12 Surprising Facts About The Statue of Liberty!

From its origins, to what has been done with some of its parts, join me as I reveal to you some of the most surprising facts about the Statue of Liberty.
12. It Wasn't American In Construction
When people think of the Statue of Liberty, they immediately think of what it meant to immigrants who came to the country in the early 1900's. And in modern times, it's recognized as one of the most important monuments in US history.
What many people forget was that this statue was not made by an American, period. Instead, it was made by a Frenchman, two in fact depending on how you look at it. First was French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. Yes, of the Eiffel Tower fame.
11. The "Common Name" Is A Nickname
If I were to say to you, "Statue of Liberty", you would know exactly what I meant. You would picture the iconic statue, maybe even do the pose that Lady Liberty is doing. But what a lot of people don't know...is that "The Statue Of Liberty" is a nickname for the statue given to it by the mainstream media. No, for real.
When the French constructed it and christened it on Liberty Island, they had a very long and poetic name for the statue, "Liberty Enlightening The World".
10. There Is More Than One
Usually, when it comes to a major monument, there is just one of them. The White House, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, that kind of thing.
Others can be found in Las Vegas, Norway, Denmark, and even Rio De Janiero in Brazil!
9. The Statue and the Island Used To House People
When it comes to the monuments of the world, there are people who are "ordained" to take care of it over the long term and make sure that people don't tag or violate the monuments. It's often a thankless job because we don't think about it that often. But now that we're talking about it...who does take care of the Statue of Liberty?
That would be the superintendent of the site, and what's more, those who are deemed the superintendent get a special honor. They get to actually live on Liberty Island.
8. You Were Once Able To Climb Up The Torch
If I was to ask you what the highest point of the Statue of Liberty was, you'd easily say, "The Torch". After all, that's the part of the statue that is the highest raised into the air via Liberty's arm. Today, you can only go as high as the crown section of the statue. But once upon a time, you were able to go up the arm and climb to the very top of the torch.
7. It's a Climb To The Top
You'd think that in the modern era that we live in that someone would've installed an elevator in the Statue of Liberty, but nope! That would require a lot of work on the structure and beyond. So because of that, if you wish to get to the crown of the statue and observe the view from on high...you need to climb stairs. And not just a few, 354 of them. I hope you all are in good shape!

6. The Spikes Are A "Halo"
There are many elements to the Statue of Liberty that make it such a visually striking statue. There's Lady Liberty herself wrapped in a robe, the torch symbolizing a beacon of hope, the book she holds that is inscribed with the Declaration of Independence signing date and more. But with the crown, there are seven spikes that come off of it, and many think that it's just an "extension" of the crown.
5. It Was A Lighthouse
While the torch that Lady Liberty holds is seen as a symbol of the "light of hope" or being a "beacon of light for all to see", if you look at it close enough you'll notice that the torch truly looks like it can be lightened up.
It wasn't because of cost ironically enough, but rather, the light from the torch was too dim to see at sea. Which for a lighthouse is a bad thing. So, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the torch be shut down so more proper lighthouses in the area could be built.
4. It Didn't Start Out Green
When the Statue of Liberty was constructed on Liberty Island, it wasn't green as you see it now. It was copper, which is appropriate because that's what it's made of mostly. So when it was unveiled, it looked like a very bright penny. Which begs the question, how did it go from bright brown...to green? The answer is time. Because over time, certain metals get a different "shade" to them known as patina. And for copper, it goes from brown to green.
3. The Statue Almost Had a "Sister" In Egypt
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2. There Was A Real Lady Liberty
When it comes to art, especially sculptures featuring human beings, a question that is often asked is, "Who was this modeled after?" Sometimes it's a famous person, like the statue of David, and other times it's a mystery, like Mona Lisa.
1. Parts Of It Were Used To Make A Motorcycle
No, I'm not kidding you, and it was actually a really big deal when it happened..