Did You Know- The Statue of Liberty

Fun Facts About Our Country’s Largest Statue

Did you know that the Statue of Liberty arrived at its permanent home at in New York Harbor on June 19th, 1885? That means that today is the 129th anniversary of the statue arriving on the French frigate IsereAlthough thought more of as a monument than a piece of art, the Statue of Liberty is North America’s Largest Statue. Here are some other fun, interesting and intriguing facts about one of America’s most famous pieces of art:

Did You Know?

  • The statue is constructed of hand-shaped copper sheets and was crafted in France and then taken apart before the trip to America where it was rebuilt.
  • The Statue of Liberty faces East greeting incoming ships and fresh immigrants while also looking back at her birthplace in France.
  • The steel framework was designed by engineers Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel
  • The official dedication ceremonies were held on October 28th, 1886 and president Grover Cleveland dedicated the statue.
  • A plaque mounted inside the lower level of the pedestal of the statue houses the famous words of the sonnet “The New Colossus” by American poet Emma Lazarus:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

  • The total overall height of the statue from the base of the pedestal to the tip of the torch is 305 ft, 6 inches making it currently the 11th tallest statue on the planet (with pedestal)
  • The crown on the statue has 7 rays, one for each continent and each measuring  up to 9 ft in length and weighing up to 150 lbs.
  • The torch you see today is fairly new having been replaced in 1986 and has been covered with thin sheets of 24k gold.
  • The copper covering of the Statue of Liberty is only 3/32 of an inch thick which is less than the thickness of 2 pennies
  • The patina or green coloration of the statue occurred due to natural weathering of the copper. 
  • The inscription on the tablet the statue holds reads the date “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” which means July 4th, 1776.
  • If you would guess that the statue weights 450,000 lbs, you would be correct.

Check back with us for more Did you Know and check out some of our previous Did You Knows: Did You Know-Michelangelo, Did You Know- Jerry’s has Brand New Shout Out Videos and Did You Know- Salvador Dali

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