Fact of the Day: 23/03/2022

The Statue of Liberty’s green color is a great representation of its promise of freedom, but the statue was not always green. “According to the National Park Service, the statue has about thirty tons of copper, which is enough to make 435 million pennies. Yes, bright reddish gold pennies. But the Statue of Liberty isn’t the same color, as, well, any penny . . . ” (“Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?” 00:34-00:46). The statue is green due to chemistry. In particular, a series of complex oxidation reactions turned her brown copper hues into the blue-green color we see today.  Isn’t it interesting that there is so much chemistry behind the Statue of Liberty? 

Reference(s): https://www.pbs.org/video/why-is-the-statue-of-liberty-green-k31x0j/

Fact Author: Durga I.

Fact Editor: Ace

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