Lady Liberty: Radiant at 100

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On July4, 1986, hundreds of boats – from rubber rafts to Navy battleships – jammed New York Harbor. Thousands of people lined the shore. Above, blimps, helicopters, and jet fighters buzzed back and forth. As darkness fell, the sky exploded in the biggest fireworks display in U.S history – 40 000 skyrockets, bursting into showers of red, orange, yellow, blue and green.

The reason for all this excitement? The country was celebrating the 100th birthday of the Statue of Liberty, the noble lady who towers more than 300 feet (90 meters) over the harbor.

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The statue, properly called Liberty Enlightening the World, had been given to the United States by France and dedicated in 1886. The hundred years that followed had brought a lot of wear and tear, and the statue had been given a multi-million-dollar face-lift in time for the anniversary.

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All this money and attention wasn’t showered on the statue just because it’s one of the world’s largest. Nor was the reason the fact that the statue represented an engineering triumph in its day. Those were important aspects – but much more important was what the statue stands for: The concept of freedom that has been central to the United States since the nation was founded.

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Standing at the entrance to New York Harbor, the statue was the first bit of America that millions of immigrants saw – Liberty, with her torch held high, welcomed them. She became a symbol of the hope they shared for a better life in a new land.

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The Statue of Liberty, before restoration. For 100 years, she has represented the “inner meaning” of America.

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