The Arrival Of Lady Liberty

Still the tallest statue in the USA, the Statue of Liberty arrived from France - in no less than 214 crates - in New York City on 17th June, 1885.

Costing just $10m in today’s money, the Lady went on to symbolise the immigrant journey - even though the designers and engineers behind it had no such intention. And it wasn’t supposed to be green, either - that’s because it’s oxidized.

In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion consider whether NYC bagged themselves a bargain, reveal the origins of the ‘ticker tape parade’, and wonder if they could ever do something so epic for their Mums...

Further Reading:

• The Statue of Liberty: Building an Icon (The B1M, 2017):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QM0tipFQ9c

• History on ‘How The Statue of Liberty Became An Icon’:

https://www.history.com/news/statue-of-liberty-icon-building

• Reuters fact-check: why Lady Liberty is NOT an enslaved black woman (2020):

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-statue-liberty-design-idUSKBN24B2L1

This episode first aired in 2021

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.

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