On this day in history, June 17th, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City. The statue was a gift from France to the United States in honor of their shared values of freedom and democracy.
The Statue of Liberty is a well-known symbol of the United States and one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. It stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor and was dedicated on October 28th, 1886. The statue was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel, who later went on to design the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The statue is made of copper and stands 151 feet tall, including its pedestal. It was originally intended to be a lighthouse, but its torch was found to be too weak to serve that purpose. Instead, the torch now symbolizes enlightenment, and the statue’s tablet bears the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776.