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Statue of Liberty: 25 little-known facts about the symbol of New York

'06.07.2023'

Alina Prikhodko

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The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Although she is already 129 years old, she looks great! ADME collected 25 amazing facts, which you may not have known about the symbol of New York.

1 The Statue Of Liberty Wasn't Always Green

The original iron frame of the statue was covered with copper, which made it appear bright bronze. Over the years, the copper began to oxidize and formed a protective layer, a patina, giving it a bright green hue. And thirty years later, the Statue of Liberty turned completely green. If the sculptor Frederico Bartholdi had done it his way, this statue would never have been green, or even copper, for that matter.

2. Gold in metal

The architect originally envisioned the statue as a lighthouse. To make the lighthouse visible at night, Bartholdi planned to cover the entire sculpture with gold leaf, which would glow in the moonlight. This idea was rejected due to the cost of the material. But the Statue was not left completely without jewelry - there is gold in the metal from which the torch is made.

3. New York is not the only city that has its own Statue of Liberty

A smaller version of it can be found in the lobby of the famous Musée d'Orsay in Paris. This mini statue was created by Bartholdi after the original sculpture was installed for the Paris Exposition of 1900, which was held in France to celebrate the achievements of the previous century.

4. “Prosthesis” for the US national symbol

If you take a closer look at the torch, you can see that this is not an original fragment of a landmark brought from France. About a hundred years after the installation of the statue, in 1986, rain and moisture damaged the torch and it had to be replaced. The new torch is made of copper and covered with 24 carat gold leaf. First, the old torch was put up as a museum piece right inside the pedestal at the entrance, and when a new museum appeared on the island, the torch was moved there.

Photo: IStock

5. Musical sculpture

It is said that Thomas Edison once wanted to install a huge phonograph in the statue, the sound of which could be heard even in Manhattan. It is good that this did not happen, otherwise the island would have been unbearably noisy, and it would have sounded creepy.

6. The Statue of Liberty almost went under water

The statue was brought from France on June 17, 1885 on the French ship Isère. There were more than 214 copper parts in 300 boxes. The ship was caught in a terrible storm and almost sank.

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7. New York almost lost its symbol due to financial problems

The statue could have been moved to Baltimore, Boston, San Francisco or Philadelphia. When New York City did not have enough money to pay for the pedestal, those cities were willing to pay for the entire structure, provided it was moved.

8. How David Copperfield "removed" the Statue of Liberty

In 1983, David Copperfield made the sculpture disappear in front of a crowd. The spectators sat on the platform, and the illusionist opened the curtain and showed them a large empty plinth from the statue. In fact, the platform slowly moved until it reached an angle from which the statue was simply not visible.

9. Birds even land on the symbol of freedom

In summer, the crown of the statue becomes a haven for peregrine falcons. And in winter you can see owls there. Other bird species migrate through Liberty State Park during the spring and fall months, including rare ones.

10. People lived inside the sculpture

The last official residents of Liberty Island were members of the family of the caretaker of the Statue. They had free housing on the island until their home was damaged by a 2022 hurricane.

11. Times change and so does the status of sculpture.

When the Statue of Liberty was completed, it was 93 meters tall and was the tallest iron structure in the world. Today, the tallest building in the world is Dubai's Burj Khalifa, which is 823 meters tall, almost nine times taller than the Statue of Liberty.

12. Battles against the elements

The famous sculpture is weather resistant. Since its construction, the statue has been hit by about 600 lightning bolts every year. Some photographers were even able to capture these moments.

Photo: IStock

13. Sculpture sways in the wind

She has survived hurricanes, ocean changes and countless storms. The statue was designed to sway in the wind. During the wind, she can swing 7 centimeters in any direction, and her torch - 12.

14. The monument is equal to 180 whales

The weight of the statue can be compared to the weight of a Boeing 737. But this is only the weight of its outer shell. The internal metal structures, that is, stairs, pylons and supports, weigh another 125 tons (like a train locomotive), and the concrete base weighs 27 tons. It's like a fleet of 11 SUVs or 180 of the biggest blue whales.

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15. It took 4 months to fully assemble the statue on a pedestal

It is connected to the pedestal, so it cannot be lifted separately. The entire internal structure is visible through the glass ceiling of the pedestal. When the interior work was still going on, it was already possible to see the sculpture in all its beauty.

16. The star under the sculpture is not part of it.

There is a star-shaped base on the earth. These are the remains of the former Fort Wood. This is followed by a granite pedestal, which has its own observation deck, and the statue itself.

17. High and difficult

Visiting the Statue of Liberty is a good workout. To get to the crown, you need to overcome 354 steps.

18. Riddle of the Crown

The crown has twenty-five windows that offer stunning panoramic views of New York. It is adorned with seven separate spikes. Some believe that these spikes represent the seven oceans and continents of the world and carry the universal concept of freedom. Others think it's the sun's rays.

19. Parisian lady in New York

The Statue of Liberty was first erected near Parc Monceau in Paris. The locals loved her so much that they nicknamed her the "Lady of the Park."

20. Elephant and 300 hammers

It took three hundred different types of hammers to shape the copper statue. Copper weighed like an African elephant.

21. With the world on a string

The Statue of Liberty was completed thanks to one of the first crowdfunding campaigns in history. First, the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who created the statue, raised funds in his country for its construction. Then more than 120 thousand people in the United States participated in this.

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22. Not fragile lady

The statue is as tall as a 22-story building. Her face is the size of a double bed and her arms are twice as long. If this lady wanted to buy shoes for herself, she would be size 879. Her waist is as long as a double decker bus and she is about five times as heavy as a Tyrannosaurus rex.

23. Shackles under the dress

If it were possible to lift the copper hem of the dress, then we would see that her right leg rests on broken shackles and chains - a symbol of liberation from tyranny and oppression. Bartholdi initially wanted to put chains on the sculpture's arm, but ended up giving it a plaque instead. The inscription on the tablet reads: JULY IV MDCCLXXVI. The date "July 4, 1776" written in Roman numerals is the day the United States Declaration of Independence was adopted.

Photo: IStock

24. Sister of the Eiffel Tower

Gustave Eiffel helped Bartholdi design the Statue of Liberty. He was a famous civil engineer who, as you might have guessed, built the famous tower in Paris. Eiffel designed the frame and structures of the Statue of Liberty.

25. Liberty Island was named so in 1956 - 70 years after the erection of the statue

Until then it was known as Great Oyster Island, then Bedloe Island, after the Dutchman who owned it. At some point, it was also called Love Island. Liberty Island cannot be reached by private ship. The only way to get there is by ferry.

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