Most people might know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from France, but did you also know that the hand holding the torch was on display in a New York park for five years? As in, just the hand and torch? Here are 10 other tidbits you may not know about the iconic landmark, which has welcomed thetired, poor and huddled masses to America for the past 130 years.
1. Her full name is “Liberty Enlightening the World.”
2. Her home, Liberty Island, was called Bedloe’s Island until 1956. It was named after Isaac Bedloe, who purchased it in December 1667.
3. It is rumored that sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi modeled the statue’s face after his mother’s.
4. Lady Liberty arrived in 350 different pieces packed into 214 crates.
5. The hand holding the torch was completed in 1876. After a pit stop in Philadelphia for the city’s Centennial Exposition, it was displayed in New York’s Madison Square Park from 1877-1882.
10 Statue of Liberty facts to celebrate her 130th birthday
6. After Lady Liberty was shipped from France to New York, she was in storage for a year while construction was finished on its pedestal.
7. More than 1 million people attended the tickertape parade celebrating her dedication on Oct. 28, 1886.
8. The statue’s first elevator was installed in 1907.
9. For three days in 1971, the Statue of Liberty was occupied by protesters from Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
10. Prehistoric artifacts, including shells, pieces of pottery and projectile points, were discovered during the statue’s extensive restoration in 1985.
(Most facts from the National Park Service unless otherwise indicated)
