Happy 138th birthday to the Statue of Liberty
NEW YORK - Happy 138th birthday to the Statue of Liberty, an iconic landmark that is uniquely New York.
The statue was dedicated on Oct. 28, 1886, to the cheering throngs of some one million New Yorkers looking on, and parades marking the occasion on land and sea.
The statue was a gift from France and was unveiled in the New York harbor as a symbol of freedom and hope. It was designed by sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, and constructed on what was then known as Bedloe's Island, now known as Liberty Island. The pedestal on which it stands was designed by Richard Morris Hunt.
The statue was shipped in pieces to the U.S. and assembled at the site, with many of those assembling it being new immigrants.
Some fast facts about the statue
More than 3 million people visit the statue in a typical year.
It's made of 31 tons of copper. Her sheeting is 3/32 of an inch thick - roughly the same width of the thickness of two pennies pressed together.
In 50 mph, the statue will sway up to three inches, and the torch can sway up to six inches. The torch was replaced in 1986.
Click here for more information about the statue from the National Park Service.