It was on this day in 1885 that the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor albeit in pieces packed in various crates. It is estimated that 200,000 people lined up on the docks to see the copper statue’s arrival. Unfortunately, the concrete pedestal for which to hold Lady Liberty, aka “Liberty Enlightening the World,” was finished until April of 1886. After months of construction work, the statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from “the people of France” and designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. It was built by Gustave Eiffel who had a knack for building monuments. The robed figure represents the Roman goddess, Libertas who holds a torch in her right hand above her head while holding a tabula ansata inscribed with Roman numerals (“JULY IV MDCCLXXVI”) which means July, 4 1776, the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Down at her feet lies a broken chain representing freedom. (Image: Image by Armelion from Pixabay)