate because that’s what it’s made of mostly. So when it was unveiled, it looked like a very bright penny. Which begs the question, how did it go from bright brown…to green? The answer is time. Because over time, certain metals get a different “shade” to them known as patina. And for copper, it goes from brown to green.
3. The Statue Almost Had a “Sister” In Egypt
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2. There Was A Real Lady Liberty
When it comes to art, especially sculptures featuring human beings, a question that is often asked is, “Who was this modeled after?” Sometimes it’s a famous person, like the statue of David, and other times it’s a mystery, like Mona Lisa.
1. Parts Of It Were Used To Make A Motorcycle
No, I’m not kidding you, and it was actually a really big deal when it happened..
Learn all about one of America’s most famous landmarks with these 10 shining facts about the Statue of liberty.
1. Despite being a symbol of the American nation, the Statue of Liberty was actually designed by Frenchman named Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.
2. The island where Lady Liberty stands was renamed “Liberty Island” in 1937.
3. The Statue of Liberty is made of over 300 layers of copper.
4. The Statue of Liberty’s full title is “Liberty Enlightening the World.”
5. The Statue of Liberty’s name and appearance was derived from the Roman goddess Libertas, whose face was a symbol for freed slaves and often appeared on currency in ancient Rome.
6. The torch Lady Liberty holds is made of 24k gold.
7. The Statue of Liberty’s thumbnail is over a foot long (0.3 meters).
8. The Statue of Liberty holds a tablet of law with the date “July IV MDCCLXXVI” (July 4, 1776) inscribed on the cover. The tablet is almost 14 (4.3m) feet wide.
9. The Statue of Liberty did not always have her distinctive teal complexion.The piece was originally cast in copper, but exposure to the elements created a green patina across the entire statue. This film is called verdigris.
10. Four million people visit the Statue of Liberty every year.
