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1. "Statue of Liberty" is Just a Nickname

The Statue's full name is Liberty Enlightening the World (La liberté éclairant le monde). This name was given by French sculptor, Frédéric-Augiste Bartholdi. It was originally meant to celebrate the United State's escape from British tyranny, but soon took on added meaning for millions of immigrants.

2. The Statue is Full of Intricate Symbolism

The Statue's main inspiration was Libertas, the ancient Roman goddess of freedom from oppression. The Statue of Liberty is frequently compared to Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, and has even been called "The Modern Colossus." This is because, like Colossus, The Statue of Liberty exhibits features of Apollo or Helios, the Greek god of sun.
However, unlike the steadfast Colossus, Lady Liberty is on the move, with her right foot raised, and her left foot trampling broken the shackles of tyranny. Her seven-spiked crown represents the seven seas and the seven continents. The torch in her right hand signifies America's enlightenment, and the tablet in her left symbolizes knowledge, especially the knowledge gained on the inscribed date of July 4, 1776, when the United States was born.

3. The Statue was Erected on Liberty Island 10 Years Later Than Planned

As a centennial gift, France planned to present the Statue of Liberty to the United States on July 4, 1876. However, it was not officially given to the American people until October 28, 1886, more than ten years later than anticipated. This delay was caused by lack of support and funds from both France and the United States. Despite the fact that Bartholdi was ready to begin construction, and had even built a small prototype of the Statue by 1870, nothing more was done until 1874, when the French Third Republic finally defeated Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War and the political turmoil in the country came to and end. Bartholdi recruited structural engineer, Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (famous for the Eiffel Tower), to help design the Statue's inner framework. Finally, in 1884, the Statue was finished and stood erected in Batholdi's courtyard in Paris.

4. New York Almost Never Received The Statue

It didn't matter that the Statue was finished eight years later than planned, because its pedestal wouldn't be ready for another two. Despite the fact that in the early 1870s, Congress agreed to accept the Statue as a gift from France with the stipulation that the United States was responsible for constructing the pedestal, significant work on the pedestal did not begin until 1883. The biggest problem was funding, no money was provided by the city of New York, the state of New York, or even the federal government, all who previously agreed to build the pedestal. This again put all responsibility on the French Bartholdi who tried to raise money for the pedestal by putting the Statue's head on display in Philadelphia and Paris and allowing people to stand on the balcony surrounding the torch for 50 cents. Although some money was raised, it wasn't nearly enough, and it looked as though the statue would never have a home in New York. At this point, other cities including Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and San Francisco began to show interest in the Statue. Enraged by the idea of New York losing this icon of freedom, publisher Joseph Pulitzer, used his newspaper, The World, to launch a fundraising campaign for the pedestal. Although his first attempt only raised $135.75, two years later he tried again and was successful in raising over $100,000 and more importantly, increasing America's excitement over the Statue. By 1886, the pedestal was complete and the pieces of the statue were sent to New York to be assembled. Finally, on October 28, 1886 the Statue of Liberty was presented to the American people by President Grover Cleveland. Ironically, years earlier, while Cleveland served as the Governor of New York State he vetoed a bill to contribute $50,000 to constructing the pedestal.

5. There are Several Misconceptions About The Statue's Famous Inscription

Although the famous Poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus is often portrayed as being engraved on the front of the Statue's pedestal, it is actually located inside the pedestal on a bronze plaque. Also, although many believe that it has been a permanent fixture of the statue, it was not added until 1903, seventeen years after the original unveiling. Another widely unknown fact about this poem is that on the bronze plaque, the comma after the word "Keep" on the ninth line was forgotten, which changes the meaning considerably.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

6. The Statue of Liberty Disappeared in 1983

Since 1886, the Statue of Liberty has been a huge part of pop culture, being used in TV shows, movies, etc. One of its most famous appearances (and disappearances) took place in 1983 when the Illusionist, David Copperfield, made the statue disappear in front of a small live audience and a huge television audience.

7. There are Hundreds of Statue of Liberty Replicas Worldwide

The first "replica" was actually the prototype built by Bartholdi in 1870, that is now located in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, France. Paris also has a larger replica near the Grenelle Bridge on the Île des Cygnes. This statue was given to the city in 1898, and faces the Atlantic Ocean so that it can look to its larger sister in New York Harbor. In 2004, a 12 meter tall replica was built in Colmar, France, Bartholdi's hometown, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death. There are several other replicas throughout France, one which was recently destroyed by vandals angry over the war with Iraq. Replicas can also be found in places such as, Tokyo, Japan; Karmøy, Norway; and of course, Las Vagas, Navada. Interestingly, the Goddess of Democracy Statue built by students in Beijing, China looks uncannily like our lady liberty.

8. There Have Been Three Attempts to Jump off the Statue of Liberty

In 1912, Frederick R. Law became the first person to jump off The Statue of Liberty. Law parachute jumped off the observation platform surrounding the touch with the permission of the army captain of Liberty Island. The second jump was a suicide jump on May 13, 1929. A witness reported that on that day, Ralph Gleason crawled out one of the crown windows, turned around as if he wanted to return, then seemed to slip to his death. The third and final jump took place on August 23, 2001, when French stuntman Thierry Devaux parasailed onto the monument with hopes to also bungee jump off of the Statue. Unfortunately for him, his bungee cord got tangled in the torch and he never made it more than a couple of feet off the statue. He hung from the torch for about 30 minutes, until he was arrested by the police and later charged with four misdemeanors, including trespassing.