9 Secrets of the Statue of Liberty Most Americans Don't Know

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most (if not THE most) famous monuments in the world. Anyone visiting New York City can see her, but not everyone knows that Lady Liberty has her own secrets. One of them is – she might not even be a lady at all!

Or do you know, for example, that number seven meant a lot for the Statue's creators? It's easy to notice the Statue has seven spikes on its crown, symbolizing universal liberty across the seven oceans and continents. But there are less obvious references to the number seven. Btw, you can see this monument not in NYC only!

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TIMESTAMPS:
The Statue of Liberty was once split into pieces 0:21
It was one of history's first crowd-funding campaigns 1:04
The Statue of Liberty wasn’t always green 2:05
It used to serve as a lighthouse 2:32
It's all about number seven 3:04
The construction supporting the Statue was designed by Gustave Eiffel 3:39
It might have masonic ties 4:41
The face of the Statue of Liberty could be that of a man 5:45
There's more than one Statue of Liberty 7:08

#StatueOfLiberty #NewYork #brightside

Preview photo credit:
Statue of Liberty on the Île aux Cygnes in Paris, taken from a bateau-mouche: By H. Zell - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10909857
Animation is created by Bright Side.

As seen from Central Park West: By Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA - New York Historical Society, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80475410
A cornerstone with bronze relief images: By Norbert Schnitzler - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=863567
Denarius (42 BC) issued by Cassius Longinus and Lentulus Spinther, depicting the crowned head of Libertas, with a sacrificial jug and lituus on the reverse: By Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=516732
Animation is created by Bright Side.

SUMMARY:
- It's really hard to picture it, but the Statue actually arrived from France on June 17, 1885, in over 300 copper pieces. The precious cargo was traveling in 214 crates on the French ship, Isère.
- Then, American newspaper magnate Joseph Pulitzer stepped in. Even though 80% of the donations were small ones from middle-class citizens, Pulitzer managed to collect the necessary amount from over 120,000 donors.
- The Statue of Liberty is made of copper, so it was originally about the same color as a penny. According to the New York Historical Society, it turned completely green because of oxidation by 1920.
- The statue was originaly supposed to serve as a lighthouse for ships sailing into New York Harbor. And, two years after it arrived in the US, it actually became one.
- There are 16 leaves around the torch, and the monument itself is 151 feet tall. The sum of both those digits is seven as well. Clearly, that number meant a lot for the Statue's creators.
- Famous engineer Alexander Gustave Eiffel helped design the steel internal framework to keep the statue stable. It's strong enough to withstand around 600 bolts of lightning a year.
- Most people are positive it's a representation of the Roman goddess of freedom, Libertas. The widely accepted story is that Bartholdi modeled her face after his mother.
- Author and journalist, Elizabeth Mitchell, however, claims that the sculptor actually used his brother's face as a model!
- Another theory was presented by French writer Nathalie Salmon, who claims Lady Liberty was modeled after her ancestor Sarah Salmon.
- You can find a smaller Statue of Liberty, which was the original model for its big sister, in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. It's been there since 1906, after Bartholdi gave it to the Luxembourg museum for the World’s Fair of 1900.

Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/

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