What are some interesting fact about the Statue of Liberty?
9 Fabulous Facts about The Statue of LibertyIt all started at dinner one night near Paris in 1865. A group of Frenchmen discussing their dictator-like emperor and the democratic government of the U.S decided to build a monument to freedom. Thus was born the lady Liberty.The sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi imagined the monument to be the statue of a woman holding a torch burning with the light of freedom. And she was finally built by Gustave Eiffel with the help of tons of workers working ten hour days, seven days a week for nine years!In 1886 on October 28th, France dedicated the statue to America. The statue was to be a universal symbol of freedom. The seven points on her crown represent the seven seas and continents. The crown also has 25 windows you can look out of. You would have to climb 354 stairs(22 stories) to do that though.It is said that she was modeled after the image of the sculptor’s mom, but represents ‘Libertas’, the Roman Goddess of Freedom. She arrived in America in 214 crates, and was assembled thereafter. When she first arrived, she was copper colored. 30 years of oxidation turned her color green. The amount of copper used to build her could make 30 million pennies!Lady liberty is 151 ft. and one inches tall. Along with her pedestal, which is 154 ft tall, the entire monument comes to height of 305 ft 1 inch from the ground! She sure is one tall lady!Although she is one tough metallic lady, she does sway to the wind – a very fast one though. It takes a 50 mile/hr wind to sway her torch by about 6 inches! So much? Well of course! We expect nothing less from a statue that weighs 450,000 pounds!Did you know that she wears size 879 sandals on her 25 ft long feet?Lightning doesn't strike twice, it is said…. or does it? The lady liberty is estimated to be hit by about 600 bolts of lightning every year! Yikes!Although she now has an American island to her name, she could have ended up at the mouth of the Suez canal in Egypt, if they hadn't rejected her for being too old fashioned!More details on Facts about The Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty means what?
Symbolism The broken shackles lying at Lady Liberty's feet signify liberation from oppression and tyranny.[2] The USIA states that the seven spikes in the crown represent the seven seas and seven continents.[3] As the statue's name indicates, the torch signifies enlightenment. The tablet in her hand shows the date of the nation's birth (July 4, 1776). Since 1903, the statue has been associated with Emma Lazarus's poem The New Colossus and has acquired a new meaning as a symbol of welcome to immigrants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_liberty
Was the Statue of Liberty the tallest structure in New York when it was erected? What about the entire USA?
It appears to have been the tallest structure in NYC at the time, but not the USA nor the world. It was opened in 1886 and is 305.5 feet (93m) tall* from ground to torch.The Washington Monument was finished in 1885 and is over 555 feet ((169m) tall.Also, the Latting Observatory was built in 1853 and was 315 feet (96m) tall. On the other hand it burnt down in 1856 and wasn't in existence when the SOL was constructed.*Statue of Liberty History
What is the difference between a statue and a structure?
A statue is generally a work of art or figure. A structure is something that generally requires engineering to complete. Michelangelo's David - Statue, Bridges or Buildings - Structures, Statue of Liberty - Both
What keeps the Statue of Liberty from rusting away into a pile of scrap?
In 1984 a major restoration of the statue of liberty began. The restoration completed with the replacement of the new copper torch covered in gold leaf in 1986.Throughout the restoration the original wrought iron braces (armature bars) connecting the copper and structure made by Gustav Eifel were individually removed and replaced with Stainless steel bars. The main stairs were removed and also replaced with Stainless steel.The outer sculptural artwork of the statue of liberty is made of copper and is both flexible with it's armature and due to the thinness of the copper itself. The copper is the same thickness as two American Lincoln cents.Since copper doesn't rust but oxidizes the metal doesn't corrode the way iron does. There are Roman coins made of copper that have lasted over 2000+ years. In fact I used some on tours at liberty to show how copper can last especially when oxidized.The green patina that develops protects the copper from deteriorating. The new structure inside being stainless steel will continue to support it and any of the original support structure made of wrought iron is checked for damage yearly. Metal tests have been performed every few years and the status continues to be good. The most recent restoration of liberty (2011–2012) removed the steel stairs of 1986 in the pedestal and the new concrete stairs were installed to provide fire safety and protection to visitors.Damage from Super storm (Hurricane) Sandy in 2012 caused other damage to the island which is still being fixed today.Anew museum is being built and should open in 2019 allowing visitors to see the museum without needing to enter the statue of liberty itself. Tickets for entry to the pedestal observation deck and the crown are sold by Statue Cruises. Tickets for the crown need to be ordered between 3–6 months in advance and cost slightly more than pedestal and island tickets. Tickets for the pedestal can be ordered between 1–3 weeks ahead of a visit at no additional charge but there are limited number of these tickets available.NPS Park Rangers offer tours of the island daily. You can learn more about the statue of liberty by taking a tour or by using the audio tour which is available in several languages.
Does the French "Marianne" statue and the Statue of Liberty represent the same person?
Not exactly, they both have a vague link to ‘liberty’ - the French Marianne pre-dates the statue of liberty by a hundred years or so, and is supposed to represent a “goddess of liberty”…so you can imagine that when Bartholdi came to model the face of the “statue of liberty” as a Frenchman, he’d use a similar face… But having said that, there have been a large number of ‘versions’ of Marianne herself - and not that surprisingly, a few from the end of the 19th century seem to have a strong link back to the statue of liberty herself…For instance:The Great Seal of France : 1848Note the headress - some 15 years before the idea of the statue of liberty started circulating… You’ve got to imagine this is where Bartholdi got his idea from.But the copying worked both ways:A statue of Marianne, but this time from 1894 - well after Liberty - so clearly influenced by the Statue in New York harbour.However, it should be noted that the statue of liberty herself is a ‘makeover’… You’ve actually got a disguised Egyptian immigrant in disguise (for goodness sake don’t tell your president! - she’ll end up getting deported!)…A few years earlier, Bartholdi was doing his utmost to sell the Egyptians a gigantic statue / lighthouse for the southern end of the Suez canal…Here are a few potential models:Look familiar?The project never got the go-ahead, so a few years later when he and others managed to sell the French government the idea of presenting a statue to the Americans, he dusted off his original plans, made a few cosmetic changes to the design, gave the statue a face-job to hide his/her Arabic ancestry, and there you have it…
What is the meaning of the Blind Lady of Justice statue?
Daniel’s answer is pretty good, but I’d like to add a little more for those who like the history and details. The lady of justice has been around pretty much since antiquity, and there has been some representation — usually the feminine — in almost every advanced civilization of any time. The Romans actually adopted their version of lady justice from that of the Greeks.Here is a picture of the Roman goddess Justicia:Notice the adaptation of the blindfold, which was not originally part of the portrayal. We can see this in the Greek goddess Themis - the name means "divine law" rather than human ordinance, literally “that which is put in place” - which was originally pictured without the blindfold. Classical representations of Themis relied on the goddess’ talen of prophecy, thus no need for a blindfold. She could see the actual facts and thereby make the appropriate decision with her powers as a goddess. Interestingly, Themis was also not seen holding a sword. The idea was that law was a part of the common consent, not coercion.Changes to Themis appearance that brought us the blindfold and sword occurred during the 15th century.She was referred to as Ma'at by the ancient Egyptians and was often depicted carrying a sword with an ostrich feather in her hair (but no scales) to symbolize truth and justice.
If the Statue of Liberty and the "Motherland Calls" statue in Russia got into a fight, who would win?
Because neither statue has any articulated joints, this will be a boring battle. Basically, we need to figure out who collapses first.The Motherland Calls is made out of pressed concrete and wire. The Statue of Liberty is made of copper. Further, Lady Liberty’s about a hundred years older so it has had more time to rust, and it's near saltwater so it rusts even faster. Clearly, if rust is the deciding factor, it's not going to go well for the U.S.However, The Motherland Calls has other structural issues. Notably, the rising water table around Volgograd is causing the statue to lean. It's expected that if it leans much further, as it's expected to, it might fall over.This is likely to happen before the Statue of Liberty rusts away, so, assuming neither statue has any help, the Statue of Liberty would win a fight with The Motherland Calls.