50 facts and anecdotes on the Statue of Liberty

Before visiting the Statue of Liberty in New York, it is interesting to read these stories and anecdotes about Lady Liberty!

Statue of Liberty has been a gift of friendship to the people of France in the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. Statue of Liberty was inaugurated on 28 October 1886, designated as a national monument in 1924, and restored for its centenary on 4 July 1986. Here. 50 facts and anecdotes on the Statue of Liberty in New York.

1. The full name of the statue is "Freedom illuminating the world" ( Liberty Enlightening the World ).

2. It was a gift from France offered to America in 1886.

3. The head of the statue was presented at the Exposition Universelle de Paris in 1878.

4. The silhouette of the woman in dress represents Libertas the Roman goddess of freedom.

5. It holds a torch and a tablet on which the date of the Declaration of American Independence is recorded (4 July 1776).

6. From the ground to the top of the torch, the statue measures 93 meters and weighs 204 tons.

7. Lady Liberty sock of 914.5 in shoe size.

8. The statue is 46,05 m without the base.

Flickr – Celso Flores

9. Visitors must climb 354 steps to reach the crown of the statue.

10. There are 25 windows on the crown.

11. Approximately 4 million people visit the statue every year. In comparison, more than 6 million visit the Eiffel Tower , and 3.5 million the London Eye.

12. The seven spikes on the crown represent the seven oceans and the seven continents of the world, indicating the universal concept of freedom.

13. The statue has an iron and copper infrastructure that turned green because of oxidation. Although it is a sign of degradation, the patina (green surface) actually acts against corrosion.

14. It was Edouard de Laboulaye who imagined and thought the statue, but it was Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi who designed it.

15. Laboulaye also proposed that a great monument be given as a gift to the United States on the part of France as a celebration both of the victory of the union in the American Revolution, and the abolition of slavery.

16. Laboulaye also hoped that the gift of the statue would inspire the French to fight for their own democracy in the face of the repressive monarchy under Napoleon III.

17. Gustave Eiffel, the man who designed the Eiffel Tower, was also behind the design of “the spine” of the statue of freedom: four iron columns supporting a metal frame that maintained “the copper skin” of the statue.

18. 300 different types of hammers were used to create the copper structure.

19. The face of the statue would be the model of the sculptor's mother, Charlotte Bartholdi.

20. The original torch of the statue was replaced in 1984 by a new copper torch covered with 24-carat gold leaves.

21. Although you can’t see Madame Liberté’s feet clearly, she is actually standing among broken chains, with her right foot lifted, symbol representing the movement leaving oppression and slavery.

22. Despite the positive meaning of the statue (American independence and the abolition of slavery) African Americans have seen the statue as an irony of America: pretending to be a country of freedom and justice for all without distinction of race, despite the racism and discrimination that continue to exist.

23. The Statue of Liberty became the symbol of immigration in the second half of the 19th century, while more than 9 million immigrants arrived in the United States. The statue was often the first thing they saw when they arrived by boat.

24. The most famous cinematographic appearance of the statue was in the film "The Monkey Planet" in 1968, where it was seen half buried in the sand.

25. It is also destroyed in the films Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow (The Day After Tomorrow).

26. The total cost of the statue was financed by contributions from both countries (France and USA). In 1885, a New York newspaper titled at the time "New York World" announced that $102,000 was collected from donors, and that 80% of this total was received in less than one dollar.

27. The cities of Boston and Philadelphia proposed to pay the full amount of the construction of the statue, in exchange for its relocation in their city.

28. When the statue was erected in 1886 it was the highest iron structure ever built.

29. In 1984, the statue was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

30. By large wind of more than 80 km/h, Lady Liberty can swing up to 8 cm, while its torch can move from 12 to 13 cm.

31. It is believed that the "Men Liberty" was struck by lightning about 600 times each year since it was built. A photographer captured this moment for the first time in 2010 only.

32. Two people jumped from the statue, one in 1929 and the other in 1932, while others jumped and survived.

33. The American poet Emma Lazarus wrote about the Statue of Liberty in a sonnet entitled " The New Colossus » (1883). In 1903, the poem was engraved on a bronze plaque and placed in the lower level of the pedestal of the statue.

34. The island in which it is located was previously called Bedloe Island, but its name was changed in 1956 to Liberty Island.

35. There are various replicas of the statue, including a smaller version in Paris, and one on the Striptease Las Vegas in Nevada.

36. In 1944, the lights of the crown flashed "point-point-point-tiret" which, in the Morse code, meant V, for the Victory in Europe.

37. Andy Warhol painted Statue of Liberty as part of his Pop Art series in the 1960s. The work is estimated at over $35 million.

38. The statue worked as a lighthouse for 16 years (1886-1902), illuminating the horizon over a distance of more than 38 km.

39. The statue celebrated its 127th anniversary in October 2013.

Flickr – S J Pinkney

40. Miss America, comics character , got his powers from the statue.

41. After the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the statue was closed for security reasons. Pedestal re-opened only in 2004, and the statue itself only in 2009, but only a limited number of visitors can climb to the crown.

42. The statue was closed again in 2012 because of Hurricane Sandy, with the entire island inaccessible to the public. The statue re-opened only on Independence Day, July 4, 2013.

43. The statue suffered minor damage in 1916 when German saboteurs exploded a bomb during the First World War. The arm bearing the torch suffered the most damage, with repair work costing $100,000. The stairs of the torch were then closed to the public for security reasons, and have not opened until then.

44. No one has been able to visit the flame since.

45. Private boats are not allowed to land on Liberty and Ellis Island. Therefore, the only way to go is by ferry.

46. The 300 pieces of copper constituting the statue were transported to America in 214 boxes on the French ship Isère , which almost flowed into the unleashed ocean.

47. Liberty Island is a federal property in New York State territory, even if it is closer to New Jersey.

48. In 1982, it was discovered that the head had been installed at a height of 61cm.

49. Two images of the statue appear on the $10 bill.

50. The total cost of building the statue and its pedestal is more than $500,000, or more than $10 million in current currency.

Do you know any other anecdotes about the Statue of Liberty? Which one surprise you most?

Main photo credit: Flickr – Celso FLORES