Tourists Aren’t Allowed in This Part of the Statue of Liberty 🗽 Searching for Secrets | Smithsonian 

I remember asking my Dad as a kid about the torch. He just said it was closed when he was a kid. He was born in 35!

That is Legitimately Fascinating.

I learned about this when I was little on my first trip to Liberty Island. My great grandfather used to be the lighthouse keeper there so my dad told me stories of how my grandmother used to eat her lunch up in the torch as a kid, but how people couldn’t go in there anymore cause it had been damaged. We went on a tour at the island and they explained the explosion and everything too. It’s pretty crazy. I don’t remember if my grandma used to eat on the current torch, or the one that is currently inside the statue base on display though.

The original reason the arm was closed was that during construction, it was attached wrong & there were several copper plates left over. The shipping crates were poorly marked & in French. The statue's overall parts also deformed slightly from sitting for so long before assembly. This was many years before the explosion 🗽 🌌🔭

I did not know this! Great episode!

Great upload🕊

I knew about the viewing platform in the torch. Never gave much thought of whether it was open to the public or not. I also thought the Statue of Liberty was a former lighthouse I never heard of the terrorist attack of 1916; now I know.

I did know that the reason was that the arm wasn't considered strong enough to support the weight of tourists any longer, but I did not know that was because it was damaged by a terrorist attack. I had thought when I was younger that the torch would reopen following the renovations that included regilding the torch, but it never did.

Well I’ll be darned! Born and raised in New York City, we had a field trip (8th grade) to the Statue of Liberty and we were only allowed to climb up to the crown. We were told that it was being repaired. Never knew about the back story. That was over 50 years ago! Thank you Smithsonian Channel for the lesson!

According to my dad, my uncle wandered off when their family were climbing up the statue once they cleared the first staircase. My dad says my uncle saw some construction signs but the entrance to get to the torch was open, however the lights were off. My uncle climbed up as much as he could until he literally couldn't see and turned back. If this story is true imagine if my uncle brought a flashlight with him.

Thank you for a informative video, I've seen couple other videos that talk about it and never actually say why it was closed off.

There's an Easter egg in the first X-Men movie that highlights this weakening of the Statue of Liberty's torch arm in the fight scene in TSOL when Wolverine cuts into it during the fight.

Never heard of this before

The way to get to the torch was via a steep ladder, not a winding stairway that is used to get to the crown. I have read that the arm was damaged during the blast, but was repaired and the blast was used as an excuse to close the arm to the public. I have been in the stature several times and remember seeing the platform and door that opens to the arm on the way down from the crown at about her shoulder level. The spiral stairs to the crown are narrow and steep and fairly open to the inside. Anyone with vertigo would have a hard time!

I never knew about that. I'm really surprised.

Even though I heard the story, I still used to think it was because they did not want anyone to attempt suicide from the torch. 😿😞

This is the first time I know about this incident

When you view the ladder to the torch en route to the crown, it's amazing that anyone was ever allowed up!

I've been in the crown. I don't know if it's open now. Tight space, wonderful view.

Good keep people out..I haven't seen it yet..it's a bucket list item..HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!🎉🎊💥🎉🎊🎈

Actually William Gaines’ (of MAD Magazine fame) girl friend and good friend went up there as tourists. Gaines himself couldn’t fit!

Very interesting. I had another idea why people weren't allowed up there . But I was way off base. Amazing to learn about it goes back to world war one.

This is a part of history that I never heard about in school!

Bellissimo!

Zabar10 beautiful vlog

Enjoyed the video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

I don't get why they called it a terrorist attack when it was literally during a world war. Everyone was doing horrible stuff to each other; it wasn't just out of the blue.

Looking at the thumbnail and length of the video: "Thats lit"

They should totally fix it because climbing to the torch is on my bucket list now

" God Bless America "

Visiting in 2 weeks time can't wait

AMERICA! 🇺🇸 🗽

Hello from Ukraine

Thank you for sharing this information. Love and respect to United States of America from INDIA.

بالتوفيق والنجاح الدائم مسيرة موفقة 👍🌹🙏

i would imagine it like the 2020 beirut port blast

Wow.

I could have done with a lot less split screens and stock footage and a lot more of seeing the closed entrance and details of the arm and torch. People are allowed up there, recall Will Smith in the first Men in Black

I don’t understand why they couldn’t just fix properly to make it safe like that explosion happened over 100 years ago that’s plenty of time to make it safe to the public especially with technology nowadays

this news to me

I was expecting some guy and a camera man to climb inside the statue

Everyone claims it’s because of the bombing, but the statue has been refurbished since then. Insurance and the method of accessing the torch are the real reasons today.

This was so interesting. I never knew this.

No one been up the torch since 1916, so who replaced the original glass torch in the 80s or 90s when ever it got replaced?

I have just recorded this episode on Sky and trying to watch it. The talking is so quiet and and most of the time drowned out by the sound effects. I'm missing most of the detail even with the sound turned up because that turns up the background noise as well. It's such a pity because the programme looks very interesting. Also what are the great lumps of rock called? To me it sounds as if she is saying great lumps of 'sh*t', maybe that is what she's saying, lol.

🗽

thats where magnito put this machine

Yanka is targeting the arms depot. (Yes I have a strange sense of humor 😂)

How has no one skirted the rules and went up there

It's a shame they can't reinforce it. I always wanted to go up thee

So since 1916 we haven’t thought to reenforce it or just straight out rebuild it? That’s an amazing view to take away!

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Well I suggest that they fixed it

Hey what'd the Kaiser ever do to ya'll?

Is there any footage of at least one light weight person going up the arm and to the torch, lol? Can a drone fly up there?

too many people would jump from it

This is simultaneously too much and not enough...

Must have been like the Beirut one.

It couldn't be fixed until now??

Only Michael Jackson

Ghostbusters 2

But Magneto was there

I don't get it? They couldn't fix it and make it safe until now ??

Keep it up, Bring back World wars and Air Crash Investigate clips..

Maybe Germany should PAY for this. Oh yea, they already did. Twice. lol.

They supplied the German aswell, yanks choose to forget that.

Is it a terrorist attack if it is a legitimate war target during wartime? Sabatoge sure, but terrorism?

It should b repaired or redone just because if it is damaged it will some day fall off and hurt someone or so.ething. irresponsible to just leave it because some day it will fall off then what???

4:20 long 😉

Interesting video, but at 1:55, claiming that the German's blowing up a military ammunition stockpile during a war was 'terrorism' shows a complete lack of understanding of the word.

Its a gift from France - we should send it back 😂

Finally some real history on the Smithsonian channel. Too bad NYC is in ridiculous lockdowns and mandates right now, no reason to ever visit that place again.

420 😆 oh man!!! 👀

I volunteer as tribute to test its integrity as back then MEN were Welding

Lie Michael jackson did!!

I had read it was because it has a regular ladder 🪜 inside instead of stairs.

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