Statue of Liberty is synonymous with the beauty and honor of the United States of America. A gift from France to the US, the Statue of Liberty today stands as the face of America to the whole world. Today, let’s learn some fantastic Statue of Liberty facts and stay amazed at this marvelous structure.
Statue of Liberty Facts 1-10
1. The statue was a joint effort of both the USA and France. The two nations wanted to celebrate their long-lasting friendship.
2. An agreement was signed between the two nations. As per the agreement, Americans were to build the pedestal, and the French would build the statue. The assembling of the statue was also the responsibility of the French.
3. It was decided by France in the year 1865 that they will gift a statue to the US in celebration of the successful building of a democratic nation.
4. Two men were responsible for giving the structure of the Statue of Liberty. Frederic-Auguste, a French sculptor, made the statue out of copper.
5. Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel gave the steel and iron framework of the Statue of Liberty. He is also the one who designed the famous Eiffel Tower.
6. France decided to present this gift in 1876 (for celebrating the centenary of the independence of the USA). But this plan didn’t work out because of low funding.
7. The statue was completed in the year 1884. It was shipped via French frigate Isere in over 200 crates (disassembled). The statue arrived in New York Harbor in 1885.
8. The total height of the Statue of Liberty (from the base of the pedestal foundation to the torch’s tip) is 305 feet and 6 inches.
9. The height of the statue from heel to top of the head is 111 feet and 6 inches.
10. The waistline of the statue is 35 feet.
Statue of Liberty Facts 11-20
11. The Statue of Liberty weighs 450,000 pounds or 225 tons.
12. There are 154 steps from the head of Statue of Liberty to the pedestal.
13. The thickness of the covering of copper sheets is 3/32nd of an inch. In simple words, the thickness is equal to two pennies put one above the other.
14. The color of the statue is because of the natural weathering of copper. Such light green color is called patina.
15. There lies a broken chain at the feet of the Statue of Liberty. The broken chain is the symbolization of tyranny and oppression.
16. Statue of Liberty is seen holding a tablet in her left hand. It is 23 feet 7 inches long and 13 feet 7 inches wide. The date of independence of the US is inscribed on it in the form of JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (4th July 1776).
17. The ceremony of official dedication was held on Thursday, 28th October 1886.
18. Statue of Liberty’s face is over 8 feet tall.
19. Did you know that the crown of Statue of Liberty has 7 rays? Each ray represents one continent. Each ray is around 9 feet in length and weighs nearly 150 pounds.
20. Restoration of the statue took place in 1986. A new torch was used which was covered with thin sheets of pure 24 Karat gold. The old torch was replaced in 1984.
Statue of Liberty Facts 21-30
21. The full name of the Statue of Liberty is Liberty Enlightening the World.
22. Statue’s head was displayed at World’s Fair in 1878 in Paris.
23. The robed female figure is Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom.
24. The Statue of Liberty wears a size 879 shoe!
25. You need to scale 354 steps to reach the crown. The crown has 25 windows.
26. 300 different types of hammers were used to make this statue.
27. In 2016 alone, 4.5 million people visited the Statue of Liberty.
28. Frederic Bartholdi’s (sculptor) mother, Charlotte, was the muse for the face of the statue.
29. If you observe closely, you can see the right foot of the Statue of Liberty is raised indicating moving ahead and moving away from oppression and tyranny.
30. The construction of the statue cost $500,000. In today’s time, it will be over $10 million.
Statue of Liberty Facts 31-40
31. You can see two images of the statue on a $10 bill.
32. It was in 1982 that people observed that the head was installed two feet from the actual installation position.
33. Liberty Island is the property of New York though it is closer to New Jersey.
34. Private boats are not allowed at anchor at Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The ferry system is the only option.
35. The statue suffered few damages in 1916 when Germans started explosions during World War I. The arm which held the torch suffered the most. The repair works cost $100,000.
36. The stairs were closed during that time for safety reasons. They are closed to date. No one is allowed to visit the torch since then.
37. After the terrorist attacks that took place on 11 September, the statue was closed for security purposes. The base was opened in 2004 and the statue was opened in 2009. Only a few people were allowed to go upstairs.
38. Because of Hurricane Sandy, the statue was again closed in 2012.
39. A comic book character, Miss America, gets her powers from the Statue of Liberty.
40. Did you know that the Statue of Liberty functioned as a lighthouse for 16 years from 1886 to 1902? It could light a distance of up to 24 miles.
Statue of Liberty Facts 41-50
41. The crown flashed ‘dot-dot-dot-dash’ in 1944. In Morse code it means V, for the victory of Europe.
42. There are several replicas of the Statue of Liberty. There is one in Nevada’s Las Vegas Strip and another one in Paris.
43. The island where it was situated was called Bedloe Island. The name of the island was changed to Liberty Island in 1956.
44. The Statue of Liberty was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
45. If there is a wind with a speed of 50 miles per hour or more, the statue can sway by nearly 3 inches and her torch can sway by nearly 5 inches.
46. It is estimated that the statue has been hit by around 600 lightning bolts every year since it was installed. The first time this event was captured in 2010 by a photographer.
47. Two people committed suicide by jumping off the statue – one died in 1929 and the other in 1932. Others also jumped but they survived.
48. Some of the groups in Philadelphia and Boston offered to pay the entire cost of the statue in return for the relocation of the statue.
49. The most famous cinematic appearance of the Statue of Liberty was in ‘Planet of the Apes’, a 1968 film. Other cinematic references of the statue are in the movies ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ and ‘Independence Day.’
50. The lady has a lot of nicknames. Some of the nicknames are The Lady Higher Up, Mother of Exiles, Giant Goddess, Green Goddess, Bartholdi’s Daughter, America’s Great Lady, Lady with a Torch, Mother of Freedom, Spirit of American Independence, etc. These nicknames are present in The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia.
Statue of Liberty Facts 51-60
51. The statue was as new and shiny as a new penny when she arrived in the USA. It took 20 years to get the green color.
52. Frédéric Bartholdi offered to create a sister statue of the Statue of Liberty in Egypt. He called it ‘Egypt Carrying Light to Asia’. He wanted to place this statue at the entrance of the Suez Canal.
53. The statue would feature an Egyptian farmer woman in a veil holding a lantern. The khedive of Egypt declined after listening to the cost of the construction of the statue.
54. The seven spikes were not a part of the crown. They were meant to be an aureole or a halo. The spikes were removed in 1938 to repair their rusted supports.
55. We informed that the explosion that the Germans caused near the American lands damaged the statue. The explosion consisted of about 2 million tons of explosives and other material!
56. The explosion was similar to an earthquake measuring a 5.5 on the Richter Scale.
57. The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty housed many military families from 1818 to mid-1930s.
58. The Statue of Liberty Museum opened to the general public in 2019. This museum is managed by National Park Service.
59. The statue was declared as US National Monument on 15 October, 1924. It was designated so by President Calvin Coolidge.
60. It was designated as the New York City Landmark on 14 September 1976.
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