18 Interesting Facts About Statue of Liberty

One of the most popular structures, The Statue of Liberty, was a gift to the United Nations Of America from the French.  The copper statue, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor, was built by Gustave Eiffel (The man behind the Eiffel Tower too!) and dedicated on October 28, 1886. The idea though, was proposed by Édouard René de Laboulaye, the president of the French Anti-Slavery Society and a prominent and important political thinker of his time.

liberty face Let’s dig deep and know about some lesser known facts.

1. Better Watch the WAIST!

fat liberty

The Statue has a 35-foot waistline! Don’t panic, woman.
Source: libertyellisfoundation.org, Image: thewellnesswordsmith.wordpress.com

2. Torch

liberty fire

During the completion of restoration in 1986, the flames of the torch were covered in 24k gold sheets.
Source: libertyellisfoundation.org, Image: stories-etc.com

3. Crown of Lady Liberty

liberty crown

There are seven rays on her crown. Each one represents the seven continents, measuring up to 9 feet in length and weighing as much as 150 pounds. Also, there are 25 windows in the crown (to keep her calm).
Source: libertyellisfoundation.org, Image: telegraph.co.uk

4. Feet

libertyChains

The broken shackles of oppression and tyranny lies at the feet of the Statue.
Source: wikipedia, Image: people.virginia.edu

5. Was Not Green Before!

liberty copper

The exterior was red in colour because of the copper covering of the Statue of Liberty. The light green colour (called a patina) is the result of natural weathering of the copper.
Source: dailymail.co.uk, Image: rebrn.com

6. Intended for Egypt

liberty egypt

The statue was originally intended for Egypt but the proposal got rejected because of it being too “old-fashioned”. The decision came as a disappointment to Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who’d envisioned the Suez Canal as the ideal venue for his mammoth structure.
Source: blog.voanews.com, Image: frontpagemag.com

7. Tourists

liberty captain america

About 3.2 million of people visit this magnificent symbol of freedom every year.
Source: wikipedia

8. Full Name

liberty gif

The full of the statue is Liberty Enlightening the World.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

9. Inspiration

libertas

Clearly, the inspiration for the Liberty was Roman pagan goddess, Libertas.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pinterest

10. On Display

liberty paris show

The head of the Statue was at display at World’s fair in Paris in 1878 on Champ de Mars.
Source: telegraph.co.uk, Image: telegraph.co.uk

11. Lightning Effects

liberty lightning

The enormous Statue of Liberty is estimated to be hit by 600 bolts of lightning ever year. That’s quite not a surprise.
Source: dailymail.co.uk, Image:  delhpiforums.com

12. Shoe Size

liberty shoe

And you thought only the waistline is something to be upset about? The Lady Liberty wears a size 879 shoe. Maybe that’s why she is out of options.
Source: telegraph.co.uk, Image: phactual.com

13. Replicas

paris statue of liberty

Replicas of the structure has been erected everywhere in the world! The countries included are Pakistan, Taiwan, Malaysia, China and Brazil.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikimapia

14. Sculptor’s Mother

libertyyy

The statue’s face was said to be modelled on that of sculptor’s mother, Charlotte.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

15. Sign of Immigration

liberty evening

The statue because the sign of immigration because that’s what the immigrants saw when the first entered through the boat.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

16. Bedloe

The island in which it stands was previously called Bedloe Island, but its name was changed in 1956 to Liberty Island.
Source: wikipedia

17. Scam

liberty stamp

The postage stamp of the statue depicts not the original statue in New York but a replica in Las Vegas.
Source: nytimes.com, Image:

18. Lighthouse in Disguise

liberty hat

The structure functioned as a lighthouse for 16 years before it was just a monument. It provided light up to 24 miles.
Source: dailymail.co.uk