Liberty's Cornerstone Laid: A Beacon Takes Shape
Workers laid the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty's pedestal on Bedloe's Island (now Liberty Island) on August 5, 1884. The statue itself, a gift from France designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, was being assembled in Paris and would not arrive until the following year. The pedestal was an American responsibility, and fundraising had stalled badly until newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer launched a campaign in the New York World, shaming wealthy donors and collecting pennies from immigrants and schoolchildren. Over 120,000 people contributed, most giving less than a dollar. The completed statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886, and became the first thing millions of immigrants saw as they sailed into New York Harbor.
August 5, 1884
142 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on August 5
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Robert Guiscard’s Norman forces encircled Bari, initiating a grueling three-year siege that signaled the end of Byzantine authority in Southern Italy. By starvi…
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