1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is production of iHeartRadio. Hello 2 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: and welcome to This Day in History Class, a show 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: for those who can never know enough about history. I'm 4 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: Gabe Lucier, and in this episode, we're looking back at 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: a very special Fourth of July weekend in New York City. 6 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: Millions of people had gathered there to celebrate the one 7 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: hundredth birthday of the Statue of Liberty, and the party 8 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: officially kicked off on July third, when the statue was 9 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: re lit for the first time in years. The day 10 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: was July third, nineteen eighty six. President Ronald Reagan rededicated 11 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: the Statue of Liberty in honor of its centennial anniversary. 12 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: The event was held on Governor's Island in New York 13 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: City and was part of the opening night ceremonies of 14 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:12,119 Speaker 1: a four day celebration dubbed Liberty Weekend. The country had 15 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: just completed an extensive three year restoration of the Statue 16 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: of Liberty, and the big reveal had been time to 17 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 1: coincide both with the statue centennial and with Independence Day weekend. 18 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: Relighting the statue's torch was the opening act of the 19 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: patriotic festivities, and Reagan was joined in the task by 20 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: his wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan. French President Francois Medeeron 21 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: was in attendance too, a gesture of goodwill from the 22 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: country that had gifted the statue a century earlier. After 23 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: giving a ten minute rededication speech, the President declared at 24 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: time to quote unveil that gallant lady. Then he and 25 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: Missus Reagan pressed a button, sending a laser beam across 26 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: the harbor and re lighting the statue for all to see. 27 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: The flood lit unveiling happened gradually, with the light slowly 28 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: rising from the base of the pedestal to the tip 29 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 1: of the crown, more than three hundred feet in the air. 30 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: A chorus of America the Beautiful swelled in the background, 31 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: and all the ships in the harbor turned on their 32 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: lights and sounded their horns in tribute. Then, to cap 33 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: off the evening and start the weekend outright, a fireworks 34 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: display filled the skies above the statue's head. In nineteen 35 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: eighty two, four years before the statue's centennial, a team 36 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: of French and American engineers was convened to examine the 37 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: statue's condition. Their findings weren't good, and it was announced 38 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: that the statue was in need of major repairs, both 39 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: inside and out. Shortly after, President Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca, 40 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: then chairman of the Chrysler Corporation, to spearhead a private 41 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: commission to help restore and preserve the State Statue of Liberty. 42 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: With that goal in mind, the Statue of Liberty Ellis 43 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: Island Foundation was founded. The group launched a fundraising drive 44 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 1: right away, collecting money for the repair of both the 45 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, with the statues restoration 46 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: to be handled first. The American people believed so strongly 47 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: in restoring those two monuments to America's immigrant heritage that 48 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: they contributed more than three hundred and fifty million dollars 49 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: in donations. With the necessary funds secured and then some, 50 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: the foundation began working closely with the National Park Service 51 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: to plan and implement the statue's restoration. They hired architects, engineers, 52 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: and conservators to assess exactly what repairs were needed, and 53 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: then designed a strategy for how to tackle each one. 54 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty four, the statue was closed to the 55 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: public and the true hard labor began. Workers erected scaffolding 56 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: all around the statue's exterior, obscuring it from view for 57 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: the better part of the next three years. Time had 58 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: not been kind to Lady Liberty. Her famous torch, for example, 59 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: had sustained severe water damage and had to be replaced 60 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 1: with an exact replica of Frederic August Bertoldi's original design. 61 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: The torch's new flame was even covered in a layer 62 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: of twenty four carried gold, so that it would reflect 63 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 1: the sun's rays in the daylight, just as the sculptor 64 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: had intended. Repairs were also made to the statue's internal skeleton. 65 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: Workers stripped out the rusting iron armature and replaced it 66 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: with stainless steel bars, greatly strengthening the statue's arms, shoulders, 67 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: and the rays of her crown. A century of weather 68 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: pollution and tourists had also wreaked havoc on the statue's 69 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: skin and gown. Workers used liquid nitrogen to remove layers 70 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 1: of old paint from the interior of the copper skin, 71 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,280 Speaker 1: and then they patched holes in the exterior, adding new 72 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:05,479 Speaker 1: copper where necessary. Replacing the statue's skin proved tricky, though, 73 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: as the look of it had changed a great deal 74 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: since its inaugural dedication back in eighteen eighty six. When 75 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: it first arrived, the monument had been new, shiny copper, 76 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: but as the decades passed, the statue turned a dull 77 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: brown and then faded to the familiar blue green color 78 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: we see today. That weathering was the result of a 79 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 1: series of interconnected chemical reactions which changed the statue's mineral composition. 80 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: It would have been impossible to match the color using 81 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:38,719 Speaker 1: brand new copper, so instead, the engineers borrowed an old 82 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,119 Speaker 1: copper rooftop from Bell Labs, which had the same blue 83 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: green patina as the statue. In exchange for that contribution, 84 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 1: the lab was given some of the old copper skin 85 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: for testing. The Statue of Liberty and its pedestal were 86 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: also modernized during the restoration. Updates included new elevators, improved lighting, 87 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: and the addition of an educational exhibit in the statue's base. 88 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: Crews encountered plenty of surprises during the lengthy refurbishment, including 89 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: several birds nests tucked into the folds of Lady Liberty's robes. 90 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: They also discovered graffiti dating back to the statue's construction, 91 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: including a letter B for Bartoldi painted on the first 92 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,479 Speaker 1: copper plate to be installed. However, not all of the 93 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: surprises were pleasant. For example, it turned out Bartoldi had 94 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: used an asbestos based substance in an effort to prevent 95 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: galvanic corrosion. Not only did that not work, it also 96 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:39,239 Speaker 1: meant that workers had to wear protective gear with self 97 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 1: contained breathing devices while working inside the statue. Despite this 98 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 1: and other obstacles, the nearly one thousand workers on the 99 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: project and the architects and engineers who directed them completed 100 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: the task on schedule and for a lot less money 101 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: than many had predicted. The total cost of the renovations 102 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: on the Statue of Liberty and Trees Torch cost an 103 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: estimated thirty nine million dollars, which would be about one 104 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: hundred and eight million dollars in today's money. More controversial 105 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: was the eleven million dollars that New York City spent 106 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: on the statue's Liberty Weekend celebrations. Many thought the money 107 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: could have been put to better use than throwing a 108 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: lavish party, especially since tickets to the opening night ceremonies 109 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,119 Speaker 1: could only be purchased for five thousand dollars, a price 110 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: tag well beyond the means of the average American. Accessible 111 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: or not, The statue's grand unveiling was planned with as 112 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: much glitz and glamour as possible. David Walper, the producer 113 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: of the Landmark Roots mini series, was brought in to 114 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 1: produce the ceremony for live TV. Celebrity speakers included the 115 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,760 Speaker 1: likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Gregory Peck, and there were 116 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: also musical performances from Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, and several others. 117 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: An estimated two million people watched the rededication in person, 118 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: while as many as one point five billion watched from 119 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 1: their homes in fifty one different countries. It had been 120 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: a long, expensive road to restoring Lady Liberty, but when 121 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: the climactic moment finally came and she lit up once again, 122 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: most Americans agreed it had been worth it. And for 123 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: those who still weren't feeling the patriotic love that night, 124 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: well at least there were fireworks. I'm Gabe Lucier, and 125 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: hopefully you now know a little more about history today 126 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. If you have a second and 127 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: you're so inclined, consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, and 128 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have any 129 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: feedback you'd like to share, feel free to drop me 130 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: a line by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. 131 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays and Ben Hackett for producing the show, 132 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back 133 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,079 Speaker 1: here again tomorrow for another day in History class