Eumundi Voice Issue 119

Statue of Liberty

On 17 June 1885 the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York – a gift from France to the US to commemorate the centenary of US independence and the abolition of slavery. The statue reflected the friendship between France and the US, particularly after French support for the Union during the American Civil War. Its official name is Liberty Enlightening the World. The statue was built in France between 1875 and 1884 and shipped to the US in pieces. Gustave Eiffel – of Eiffel Tower fame – designed the internal steel framework. The statue was reassembled on Liberty Island in 1886 and dedicated by US President Grover Cleveland. Originally a shiny brown colour, by 1906 it had turned green due to the outer surface being covered with hundreds of thin copper sheets. It has been left that way due to concerns that cleaning would eventually lead to the entire copper covering being eaten away.

The Statue of Liberty is 93m high, and despite being made of concrete can sway up to 7.6cm in the wind. It is struck by lightning up to 600 times a year. Today, the statue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visited by over 4M tourists annually.