In New York City on October 28th 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated to the U.S. by a French sculptor named Frederic Bartholdi. This statue is a symbol to immigrants that America was a place to start fresh and new, and boatloads of travelers were welcomed by Lady Liberty for most of the 20th century.

The Statue of Liberty

What French Engineer assisted Bartholdi in the Creation of the Statue? What Else is He Famous For?

Gustave Eiffel helped create the iron body underneath the outer structure of Lady Liberty and was there to dedicate the statue to the president of the U.S. at the time, Grover Cleveland. Gustave is also the famous architect that designed the Eiffel tower! Eiffel's first projects were bridges, but after building the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower, He became known as the " Magician of Iron" and after being accomplished in the field of architecture, moved on to aerodynamics and meteorology before he passed away in 1923. Eiffel had also written a book in his later years about the science of aviation and inspired the Wright brothers to study the same and invent the first archetypes for the plane.

Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?

The original Statue of Liberty before weathering took place.

Eiffel used Iron as the internal structure underneath copper sheets that were to cover this frame. The Copper used to make the statue was very thin, about the width of two pennies put together, and were easily malleable. Although it was able to handle wind and storms, the main scientific flaw is that Copper exposed to oxygen will oxidize, causing something called Patina. Patina, the green coating on the Statue of Liberty actually protects Lady Liberty from erosion and decay, something that U.S. citizens were very concerned about. The Statue of Liberty has survived for a very long time and will have several hundred more years to welcome travelers and be a beacon of hope for all who come to visit her.

What does The Statue of Liberty Represent?

Lady Liberty is a representation of Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. This symbolizes so many times between the U.S. and France when basic rights and freedoms were taken from them. The U.S. had the support of France when separating from Britain for religious and political freedom. France had admired the idea of democratic freedom and had hoped that building the Statue for the U.S. would bring about feelings of change in France's oppressive political situation. Lady Liberty has a crown with seven tips to represent the seven continents and seas and she carries a tablet with the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The dedication of this statue was celebrated in a very lavish ceremony with fireworks and both France and the U.S. applauding its existence.

What Disastrous Events caused the Temporary Closing of the Monument?

The Statue of Liberty closed on this tragic day.

Liberty Island is always open for people to visit and check out the inside of the statue and surrounding park. There have been some unfortunate events through time that have actually caused the Island to be shut down for safety concerns. September 11th had struck so much fear in U.S. citizens and government officials, that the statue and island were off limits for an entire year. Upon reopening the island, people were still not allowed to enter the statue for fear that it would be hard to exit during an emergency. The statue stayed closed for several years before re-opening during President Obama's first term in 2009. The statue closed again because of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, then also in October of 2013, the island was closed due to fiscal issues.