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Saturday, November 23, 2024  
21 Jumada Al-Awwal 1446  

The Statue of Liberty turns 125

The Statue of Liberty, America's iconic symbol welcoming visitors and immigrants, celebrated 125 years on Friday. The statue's interior will be closed for renovations for about a year, though Liberty Island will remain open.

Officials plan to unveil a new “torch webcam” providing viewers with views of New York Harbor and the statue from within Lady Liberty’s torch.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar who oversees the Park Service also plans to preside at a naturalization ceremony for 125 new Americans. A fireworks display scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Friday will cap the day’s events.

Once the party is over, officials plan to close the statue Saturday for up to a year in order to complete major renovations of the statue’s interior. The Park Service promises that most visits to Liberty Island won’t be disrupted, because 85 percent of visitors never actually venture into the statue, according to agency statistics.

The Statue of Liberty is comprised of 31 tons of copper and 125 tons of steel. It sways up to three inches in high winds exceeding 50 miles per hour, according to the Park Service.

It’s mighty tall, measuring 305.1 feet from the ground to the tip of its torch and 111 feet tall from the statue’s heel up to the tip of the torch. The statue’s eyes are two feet, six inches wide, and the nose measures four feet, six inches. The length of the statue’s right arm, the one holding the torch, measures 42 feet.

And measuring around its flowing robe, the Statue of Liberty has a 35-foot waist, according to Park Service statistics.