The Origin of Ms Liberty

Most people know that the Statue of Liberty was given to the US as a gift from the French at the Centennial in 1876. However, not that many would know that the copper used to give the statue its characteristic green surface came from the copper mines at Visnes on the island of Karmoey outside Haugesund. The mines were owned by a French company and did at one point in history account for 70% of Norway's total income from export. The mines were closed down in 1972, but are preserved as a museum. Another little known fact about the Statue of Liberty, btw, is that it was the Norwegian engineer Joachim Gotsche Giaver that designed the iron girders and beams solution that connects the lady to her pedestal.