19 things you probably don't know about the Statue of Liberty.
One of New York's most important and famous sights is the Statue of Liberty. Being on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the colossal neoclassical sculpture attracts millions of visitors from every corner of the Earth.
The statue was designed by French sculptor FrΓ©dΓ©ric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel and arrived in New York City from France 130 years ago. The Statue of Liberty is a figure of Libertas, a Roman goddess that represents liberty, she holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and in her left-hand carries a tabula ansata inscribed in Roman numerals with "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" (July 4, 1776), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Although, there are some exciting things you may not have known until today about this iconic symbol of America.
The Statue of Liberty’s full name is “Liberty Enlightening the World.”
France gave it to America in 1886.
It was modelled on Libertas, the Roman Goddess of Liberty.
The statue was brought to New York in pieces.
The height of the Statue, from her heel to the top of her head, is 111 feet and 6 inches.
Official dedication ceremonies were held on Thursday, October 28, 1886.
The total cost was just over $500,000, which translates into contemporary money of about $ 10 million.
It functioned as a lighthouse for 16 years.
There are 154 steps from the pedestal to the head of the Statue of Liberty
The crown has 25 windows. The windows are thought to represent the natural minerals of the earth.
The statue wears a size 879 shoe.
Every year, 5 million people visit the statue.
The total weight of the Statue of Liberty is 225 tons (or 450,000 pounds)
The statue is green because of the oxidation of copper. It's not painted!
Every year this attraction is hit by 600 bolts of lightning.
The Statue of Liberty resides on an island in New York Harbor.
The torch Lady Liberty holds is made of 24k gold.
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Liberty Island was closed for 100 days and the Statue of Liberty was closed to visitors until 2004.
The face of the statue was modelled after the sculptor’s mother, Charlotte.
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