The Statue of Liberty has welcomed visitors and immigrants to New York Harbor since it was built by the French in 1886. Standing as it does for the lofty proposition of freedom of oppression, it towers over Liberty Island, with the top of its torch 305 feet off the ground.
Size comparison
- The Statue of Liberty, from heel to top of the torch, is 151 feet tall. Lain on her side she would span one and a half football fields. If you include the pedestal and foundation, the statue reaches an impressive 305 feet. Placed beside the Empire State Building, she’d reach up to its 25th floor.
- The statue’s face is about three times the height of the average adult’s entire body: 17 feet 3 inches.
- The tablet that Lady Liberty holds in her left hand is 23 feet 7 inches long and 13 feet 7 inches wide. Imagine two small cars parked sideways, one on top of the other.
- The statue’s right arm, which holds the torch, is 42 feet long. That’s longer than most school buses.
- Lady Liberty’s waistline measures 35 feet. That’s about the width of a small house!
- Most people’s feet are actually a bit less than one foot long. The Statute of Liberty, on the other hand, would need size-879 shoes for her 25-foot long feet.
- The crown she wears has seven spikes, each measuring up to 9 feet—a bit taller than Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever.
Other facts
- The Statue of Liberty isn’t just big; she’s also heavy. The statue, made of copper and steel, weighs a whopping 204 tons. That’s as heavy as 35 elephants!
- That’s nothing compared to her concrete base, though, which weighs in at 27,000 tons, equal to 675 18-wheelers at maximum capacity.
- The statue was a gift from the people of France, designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. The metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel, the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
- The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886, and has since become one of the most famous landmarks in the United States. It’s visited by millions of people each year, all eager to see Lady Liberty in all her towering glory.
Smaller By Category
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747, which flies, is an airplane. Since 1969, it's been shorter than a redwood tree. Before then, it didn't exist, so it wasn't shorter or longer. And yes, its wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight (37 meters).
Blue Whale
The blue whale is the largest animal there is. Its weight, which is 180 metric tons, is greater than any other animal's.
Maraapunisaurus Fragillimus
Maraapunisaurus fragillimus was the largest dinosaur ever! It weighed over 100 tons! It's so big you could build your house on top of it if you wanted to!
Larger By Category
Redwood Tree
The redwood tree is the tallest tree species in the world. Its height, combined with that of an ant's, is greater than any human's! However, the universe is still 10^25 times larger.
ISS
The International Space Station is pretty cool. It floats around in low Earth orbit, and you can even see it from Earth! The ISS has had humans within it continuously since November 2000, which is a record for a spacecraft. (They weren't all the same humans.)
Football Field
American football fields are 120 yards (109.7 m) long, if end zones are included. Anyway, football fields are often used for measuring large objects. For example, "The Titanic is roughly three football fields long!" Football fields are also used for playing football.