| Statue of Liberty Facts |
| History of the Statue of Liberty: The Statue of Liberty is a statue standing on Liberty Island in New York City, given to the U.S. as a gift from France. The Statue of Liberty was designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The statue was finished on May 21, 1884 and formally presented to the U.S. minister to France, Levi Parsons Morton, on July 4, 1884, by Ferdinand de Lesseps, head of the Franco-American Union, promoter of the Panamal canal, and builder of the Suez Canal. The statue arrived in 214 packing cases from Rouen, France, in June 1885. On George Washington's birthday, 1877, Congress approved the use of a site on Bedloe's Island suggested by Bartholdi. The island was named Bedloe's Island until President Eisenhower approved a resolution of Congress changing the name to Liberty Island on August 3, 1956. The Statue of Liberty Facts: The Statue of Liberty stands height from base to torch 151 feet 1 inch (45.3 meters). The foundation of pedestal to the torch is 305 feet 1 inch (91.5 meters). The Statue of Liberty weights 450,000 pounds (225 tons). There are 167 steps from the land level to the top of the pedestal, and 168 steps inside the statue to the head. There are 54 rungs on the ladder leading to the arm holding the torch. The length of the statue's nose is 4 feet 6 inches. |
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