This is part of my "Learning something new...." history series using United States postage stamps as our history book.
To read previous posts in this series, simply click here.
On this date in 1886, President Grover Cleveland welcomed a new little girl to the United States of America. This little girl, however, actually wasn't so little. In fact, she is 151 feet and one inch tall and stands on a pedestal that is 154 feet tall.
On this date in 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped her celebrate her 50th birthday, and in 1984, she entered the hospital for major surgery and rehabilitation. She was released from the hospital on July 3, 1986.
Who is this little lady who stands so tall? Who is LL? Why she's Lady Liberty, of course!
Officially titled "Liberty Enlightening the World," the Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States by the citizens of France to commemorate the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence and the friendship between the two countries that was established during the American Revolution.
Other interesting facts about Lady Liberty:
The tablet in her left arm is inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI -- July 4, 1776.
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the statue, obtained a U.S. patent for its structure.
Gustave Eiffel and Maurice Koechlin, builder and engineer of the Eiffel Tower, designed the Statue of Liberty.
French composer Charles Gounod composed La liberté éclairant le monde ("Liberty Enlightening the World"), whose public performances benefitted the fund to create the statue.
The statue cost 2.25 million francs, $250,000, to build.
Originally meant to be completed for the July 4, 1876 centennial, building and funding problems caused delays.
The statue was built in France and shipped to the United States, arriving on June 17, 1885, in 350 pieces in 214 crates on the French ship Isère.
When the last stone of the pedestal was swung into place the masons reached into their pockets and showered into the mortar a collection of silver coins.
Although President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue, when he was Governor of New York, he vetoed a bill by the New York legislature to contribute $50,000 to building the pedestal.
The Statue of Liberty was a working lighthouse from 1886 to 1902. The light could be seen 24 miles out to sea. It was the first lighthouse to use electricity.
The Statue is located on Liberty Island, which was named Bedloe Island until 1956.
You can climb to the crown on an interior staircase of 146 steps. Including the pedestal, there are 354 steps.
Liberty Island was closed from 9/11 to December 2001, the monument was closed from 9/11 go August 3, 2004, and the interior and stairs to the crown were closed from 9/11 to July 4, 2009.
The interior of the Statue is 15° to 20° warmer than outside.
It cost $62 million for Lady Liberty's hospitalization and rehabilitation from 1984 to 1986.
The first death occurred on May 13, 1929. It is not known whether the death was accidental or a suicide.
The French have their own Statue of Liberty on the river Seine in Paris, an exact replica completed in 1889.
There are hundreds of Statue of Liberty replicas throughout the world. Some of the more notable ones: Middle of the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Entrance to Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau, Missouri Overlooking the Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo Bay New York, New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas West side of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center in Duluth, Minnesota Sioux Falls, South Dakota Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama Two 30-foot copper replicas on the Liberty National Bank Building in Buffalo, New York Legoland California, right here in San Diego, made out of Legos, of course Lebanon, Tennessee, at the intersection of East Main Street and South College Street Fargo, North Dakota, at the entrance to the Main Avenue Bridge Kansas State Capitol in Topeka, Kansas Alki Beach in Seattle, Washington In front of the old Sioux City, Iowa, auditorium On Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida
Jessica Skinner was born inside the Statue in 1982 when her mother went into labor about halfway up the staircase.
Movies featuring the Statue of Liberty: Desperately Seeking Susan, Brewster's Millions, Sabateur (Alfred Hitchcock), Planet of the Apes, Ghostbusters II, X-Men, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, National Treasure: Book of Secrets
"The New Colossus," a sonnet by Emma Lazarus, is inscribed on a bronze plaque in the Statue of Liberty exhibit on the second floor of the pedestal:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
__________ Sources:
"The Statue of Liberty," by Marvin Trachtenberg
"The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia," by Barry Moreno
"Engineering Miss Liberty's Rescue," by V. Elaine Smith (Popular Science)
9 Comments on Learning something new.... - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LL!
OCT
28
2009
Russel, as close as I live, I have never been there. Shame on me. Great post, you are a walking encyclopedia! And I do love learning new things. Thank you!
Russel, I've been to see Lady Liberty several times and did not know this amount of information! I'll try to remember most of it for my next visit.....she is a sight.
Russel, the AR historian, great post. I've learned a lot this morning on the statue of Liberty. A very expensive lady. Thanks for providing the inscription.. "The New Colossus"..enjoyed reading.
This is what I love about active rain - we can learn interesting stuff like this. Wow - you've got a lot of details and it's quite interesting Russell. The stamps are neat - I noticed the last one was for 17 cents - so that's quite awhile ago. Is that the last time we've had the statue of liberty on a stamp? Seems odd.
I had no idea there were so many Statue of Liberty replicas. What a popular lady! She sure has a lot of stamps, too. One cent stamps, that must have been some time ago! Another great history lesson, thanks.
Russel, Another great post. I also like the inscription.. "The New Colossus" although I think a lot of Americans don't agree with the part that says:
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
I wonder what has made so many Americans become selfish.
Did u ever watch Letterman and the costumes he has LL "wear"....they are a stitch ! She has weathered many a storm and serves as a symbol that every American welcomes when we return to our shores....or as a lasting reminder of the freedoms we revere.
Hey, Andrea - Yes, shame on you. Maybe you should create a Top 10 list of things you haven't done but need to do because you live so close to them. LOL
Hey, Carole - My dream is to climb the stairs to the crown. I wanted to in 1999 when I was there, but the line was estimated to be about three hours wait. Next time I'll camp out overnight to be first in line.
Hey, Rebecca - It had been a long time since I had read "The New Colossus." It's too bad that we don't seem to be able to make those words work anymore.
Hey, Anna - I didn't put the stamps in order of their issue, so the most recent denominated stamp is actually the 22¢ stamp, issued in 1986. I say "denominated" because in 1975, when postage stamp rate increases had a short lead time, the post office started issuing "non-denominated" stamps, so instead of showing an amount on them, they simply said something like "First Class." The 17¢ stamp was an airmail stamp issued in 1971. Non-denominated stamps are more difficult to do a search on at the stamp web sites that I visit, but when I get to those stamps, I'll have more resources for them from books that I've already ordered. Here is a non-denominated 34¢ Statue of Liberty stamp from 2000 that came in a booklet.
Hey, Gary - Not only have we become selfish, but I agree with many peoples throughout the world that we might have become a little arrogant, too. President Obama seems to be changing that.
Hey, Leslie - I'd be willing that if I don't increase my number of "Learning something new...." posts to about 50 a month, I'll never finish this project. LOL
Hey, Sally - I still one of those who watches Letterman on a regular basis.
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This is part of my "Learning something new...." history series using United States postage stamps as our history book.
Other interesting facts about Lady Liberty:
When the last stone of the pedestal was swung into place the masons reached into their pockets and showered into the mortar a collection of silver coins.
There are hundreds of Statue of Liberty replicas throughout the world. Some of the more notable ones:
Lebanon, Tennessee, at the intersection of East Main Street and South College Street
;)
;)
Russel, as close as I live, I have never been there. Shame on me. Great post, you are a walking encyclopedia! And I do love learning new things. Thank you!