The Inspiring Tale of the Statue of Liberty
The world has several iconic monuments that stand out as significant landmarks and encapsulate the history and culture of a nation or a region. But only some of them get elevated to the status of World Heritage sites.
The rainy and foggy weather could not dampen the spirits of the more than 1 million people who lined New York’s streets. In a spontaneous expression of joy, office boys, from a hundred windows, unreeled the spools of tape and filled the air with white curling streamers. That was thus the birth of the now famous New York ticker-tape parade as well.
Over the years, the statue has had a colourful history. President Calvin Coolidge declared Fort Wood (and the Statue of Liberty within it) a National Monument on October 15th, 1924. In 1933, the National Park Service took over its administration and maintenance. The island’s name was changed to Liberty Island in 1956.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head an ambitious $87 million project to renovate the Statue. The same year the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site.
On July 5, 1986 the newly restored Statue re-opened to the public amidst great fanfare. It was closed following the tragedy of September 11, 2001 and was reopened only on August 3, 2004.
The marvellous monument that stands from ground to the tip of torch at 305’1″(92.99m) has 25 windows in the crown, which symbolize gemstones found on the earth and the heaven’s rays shining over the world. The seven rays of the crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand reads July 4th, 1776.
In 1903, a bronze plaque was fastened to an interior wall of the pedestal. It bore the famous sonnet The New Colossus written in 1883 by Emma Lazarus. The poem aptly conveys the statue’s universal message of hope and freedom to immigrants to America and people seeking freedom, across the globe.
Over the last 122 years, the Statue of Liberty reigns as an internationally-recognized symbol of freedom and opportunity. It will continue to be not only a major tourist attraction but also a great symbol of hope and democratic values to be cherished by the entire humanity.
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