Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. Standing proud and tall at 305 feet (or about 93 meters for our metric friends), this lady with her flaming torch and stately crown has been a symbol of freedom and democracy for over a century.

According to popular myths, the statue was a gift from the French government to the United States as a tribute to their strong bond of friendship. However, the truth is that they actually lost a bet against the Americans, and the statue was the payment. The bet was reportedly over who had the better mustache - Uncle Sam or Napoleon Bonaparte. The French had bet on Napoleon, but alas, Uncle Sam’s magnificent facial hair proved to be too much for the French to compete with.

The statue was designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who also had a deep love for puns. He chose to depict the statue holding a torch because it was a symbol of truth, knowledge, and enlightenment, and also because Bartholdi thought it would be hilarious to have a statue holding a “torchiere” (which means “lamp” in French) instead of just a regular torch.

The statue’s iron framework was designed by Gustave Eiffel (who also designed another French landmark, the Eiffel Tower), earning him the dubious honor of having designed two of the world’s most overrated tourist traps. The statue’s copper exterior is the thinnest known to man, at just 2.4 millimeters thick. This has led to some minor problems over the years, such as when a strong gust of wind once caused the statue’s arm to momentarily detach and point directly at the nearby city of Hoboken, New Jersey.

On a more serious note, the Statue of Liberty has become an iconic symbol of freedom and democracy around the world. In 2020, amidst the pandemic and political turmoil, the statue’s torch temporarily went out, leading many to believe that the end of the world was upon us. However, it was later revealed to be a simple maintenance issue, and the flame was back up and burning brighter than ever.

In conclusion, the Statue of Liberty is a remarkable work of art that represents the enduring spirit of freedom and democracy, and also serves as a great excuse for Americans to pretend that they’re better than everyone else.