The original name of the 'Statue of Liberty' is Liberty Enlightening the World.
Besides being called 'Statue of Liberty' it is also fondly known as Lady Liberty.
The height of the statue is 152 feet.
One of the important statue of liberty facts is that The statue was built from copper sheets mounted onto a steel framework.
"Liberty Enlightening the World" was made using 300 hammered sheets of copper and weighed an astounding 225 tons.
The statue was not green from inception, it turned green due to atmospheric conditions, the main being acidic rainfall.
The statue is of an upright woman dressed in a flowing robe, wearing a 7-point spiked crown.
The 7-point spiked crown is said to represent the seven continents or the seven seas.
Lady Liberty holds a torch high over her head in the right hand, and holds a tablet close to her body in the left hand.
The
tablet contains the text "July IV MDCCLXXVI" meaning July 4, 1776,
commemorating the independence day of The United States of America.
The exact height of the statue is 151 feet and one inch, but for purpose of convenience we put it down as 151 or 152 feet tall.
The foundation (pedestal and 11-point star foundation) measures a total 154 feet.
The statue underwent massive restoration in 1984 for the rededication held on July 4, 1986.
Each of the 1350 iron bars were replaced by stainless-steel bars because the iron bars were all severely corroded.
The
torch that we see today is not the original torch of 1886. This torch
was replaced during the 1984-86 restoration because restoration was
found unsuitable. The original torch underwent major modifications in
1916. Today this torch is located in the Lady Liberty's lobby museum.
On
a plaque located in the museum at the base of the statue are lines from
Emma Lazarus' poem 'The New Colossus'. They read - "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!"
Liberty Island is situated closer to New Jersey that to New York (but is a part of New York).
Liberty
Island has had a very colorful past, its owners ranging from British,
to French, to American individuals. Today the island is owned by the
federal government and administered by the National Park Service.
The massive steel structure that holds the 'Statue of Liberty' together was designed by Gustave Eiffel.
Gustave Eiffel is the same person who designed the world famous 'La Tour Eiffel' (Eiffel Tower) of Paris.
The base of the pedestal is a 11-point star.
Statue
of Liberty stamps that have been minted were: 15 cent stamp issued on
November 11, 1922; 3 cent stamp issued on June 24, 1954; 8 cent stamp
issued on April 9, 1954; and 11 cent stamp issued on June 11, 1961.
The New York quarter minted in 2001 has the imprint of Lady Liberty with the words 'Gateway to Freedom' inscribed on it.
Liberty Island was known as Bedloe's Island till 1956.
Richard Morris Hunt designed the pedestal for 'Lady Liberty'.Its one of the unknown statue of liberty facts.
He is the same person who designed the Tribune Building and the Lennox Library.
The American Museum of Immigration was inaugurated on the second floor of the pedestal in 1972.
You would have to climb 354 winding steps to get to the top of the statue (closed for general public).
You could also take the elevator that goes up to the crown of the statue (closed for general public).
Liberty island was closed to the public from September 11, 2001 and reopened in December the same year.
The Statue of Liberty reopened for public on August 3, 2004.
One of the iconic statue of liberty facts is that Only the museum and 10-storey pedestal are open for public view.
As
of now, the interior of the statue remains closed for the public, but a
glass separator allows one to see the wonderful framework created by
Gustave Eiffel.
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