If you have the opportunity to visit the United States, where will you go to? New York, Los Angles, or take pictures in the Hollywood sign? The United States does have a lot of interesting places to visit, but wherever you go, make sure you won’t forget to visit the Statue of Liberty.
As reported by Mental Floss, the Statue of Liberty is one of the American icons that is very popular, even quite special, especially for newcomers. Why is that? Here are the reasons!
1. The Statue of Liberty has many names
Now, we know this statue as the Statue of Liberty. In fact, this iconic statue has a lot of nicknames, from America's Freedom, America's Great Lady, Aunt Liberty, Bartholdi's Daughter, to the Spirit of America.
Meanwhile, the original name is Liberty Enlightening the World or La Liberté éclairant lef monde in French.
2. Lady Liberty is not from America
The Statue of Liberty is indeed an icon of American pride, but did you know that this statue actually did not come from America?
Lady Liberty was created by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and her team in France in 1875. Eleven years later, precisely in 1886, France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a gift as well as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.
3. Brought to America in separate pieces
For your information, Lady Liberty has a height of 46 meters and weighs 204 tons. With such a large body, it seems very impossible for the Statue of Liberty to be able to cross the ocean and get to America.
France then divided the statue into 350 parts and sent it using a ship. When he arrived at Bolde Island or what is now known as Liberty Island, the parts were then put back together to form the statue we see today.
4. Bartholdi uses his mother's face as a model
If you think that the face of the Statue of Liberty is the result of Bartholdi's imagination, you are wrong. The sculpture maker, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, used the face of his mother, Charlotte, as a model to create a statue of Liberty.
It was known in 1876, when a French senator named Jules Bozerian visited the Bartholdi opera house and found a woman with a face like Lady Liberty.
5. The Statue of Liberty should have a sister
Not only the United States, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi also offered to make a statue for Egypt. In contrast to Liberty, the Egyptian statue is a peasant woman who wears a typical Egyptian veil and holds a lantern.
Once finished, this statue will be placed at the entrance of the Suez Canal. Unfortunately, that plan never came true. Egypt rejected the plan because the cost needed to make the statue was very large.
6. Lady Liberty has served as a guide
Not only a symbol of friendship, as soon as the Statue of Liberty arrived, the United States used it as a lighthouse. Lady Liberty first began her duties in 1886 and carried out her duties well for 16 years.
Unfortunately, in 1902, this statue was considered not bright enough to be seen from a distance so that it had to be retired from its duties as a lighthouse.
7. The original color is not green
Unlike other statues which are mostly shiny black, the Statue of Liberty is actually green. In fact, green is not the original color of this iconic statue.
When you first arrived in America, the Statue of Liberty had a reddish-brown color derived from copper. Unfortunately, 30 years later, oxidation made this statue turn green.
8. Is a symbol of freedom
Besides being a symbol of friendship between America and France, Lady Liberty also holds a myriad of meanings. The crown on the statue symbolizes seven continents and seven oceans. The torch in Liberty's hand symbolizes enlightenment.
The right leg of the statue of Liberty is lifted up between broken chains and shackles symbolizing freedom from oppression. Finally, the position of the Statue of Liberty facing southeast is also intended to welcome immigrants who come.
Behind its iconic appearance and is often visited by tourists, who would have thought if this statue holds a lot of history that is dear to be kept tightly.
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