June 17th: The Day The Statue of Liberty Arrives in NY

To commemorate the American Revolution and a whole century of friendship between the States and France, the French presented the city of New York with a statue symbolizing freedom and democracy. On June 17th 1885, the copper statue was transported into New York Harbour in 350 individual pieces, ready to be constructed into the global icon we all recognise. Frenchman and leader of the 'liberal movement', Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye regarded America and France as 'the two sisters', and perhaps this monumental gesture is an emblematic form of their relationship.

The Statue of Liberty

  The French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi supposedly modeled the statue after his own mother, and was assisted by Gustave Eiffel (no points for guessing what famous tower he built). Although the statue was almost 9 years earlier, the funding didn't allow such an achievement. The French spent an almighty $250,000 on the statue alone, which equates to over $5.5million today! If that wasn't enough proof they considered the Americans on sisterly terms, they then lugged 450,000 pounds of Statue of Liberty all the way across the pond. At the time of its erection, the statue was taller than any building in New York City, so you can imagine the stir it must have caused. Originally copper-coloured, the statue has naturally faded to the present greeny-blue that makes it so distinguishable from other structures. 

No.1 Tourist Attraction since 1885

    Nearly all movies set in New York City feature some kind of panning and zooming around the Statue of Liberty, and it doesn't take long to stumble across some form of related paraphernalia. Not only did the statue establish a friendly relationship between France and America, but it also added to the identity of the famous city of New York, making it what it is today - not to mention the blossoming tourist industry surrounding it! With Bartholdi's message 'Liberty Enlightening the World' inscribed into the statue, I think this extremely generous gift from France has a highly resonating message, which is extremely fitting for the Land of Opportunity.