America receives Statue of Liberty replica from France
Organizer Olivier Faron discusses the significance of the 'Little Lady Liberty' journey.
The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York in 350 pieces shipped in more than 200 cases on this day in history, June 17, 1885.
Assembling the Statue of Liberty took over a year; and the statue would not officially be unveiled to the public until Oct. 1886.
An "enduring symbol of freedom and democracy," the Statue of Liberty was given as a gift from the people of France in celebration of American independence and the friendship of the two countries, according to the History Channel website.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JUNE 16, 1884, FIRST AMERICAN ROLLER COASTER OPENS AT CONEY ISLAND
Designed by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, the copper-and-iron statue was about a decade late.
It was originally intended as a centennial gift in 1876, said History.com.
The delay was due in part to issues with fundraising, the same site said. Among the more unusual fundraising efforts were a lottery and boxing matches.
The Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York harbor in 1893, about eight years after it first arrived in 350 pieces. (Loeffler/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
While France funded the cost of the statue, the pedestal was financed by the United States, says the Statue of Liberty website.
"Poet Emma Lazarus wrote her famous sonnet ‘The New Colossus’ in 1883 for an art and literary auction," said the site.
The poem, featuring the famous lines, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," was cast in bronze and displayed inside the pedestal.
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Similar to the situation in France, fundraising for the pedestal was going at a snail's pace, said the Statue of Liberty website.
"To spark public action, in 1885, Joseph Pulitzer placed an ad in his paper the New York World inviting readers to donate to the cause. In exchange, Pulitzer printed each donor’s name in the newspaper," the site said.
Head of the Statue of Liberty in the Champ-de-Mars, Paris. (Getty Images)
It worked: 120,000 people donated over $100,000, the amount needed to pay for the rest of the construction.
In total, the Statue of Liberty cost approximately $250,000 in 1880's money, a figure that would amount to nearly $6 million in 2023, said the History Channel.
Meanwhile, in the United States, construction of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal was ongoing, further delaying the project.
"While awaiting construction of its pedestal, the Statue remained in pieces on what was then called Bedloe's Island," said the Statue of Liberty's website.
The Statue of Liberty was originally given to America as a gift by France. It arrived, in pieces, on this day in history, 1885. (iStock)
Construction on the pedestal would not be complete until April 1886, says the Statue of Liberty's website.
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When it was complete, its height of 151 feet, 1 inch made it the tallest structure in the United States, according to multiple sources.
The statue’s crown can only be accessed by climbing 162 stairs.
The arm holding the torch is 46 feet long, said the website.
The Statue of Liberty's finger is eight feet long, and her nose is about five feet long.
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Visitors are allowed to enter the statue and climb up to the crown — yet the statue’s crown can only be accessed by climbing 162 stairs, according to the National Park Service.
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"There is no elevator service to the crown. The climb is strenuous," the Park Service's website says, among other insights and tips.
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