30 Interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States by France as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. The author August Bartholdi originally wanted to create and present the statue to Egypt, but Egypt could not afford such expenses and had to give it to the United States. Initially, it was planned to install the statue in 1876, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the independence of the United States, but did not have time to meet the deadline. Well, let’s look at 30 facts about the Statue of Liberty that even most Americans don’t know about!

Statue of Liberty – An UNESCO World Heritage Site -The Historical man-made monument listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. 

All you should know about the Statue of Liberty?

• After the exhibition, the hand holding the torch was moved to Madison Square. There it stood for 6 years to collect donations for the construction of the pedestal until it was sent back to France, where it was connected to the rest of the statue.
•  For the same purpose, the head and shoulders were collected and exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1878.
•  It was first assembled in France, then disassembled and packed piece by piece in 214 huge wooden crates.
•  France spent $ 250,000. According to the agreement, the United States should build a pedestal that would cost another $ 275,000.
• New York didn’t have the money to build a pedestal. Other cities, including Boston and Philadelphia, have offered to take the statue and fully fund the project.
• To ensure that the gift remains in New York, the owner of the New York World newspaper, Joseph Pulitzer, announced a fundraiser for the construction, promising that the names of all those who send money will be published in the newspaper, regardless of the number of donations. After 5 months,$ 102,000 (2 million 300 thousand today) was collected from more than 120,000 people.
• Delivered to the United States on the French ship Isere on June 17, 1885, 200,000 people and hundreds of ships greeted the valuable gift.
• English newspapers wrote – “Isn’t it strange that France, which has so few freedoms, gives the Statue of Liberty to America, which has enough freedoms”
• There is a version that if the face of the statue is made from Bartholdi’s mother, then the figure is from the mistress.
• The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island, which was originally called Bedlow Island and was renamed only in 1956. Fort Wood, in the form of an 11-point star, became the base for the pedestal.

 6 Unknown facts about the Statue of Liberty?

• The Liberty frame was made by Gustave Eiffel, who built the Eiffel Tower in 1889.
• The ship carrying the statue almost sank in a storm. To think that the Statue of Liberty could have drowned! But fortunately, this did not happen!
• In 1984, the torch handle and the flame were replaced, covered with 24 karat gold. The old torch can be seen in the museum.
• The statue is hit by an average of 600 lightning strikes per year.
• The 7 rays on the crown symbolize the 7 seas and 7 continents.
• To go up to the viewing platform in the crown of the statue, you need to pass 354 steps and 10 people can be at the top at the same time.

5 Aww Facts about the Statue of Liberty :

• The statue is made of copper, only 2.5 mm thick, i.e. only two small coins thick.
• The Statue of Liberty was not always green, the color began to change at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries due to the oxidation of copper, and on its 50th anniversary by 1936, almost all were green.
• At the time of construction, it was the tallest metal building, with the largest amount of concrete and copper in a free-standing structure.
• If you compare it with a building, the statue is equal to 22 floors. It is still the tallest statue in the United States.
• Inside the statue, the right hand holding the torch is a 13-meter ladder.

5 Interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty :

• The statue first appeared on film in 1898 and was shot by Thomas Edison.
• Every year the statue holds 5 million visitors from all over the world.
• During a strong wind or hurricane, the statue can move from left to right by 7-8 centimeters, the right hand with the torch can move by 12.5 centimeters.
• Consists of more than 300 parts, weighing 80 tons.
• Until 1906, it also served as a lighthouse. Until 1924, it was called the Statue Illuminating the World.

Can you still go inside the Statue of Liberty?

• For safety reasons, since 1916, visitors have not been allowed to climb onto the torch platform.
•  None of the visitors can see one of the main symbols of the Statue of Liberty is the broken chains and shackles under her left leg.

How Old is the Statue of Liberty?

• The first part of the statue was created by the right hand with a torch, brought to America, and demonstrated at the 1876 World’s Fair in Philadelphia. For 50 cents, anyone could climb onto the torch platform.
• The opening ceremony on October 28, 1886, was attended by up to a million people.

One of the few attractions in the world that has its emoji. Do you know many world landmarks that have their emojis? Keep digging our other facts.