All language subtitles for Unearthed.(2016).S03E04.Statue.of.Liberty.The.New.Secrets.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-Cinefeel_track3_[eng]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator:
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

♪♪

AN ICONIC WONDER
OF THE MODERN WORLD.

ONE OF THE PARADOXES ABOUT
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IS

IT'S TOTALLY FAMOUS

AND TOTALLY UNKNOWN,
ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

♪♪

WHAT SECRETS IS SHE HIDING,

AND WHY WAS THIS LANDMARK BUILT
ON THIS PARTICULAR SITE?

WHEN PEOPLE ARRIVE HERE,

YOU'RE IN AWE
OF LADY LIBERTY

AND THE NEW YORK SKYLINE

AND PEOPLE RARELY
LOOK DOWN AND REALIZE

THAT THERE'S
A REALLY RICH HISTORY

BELOW THEIR FEET HERE.

TODAY, INVESTIGATORS ARE
USING PIONEERING TECHNOLOGY

TO DISCOVER
THE SECRET INSPIRATION

BEHIND HER INCREDIBLE
METAL DESIGN.

SHE'S AN AMAZING STATUE
FROM THE OUTSIDE,

BUT WHEN YOU GO INSIDE,
IT'S EVEN MORE INTERESTING.

FOLLOWING A TRAIL OF CLUES
THAT LEADS TO A LOST WONDER

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD,

CAN THEY SOLVE THE QUESTION
THAT HAS PUZZLED PEOPLE

FOR OVER A CENTURY?

IT IS A HUMAN FACE,

AND SO
WHAT FACE DID HE USE?

TO SOLVE THESE MYSTERIES,

WE'LL DECONSTRUCT

AND UPROOT

THIS MIGHTY MONUMENT.

WE WILL PIECE TOGETHER
THE SECRETS

OF THE STATUE'S CONSTRUCTION

TO UNEARTH THE ASTONISHING
ANCIENT HISTORY

AT THE HEART OF THIS
GROUNDBREAKING LANDMARK.

♪♪

--Captions by VITAC--
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

[ POIGNANT TUNE PLAYS ]

AT THE ENTRANCE TO NEW YORK CITY
STANDS A MIGHTY GUARDIAN:

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY,

ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS
MONUMENTS IN THE WORLD.

♪♪

BUILT AS A GIFT
FROM FRANCE TO AMERICA

TO MARK 100 YEARS
OF INDEPENDENCE,

SHE HAS BECOME AN ICON WOVEN

INTO THE FABRIC
OF THE UNITED STATES.

BUT WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW
ABOUT THIS ENIGMATIC LADY?

♪♪

THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF UNKNOWNS.

THERE ARE SECRETS
ABOUT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

THERE ARE MYSTERIES

AND IT'S REALLY A LOT OF FUN
TO TRY TO UNCOVER THEM.

♪♪

Narrator:
LOOKING OUT OVER NEW YORK
FROM A STAGGERING 265 FEET,

THE STATUE IS AN ENDURING
SYMBOL OF FREEDOM.

♪♪

MADE FROM 62,000 POUNDS
OF THE PUREST COPPER,

SUPPORTED BY AN INGENIOUS
METAL SKELETON...

♪♪

...ERECTED ATOP A MYSTERIOUS
11-POINTED STAR...

♪♪

SHE TRAMPLES ON THE CHAINS
OF OPPRESSION

WITH HER ENORMOUS FEET.

♪♪

ENLIGHTENING THE PLANET
WITH HER TORCH,

SHE'S ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST RECOGNIZABLE LANDMARKS.

BUT WHAT WAS
THE REAL INSPIRATION

FOR THIS MAGNIFICENT STATUE?

WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS LADY?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

♪♪

THIS QUESTION STILL BAFFLES
THE EXPERTS TODAY.

HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR ED BERENSON

HAS SPENT YEARS TRYING
TO UNRAVEL THE IDENTITY

OF NEW YORK'S
MOST FAMOUS RESIDENT.

WHEN WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT THE INSPIRATION
FOR THE STATUE OF LIBERTY WAS,

WE HAVE TO MAKE
OUR OWN INTERPRETATIONS

BECAUSE BARTHOLDI DIDN'T
WRITE DOWN VERY MUCH.

♪♪

Narrator:
TODAY, ED JOINS A TEAM
FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

THAT IS USING LASER
SCANNING TECHNOLOGY

TO CREATE THE MOST
ACCURATE, EVER,

THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE
OF THE STATUE.

♪♪

IT'S THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY

TO GET A DETAILED VIEW
OF HER FACE.

♪♪

I GUESS, FOR ME, SEEING IT
IN 3-D AND CLOSE-UP,

IT'S FUNNY TO SEE
HOW STERN HER FACE IS.

I MEAN, IT'S A STERN EXPRESSION.

THAT'S TRUE, YEAH.

IT IS A STERN EXPRESSION.

SHE'S GOT A LOT
OF RESPONSIBILITY.

SHE REPRESENTS LIBERTY.

Narrator:
COMPLETED IN 1886,

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
WAS DESIGNED

BY FRENCH SCULPTOR
FRéDéRIC BARTHOLDI.

[ TRANQUIL TUNE PLAYS ]

EXPERTS BELIEVE HIS STATUE
IS MODELED ON LIBERTAS,

THE ROMAN GODDESS OF FREEDOM.

Berenson:
RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING,
THE REAL NAME

OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IS
LIBERTY ENLIGHTENING THE WORLD.

Narrator:
THE SAME GODDESS OF FREEDOM

ALSO APPEARS
ON THE GREAT SEAL OF FRANCE,

BUT, IS THERE MORE
GOING ON HERE?

♪♪

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

AT FIRST GLANCE,
THE STATUE IS A MIX

OF SYMBOLIC
AND CLASSICAL INFLUENCES.

♪♪

SHE CARRIES A TORCH
IN HER RIGHT HAND,

LEADING THE WAY
TO ENLIGHTENMENT.

♪♪

SHE WEARS A FLOWING ROMAN ROBE.

♪♪

AT HER FEET LIE BROKEN CHAINS,

A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM
FROM OPPRESSION.

IN HER LEFT HAND,
SHE HOLDS A TABLET

WITH THE DATE
OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE,

BUT UNDERNEATH THE SYMBOLISM,
HIDING BELOW THE HUGE,

SEVEN-POINTED CROWN
THAT ADORNS HER HEAD,

COULD THIS BE THE FACE
OF A REAL PERSON?

♪♪

Berenson:
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION
FOR THE FACE?

WAS IT SOMETHING THAT HE HAD
IN HIS MIND, IN HIS MEMORY,

OR DID HE ACTUALLY HAVE A REAL,
HUMAN BEING WHO WAS HIS MODEL?

WE DON'T KNOW
BECAUSE HE DIDN'T SAY.

Narrator:
DESPITE THIS LACK OF EVIDENCE,
MANY PEOPLE CLAIM THAT BARTHOLDI

BASED THE STATUE'S FEATURES
ON A REAL PERSON.

♪♪

THEORIES RANGE FROM HIS WIFE
TO HIS MOTHER.

WHEN HE CAME
TO NEW YORK IN 1871,

HE WROTE TO HIS MOTHER
EVERY SINGLE DAY

AND THOSE LETTERS HAVE SURVIVED.

Narrator:
BUT IN NONE OF HIS LETTERS
DOES BARTHOLDI EVER MENTION

THAT SHE INSPIRED
THE FACE OF LADY LIBERTY.

IF IT HAD BEEN
HIS MOTHER'S FACE,

WHY DIDN'T HE SAY
SOMETHING TO HER?

I'D THINK SHE WOULD'VE
BEEN PLEASED.

♪♪

Narrator:
ED WANTS TO SOLVE THIS MYSTERY,
ONCE AND FOR ALL.

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORDS STRIKE ]

♪♪

-KENNY, HI.
-HI. HOW ARE YOU?

-I'M ED. NICE TO MEET YOU.
-NICE TO MEET YOU. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD.

Narrator:
KENNY LONG USED TO WORK

FOR ENGLAND'S
METROPOLITAN POLICE FORCE.

HE SPECIALIZES IN IDENTIFYING
KNOWN CRIMINALS IN LARGE CROWDS.

♪♪

THE TOOL OF HIS TRADE
IS HIS BRAIN.

KENNY IS WHAT'S KNOWN
AS A SUPER-RECOGNIZER.

SAY, FOR EXAMPLE,
I LOOK AT YOUR FACE.

UNFORTUNATELY, I'M NOT GONNA
FORGET THAT FACE NOW,

SO I'D NEVER DO NOTHING WRONG,
IF I WAS YOU.

SO YOU HAVE BETTER
ABILITIES THAN, SAY,

A COMPUTER WITH FACIAL-
RECOGNITION SOFTWARE?

I'VE RECOGNIZED SOMEONE FROM
THE BACK OF THEIR HEAD BEFORE,

FOR A BANK ROBBERY.

Narrator:
HIS EXPERTISE HAS LED

TO HUNDREDS
OF CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS.

♪♪

SO, IN THE CASE OF LIBERTY
VERSUS THE PEOPLE,

WHO ARE THE PRIME SUSPECTS?

I'VE GOT A NUMBER
OF PICTURES OF PEOPLE

CONNECTED TO THE HISTORY
OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

ED STARTS WITH THE PERSON
BARTHOLDI WAS CLOSEST TO.

CHARLOTTE BARTHOLDI,
THE MOTHER OF THE SCULPTOR.

AND WE KNOW THAT
FRéDéRIC AUGUSTE BARTHOLDI

AND HIS MOTHER
WERE VERY CLOSE.

NEXT UP IS ANOTHER
POTENTIAL CANDIDATE.

BARTHOLDI'S WIFE IS
JEANNE-EMILIE,

WHOM HE MARRIED LATE.

HE WAS 46 YEARS OLD
WHEN HE GOT MARRIED.

ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT
IT MIGHT NOT BE

THE FACE OF A WOMAN, AT ALL.

BARTHOLDI'S BROTHER,
CHARLES,

WHOM HE WAS VERY CLOSE TO,

AND THERE WAS, IN FACT,
RECENTLY, A THEORY

THAT BARTHOLDI USED
HIS BROTHER'S FACE.

SO, OUT OF THESE
POTENTIAL SUSPECTS,

WHO IS THE FACE OF LADY LIBERTY?

♪♪

AT FACE VALUE,
IT'S A TALL ORDER.

KENNY IS MORE USED TO WORKING
WITH POLICE MUGSHOTS

THAN HISTORICAL PHOTOS
AND PAINTINGS.

♪♪

I WANNA TO DISCOUNT
SOME PEOPLE, FIRST.

-MM-HMM.
-SO LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE HERE.

-THAT'S HIS BROTHER.
-LOOK AT HIS EAR RIGHT THERE.

-MM-HMM.
-IT'S VERY, VERY FLAT.

NOT MUCH DETAIL AT ALL.

IF YOU GO
TO THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

AND LOOK AT THE MODEL,

IT HAS LOTS OF DETAIL
INSIDE THE EAR.

-RIGHT, YEAH.
-SO, STRAIGHTAWAY,

-I'M GONNA TAKE THAT ONE DOWN.
-SO YOU CAN TAKE THAT DOWN.

♪♪

Narrator:
SO WHAT DOES KENNY MAKE
OF BARTHOLDI'S WIFE?

THE EYES ARE
TOO CLOSE TOGETHER.

THE JAW IS TOO ROUNDED,
SO I BET THAT THERE WAS

NO INSPIRATION, WHATSOEVER,
FROM THAT ONE AT ALL.

RIGHT. THE EYES ARE
VERY CLOSE TOGETHER.

-THEY'RE VERY CLOSE.
-I CAN SEE THAT.

Narrator:
THAT ONLY LEAVES
ONE PRIME CANDIDATE:

BARTHOLDI'S MOTHER.

WOW. THERE'S A LOT
OF SIMILARITIES.

I'M LIKING THIS QUITE A LOT.
-MM-HMM.

LOOKING AT BOTH
THE IMAGES NOW,

NEXT TO THE
STATUE OF LIBERTY,

IT LOOKS SO CLOSE.

IT'S JUST LIKE LOOKING
AT THE SAME PERSON TO ME.

♪♪

[ SUSPENSEFUL FLOURISH PLAYS ]

IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY
REVELATION.

ED BELIEVES THEY MAY HAVE SOLVED

THE MYSTERY OF HER
TRUE IDENTITY.

♪♪

NOW THAT YOU POINT OUT
THESE RESEMBLANCES,

WHICH ARE REALLY CONVINCING,

IT MAKES ME WONDER WHETHER

HE USED HIS MOTHER'S FACE
WITHOUT QUITE REALIZING IT.

IT'S VERY POSSIBLE,
VERY POSSIBLE.

WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN WHY
HE DIDN'T MENTION IT TO HER.

'CAUSE HE WOULDN'T
HAVE KNOWN, WOULD HE?

HE WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE STATUE'S CREATOR

MAY HAVE SECRETLY USED
A FAMILIAR FACE AS HIS MODEL.

WHAT OTHER SURPRISES
DID HE LEAVE BEHIND?

NOW, INVESTIGATORS DIG BENEATH
HER FEET FOR ANSWERS.

♪♪

WHY WAS SHE BUILT ATOP
AN 11-POINTED STAR?

♪♪

AND DID A LOST WONDER
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

INSPIRE HER
ONCE-GLEAMING METAL FORM?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL
CHORD STRIKES ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator:
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY,

A MODERN MEGASTRUCTURE FAMILIAR
TO BILLIONS ACROSS THE WORLD.

♪♪

NEARLY 150 YEARS AGO,

HER DESIGNER, A FRENCH ARTIST,
FRéDéRIC BARTHOLDI,

KNEW WHAT HE WANTED
HIS STATUE TO LOOK LIKE...

♪♪

...BUT HIS BIGGEST PROBLEM
WAS FINDING A PLACE TO PUT HER.

♪♪

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
ARCHAEOLOGIST JOEL DUKES

IS ON A MISSION TO UNCOVER
WHY THIS LOCATION WAS CHOSEN.

COULD'VE BEEN
AT THE MOUTH OF THE HARBOR,

WHICH IS SEVERAL
MILES UP THIS WAY.

IT COULD'VE BEEN ON MANHATTAN,
AT THE TIP,

OR EVEN IN CENTRAL PARK.

ULTIMATELY, THOUGH,
THEY DECIDED ON LIBERTY ISLAND.

♪♪

Narrator:
SO WHY WAS LADY LIBERTY BUILT
ON THIS VERY SPOT?

♪♪

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
BENEATH THE STATUE'S FEET

IS A MILITARY FORT.

IT'S SHAPED LIKE
AN 11-POINTED STAR...

♪♪

...AND IS FAR OLDER THAN
THE STATUE AND ITS PEDESTAL.

♪♪

THOUSANDS OF PRECISELY
CARVED GRANITE BLOCKS

MAKE UP ITS WALLS,

AND INSIDE SITS
THE STATUE'S FOUNDATIONS:

A MASSIVE SLAB
OF SOLID CONCRETE,

20 FEET DEEP
AND WEIGHING 27,000 TONS.

♪♪

BUT WHY WAS IT ABANDONED

AND WHY WAS THE STATUE
BUILT WITHIN IT?

♪♪

COULD THE UNUSUAL SHAPE
PROVIDE A CLUE?

FORT WOOD IS A STAR FORT,
HAS 11 POINTS ON IT,

AND THE INTERESTING THING
IS THAT IT'S UNIQUE

AMONG THE FORTS
IN NEW YORK HARBOR.

Narrator:
IN FACT, THIS IS THE ONLY
FORT OF ITS KIND

IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES.

SO WHY WAS THE DESIGN CHOSEN
FOR THIS PARTICULAR SITE?

♪♪

JOEL THINKS HE'S FOUND A CLUE.

♪♪

THE CONSTRUCTION TEAM
HAS UNCOVERED A CURVED WALL

RUNNING ALONGSIDE THE EXISTING
STAR-SHAPED ONE.

Dukes:
HERE'S THE ISLAND.

HERE'S THE FORT
WITH THE 11 POINTS

AND THE OUTER WALL CURVED AROUND
EACH OF THE POINTS LIKE THIS.

WHAT WE SUSPECT
IS THAT THE WALL WENT

AROUND THE FORT,
AT ONE POINT.

Narrator:
THE MORE HE EXAMINES IT,
THE MORE JOEL BELIEVES

IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING ELSE
ALTOGETHER.

SO WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IS
THIS ISN'T ACTUALLY A WALL.

WHAT THIS IS IS A FOOT OR TWO,
A SUPPORT FOR A MOAT.

Narrator:
A MOAT INDICATES THE FORT'S
OCCUPANTS NEEDED 360° DEFENSES,

MEANING THE THREAT
OF ATTACKING SHIPS

WASN'T ALL THEY
WERE WORRIED ABOUT.

PROTECTING FROM A LAND INVASION

WOULD'VE BEEN PART
OF THE DEFENSES AT THIS FORT.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE FORT'S UNIQUE,
11-POINTED SHAPE

GAVE DEFENDERS
A HUGE ADVANTAGE,

DRAMATICALLY INCREASING
THEIR FIELDS OF FIRE

AND REDUCING BLIND SPOTS.

CANNONS POSITIONED ON
ONE SIDE OF THE FORT

COULD FIRE ACROSS
TO THE OTHER...

[ BLASTING ]

HITTING ANYONE ATTEMPTING
TO SCALE ITS WALLS.

♪♪

[ BLAST ]

THE FORT'S LOW PROFILE ALLOWED
FOR THICK GRANITE RAMPARTS

PROTECTING IT FROM CANNON FIRE.

♪♪

[ BLAST ]
BUT THE DEVELOPMENT

OF MORE POWERFUL ARTILLERY
AND EXPLOSIVE SHELLS

MEANT THE FORT
WAS SOON OUTDATED

AND IT GRADUALLY FELL
INTO DISREPAIR.

♪♪

THE PROBLEM WITH THE DEVELOPMENT

OF THE FORTIFICATION
OF NEW YORK HARBOR

WAS OFTEN THAT,
ONCE A FORT WAS COMPLETED,

THE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED SO FAR
THAT THE FORT WAS

PRETTY MUCH OBSOLETE
BY THE TIME IT WAS BUILT.

Narrator:
BUT JOEL THINKS THIS UNUSUAL
AND OUTDATED DESIGN

MIGHT BE THE VERY REASON WHY THE
STATUE WAS BUILT ON THIS SPOT.

ONCE THE FORT BECAME OBSOLETE,
THEY BEGAN TO REPURPOSE IT

FOR DIFFERENT THINGS, SUCH AS
A BARRACKS AND A QUARTERMASTER'S

AND EVEN A LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S
QUARTER WAS PUT OUT THERE.

Narrator:
JOEL BELIEVES THAT,

BECAUSE THE FORT WAS NO LONGER
OF MILITARY IMPORTANCE,

IT COULD BE EASILY
AND CHEAPLY REPURPOSED,

THIS TIME, AS THE IDEAL BASE
FOR A HUGE STATUE.

Dukes:
I THINK THAT IT WAS REALLY
FORTUNATE TO FIND FORT WOOD.

I THINK THE STAR DESIGN FITS
REALLY WELL WITH THE PEDESTAL

AND THE STATUE OUT THERE
ON LIBERTY ISLAND.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE STATUE'S CREATORS

HAD FOUND THE PERFECT PLOT
FOR LADY LIBERTY,

BUT HAD THEY UNWITTINGLY CHOSEN

A SITE OF HUGE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE?

♪♪

WHAT CAN BRAND-NEW DISCOVERIES
FROM THIS SITE

TELL US ABOUT THE HISTORY OF
NEW YORK AND THE UNITED STATES?

AND HOW DID THEY BUILD
SUCH A GIGANTIC STATUE?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS,
CHORD STRIKES ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator:
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

IT WAS BUILT ON TOP OF
AN ABANDONED 19th-CENTURY FORT

ON A SMALL ISLAND
IN NEW YORK HARBOR

NO LONGER OF MILITARY VALUE.

♪♪

BUT ARCHAEOLOGIST JOEL DUKES
BELIEVES THE SITE

COULD HOLD EVEN MORE
HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE.

WITH ALL THE MODERN DEVELOPMENT
THAT'S GOING ON HERE

IN NEW YORK CITY,
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT

THERE'S SOME REALLY AMAZING
HISTORY OUT HERE.

♪♪

Narrator:
BURIED IN THE GROUND
BEHIND THE STATUE,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE MADE
A STRANGE DISCOVERY.

♪♪

UNDERNEATH THE TOPSOIL

LIE TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF OPENED OYSTER SHELLS.

♪♪

TOGETHER, THEY FORM
A THICK LAYER...

♪♪

THAT STRETCHES IN A WIDE BAND
ACROSS LIBERTY ISLAND,

SURROUNDING THE STATUE.

♪♪

THE SHELLS COULDN'T HAVE
SIMPLY WASHED UP HERE,

SO WHERE DID THEY COME FROM

AND CAN THEY REVEAL THE SECRETS
OF THIS ISLAND'S PAST?

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]

♪♪

THIS IS ONE OF THE OYSTER SHELLS

THAT WE'VE RECOVERED
FROM THE SITE

AND 99% OF WHAT WAS RECOVERED
HERE WERE OYSTER SHELLS.

♪♪

Narrator:
IT'S EARLY MORNING
AND A CREW IS CONDUCTING

STRUCTURAL REPAIRS
AROUND THE STATUE,

SO JOEL IS ON THE LOOKOUT

FOR ANY MORE SHELLS
THAT MIGHT BE UNCOVERED.

[chuckle]
THE GROUND'S FROZEN.

INVESTIGATORS KEEP ARTIFACTS
FOUND ON LIBERTY ISLAND HERE,

IN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
ARCHIVES.

♪♪

SO THIS BOX IS ONE OF 22
FROM THE SITE

AND THEY HOLD OVER 6,800
ARTIFACTS THAT WERE EXCAVATED.

♪♪

Narrator:
REMARKABLY, IT WASN'T JUST
OYSTER SHELLS THAT WERE FOUND.

♪♪

AND THE DISCOVERY
OF A STORAGE PIT

CONVINCED ARCHAEOLOGISTS
THIS WASTE WAS MANMADE.

THE MATERIAL THAT CAME
OUT OF IT,

IN ADDITION TO THE OYSTER,
WAS A VARIETY

OF MANMADE OBJECTS
OUT OF STONE AND CERAMICS.

♪♪

Narrator:
THESE ANCIENT PILES OF TRASH
ARE CALLED MIDDENS,

BUT THE QUESTION IS:
WHOSE TRASH IS IT

AND WHY DID THESE PEOPLE COME
TO LIBERTY ISLAND?

♪♪

ONE OF THE MOST
INTERESTING ITEMS WE FIND

THAT HELPED US DATE THE DEPOSIT

WAS THIS POINT SMALL
ARROWHEAD MADE OF JASPER

AND IT'S ONE
OF THE CLEAR INDICATORS

THEY WERE NATIVE AMERICANS
THAT MADE THIS DEPOSIT.

♪♪

Narrator:
OVER CENTURIES,
THE NATIVE AMERICANS

EXPLOITED THE OYSTER-RICH
WATERS AND FERTILE SOIL...

♪♪

...UNTIL THE ARRIVAL
OF EUROPEANS

EVENTUALLY PUSHED THEM
OUT OF THESE LANDS.

♪♪

BUT ONE MYSTERY STILL
PUZZLES INVESTIGATORS.

WHY DID THEY CHOOSE TO LIVE
ON A REMOTE ISLAND,

RATHER THAN THE MAINLAND?

JOEL BELIEVES THE ANSWER LIES
ON NEIGHBORING ELLIS ISLAND.

BEHIND ME IS
THE IMMIGRATION STATION.

BENEATH IT,
WE FOUND A SHELL MIDDEN,

JUST LIKE THE ONE THAT WAS
OVER ON LIBERTY ISLAND.

♪♪

Narrator:
JOEL THINKS THESE TWO
DISTINCT DEPOSITS

ARE A CLUE TO HOW THIS LANDSCAPE
LOOKED IN THE DISTANT PAST.

♪♪

SCIENTISTS UNEARTHED MIDDENS
NOT ONLY ON LIBERTY ISLAND,

BUT ALSO BENEATH THE MAIN
IMMIGRATION BUILDING

ON NEARBY ELLIS ISLAND.

♪♪

THE ALIGNMENT OF THE MIDDENS

SUGGEST THEY ARE PART
OF THE SAME TRASH HEAP.

IT WOULD MEAN THE TWO ISLANDS
WERE ONCE CONNECTED

TO EACH OTHER,
AND POSSIBLY TO THE MAINLAND.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS,
CHORDS STRIKE ]

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,

THESE ISLANDS WERE
JUST TWO SMALL HILLS

SURROUNDED BY TIDAL
FLATS AND MARSHES.

OVER TIME, EROSION
AND RISING SEA LEVELS

TRANSFORMED THE HILLS
INTO SMALL ISLANDS...

♪♪

...RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE HARBOR.

♪♪

Dukes:
THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
PEOPLE WERE COMING HERE.

NATIVE AMERICANS SEASONALLY
WERE COMING HERE

AND EXPLOITING THE RESOURCES
AND LIVING HERE

AND I THINK THE WHOLE DEPTH OF
HISTORY HERE IS PRETTY AMAZING.

♪♪

Narrator:
WITHOUT REALIZING IT,

THE STATUE'S CREATORS
HAD CHOSEN A LOCATION RICH

WITH THE HISTORY
OF NORTH AMERICA.

♪♪

BUT HOW, EXACTLY,
WOULD HER CREATORS BUILD

SUCH A MASSIVE STATUE

AND WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION
FOR HER METAL DESIGN COME FROM?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS,
CHORD STRIKES ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator:
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC
SIGHTS IN THE WORLD.

HER CREATOR, THE FRENCH SCULPTOR
FRéDéRIC BARTHOLDI,

CHOSE TO BUILD
HIS STATUE ON AN ISLAND

ONCE INHABITED
BY NATIVE AMERICANS.

HE MAY HAVE EVEN BASED
HER FACE ON HIS OWN MOTHER.

♪♪

BUT WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION
FOR THE REST OF HER?

♪♪

Berenson: WHY DID IT TAKE
THE FORM IT DID?

IT'S NOT CLEAR.
YOU HAVE TO REALLY KIND OF

ENTER ONTO A PROCESS
OF DISCOVERY,

IN ORDER TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE WIDESPREAD VIEW IS THAT
SHE IS BASED ON LIBERTAS,

THE ROMAN GODDESS OF FREEDOM,

AND, AT FIRST GLANCE,
THE RESEMBLANCE IS CLEAR.

♪♪

BUT THERE'S ONE
GLARING DIFFERENCE.

HER MOST ICONIC FEATURE
IS OUT OF PLACE.

THE HUGE, SEVEN-POINTED CROWN
THAT ADORNS HER HEAD

IS NEVER SEEN ON ROMAN
DEPICTIONS OF LIBERTAS.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]
COULD HER CROWN UNLOCK

THE LADY'S SECRET IDENTITY?

♪♪

ED THINKS BARTHOLDI
WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING

EVEN FURTHER BACK IN TIME,

TO A MONUMENT THAT,
EXPERTS BELIEVE,

FEATURED A VERY
SIMILAR-LOOKING HEADPIECE.

Berenson:
THIS IS THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES,
AND THIS WAS AN IMAGE

FROM THE MIDDLE
OF THE 19th CENTURY.

THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE THEN THOUGHT
THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES

MUST'VE LOOKED LIKE.

Narrator:
THE GIANT STATUE WAS ONE

OF THE SEVEN ANCIENT WONDERS
OF THE WORLD.

110 FEET TALL,
IT WAS BUILT TO REPRESENT

HELIOS,
THE GREEK GOD OF THE SUN.

IT STOOD ON RHODES
MORE THAN 2,300 YEARS AGO,

BUT WAS DESTROYED JUST 66 YEARS
AFTER IT WAS BUILT.

IT WAS A GREAT STATUE,
A HUGE STATUE,

CARRYING A TORCH,

WITH A CROWN
THAT HAD SPOKES ON IT,

AND THOSE SPOKES REPRESENT
THE RAYS OF THE SUN.

Narrator:
SO, IS LIBERTY REALLY
A SECRET HOMAGE

TO THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES?

♪♪

TO FIND OUT,
WE NEED TO DISCOVER

WHAT THIS ANCIENT STATUE
REALLY LOOKED LIKE,

RATHER THAN RELYING
ON 19th-CENTURY ILLUSTRATIONS

BASED ON GUESSWORK.

♪♪

ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF RHODES,

ARCHITECT KATERINA MANOUSOU
HAS SPENT DECADES HUNTING

FOR THIS LOST WONDER.

LEGEND HAS IT THE COLOSSUS STOOD

STRADDLING THE ENTRANCE
TO THE PORT.

BUT THIS IMAGE
IS VASTLY DIFFERENT

FROM THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

♪♪

SO WAS IT REALLY HERE,

OR COULD IT ACTUALLY BE MUCH
MORE SIMILAR TO LIBERTY,

BOTH IN TERMS OF ITS APPEARANCE
AND POSITIONING?

SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION OF THE
AREA HAS PERSUADED KATERINA

THAT THE COLOSSUS COULD NEVER
HAVE STOOD AT THE HARBOR.

♪♪

THE COLOSSUS WAS MADE OF BRONZE,

WHICH WOULD HAVE SUNK
AFTER ITS COLLAPSE.

BUT FOLLOWING
EXTENSIVE SEARCHES,

NO REMAINS HAVE EVER BEEN FOUND
ON THE SEAFLOOR HERE.

♪♪

KATERINA IS CONVINCED
THE STATUE DID EXIST.

IT JUST WASN'T BUILT
WHERE MOST PEOPLE THINK,

WHICH MEANS IT COULD HAVE
ALSO LOOKED MORE

LIKE THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

♪♪

KATERINA HEADS AWAY
FROM THE HARBOR ENTRANCE,

TOWARDS THE PALACE
OF THE GRAND MASTER,

OVERLOOKING THE PORT.

♪♪

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED
THAT THIS WALL ENCASES

A MUCH OLDER, SOLID STONE SLAB.

IT'S THE PERFECT SIZE
FOR A HUGE PLINTH.

♪♪

THE PALACE WAS BUILT
IN THE 14th CENTURY,

LONG AFTER THE
COLOSSUS COLLAPSED,

BUT KATERINA BELIEVES
IT MARKS THE SPOT

WHERE THE HUGE ANCIENT STATUE
WOULD HAVE STOOD,

NOT STRADDLING THE HARBOR,
BUT TOWERING ABOVE IT,

JUST LIKE LIBERTY.

♪♪

THE LEGEND OF THE COLOSSUS

SEES IT STRADDLING THE HARBOR
WITH ITS LEGS APART.

♪♪

BUT THIS IS A MEDIEVAL
MISCONCEPTION

THAT HAS BEEN PASSED
DOWN THROUGH TIME

LIKE A GAME OF WHISPERS,

WITH NO EVIDENCE
IN ANCIENT DESCRIPTIONS.

♪♪

HISTORIANS ARE NOW CERTAIN

THE COLOSSUS NEVER STOOD
AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

INSTEAD, IT MUST HAVE BEEN
POSITIONED INLAND,

TOWERING OVER THE HARBOR,
ON A HUGE STONE PEDESTAL,

JUST LIKE THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

♪♪

NEW YORK INVESTIGATOR
ED BERENSON

BELIEVES KATERINA'S THEORY.

♪♪

HE THINKS THAT THE
STATUE OF LIBERTY'S CREATOR

HAD ALREADY GUESSED THE TRUTH.

WE KNOW, AND BARTHOLDI SAID,
THAT, IN TERMS OF THE STRUCTURE,

THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES HAD
STRADDLED THE OPENING OF RHODES.

WELL, THAT COULDN'T BE REAL
BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T HAVE

BEEN ABLE TO STAND UP
AND HE UNDERSTOOD THAT.

♪♪

Narrator:
SO IS THIS REALLY
WHERE BARTHOLDI

GOT HIS INSPIRATION FROM?

Berenson:
WE KNOW THAT HE WAS INTERESTED
IN COLOSSAL STATUES.

HE WAS AMAZED BY THEM
AND HE SAID THAT HE WANTED

TO BUILD SOMETHING
JUST LIKE THAT.

WHAT BARTHOLDI DID IS
HE AMALGAMATED THE TWO.

HE TOOK THE GODDESS OF LIBERTY

AND HE FUSED IT
WITH THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES

AND OUT OF THAT CAME
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

Narrator:
THE STATUE'S CREATOR
SET OUT TO BUILD

AN ANCIENT COLOSSUS
IN A MODERN WORLD,

BUT HOW DID THEY CONSTRUCT
A STATUE FAR BIGGER

THAN HER ANCIENT PREDECESSOR

AND HOW HAS SHE SURVIVED
SO MUCH LONGER?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]
[ RUMBLING ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator:
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

ITS MAKER WANTED TO RESURRECT

THE GOD-SIZED MONUMENTS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

♪♪

BARTHOLDI'S KEY INSPIRATION,
THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES,

COLLAPSED AFTER JUST 66 YEARS,

SO HOW DID HE BUILD
SOMETHING EVEN BIGGER

WITHOUT SUFFERING THE SAME FATE

AND HOW DID THE CHOICE
OF MATERIALS

AFFECT HOW SHE LOOKS TODAY?

WHEN SHE FIRST WENT UP,
SHE WASN'T GREEN AT ALL.

THAT ALWAYS AMAZES ME.

♪♪

Narrator:
62,000 POUNDS
OF THE PUREST COPPER

MAKE UP THE STATUE'S SKIN,

HAMMERED INTO OVER 300 PLATES.

EACH PLATE IS JUST
0.09 INCHES THICK.

♪♪

A LAYER OF GREEN PATINA,

IN PARTS AS THICK
AS THE COPPER ITSELF,

COVERS EVERY SURFACE,

BUT STRIPPING AWAY
130 YEARS OF OXIDATION

REVEALS THE LADY'S TRUE COLOR.

♪♪

WHEN FIRST BUILT,
SHE WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE

A GLEAMING GOLDEN COLOSSUS
OF ANCIENT TIMES,

TOWERING OVER
19th-CENTURY NEW YORK.

♪♪

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]

SO WHY DID BARTHOLDI
CHOOSE COPPER PLATES,

ESPECIALLY WHEN
THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES

WAS BUILT VERY DIFFERENTLY,

USING THE ANCIENT METHOD
OF BRONZE CASTING?

♪♪

PAUL CAVANAUGH IS A VETERAN
METAL WORKER AND SCULPTOR.

TO MAKE THE COLOSSUS,
IT WAS NECESSARY

FOR EACH SECTION
TO BE CAST INTO BRONZE

AND THEN THE BRONZE
WOULD BE JOINED TOGETHER.

Narrator:
JEFF BUCCACIO AND HIS TEAM STILL
USE THE BRONZE-CASTING METHOD.

THEY HAVE THE SKILLS
TO INVESTIGATE

WHAT TECHNIQUES IT TOOK
TO BUILD THE COLOSSUS.

OKAY, UP, GREG.

THE TEAM USES SAND
TO CREATE A MOLD.

THEN THEY POUR MOLTEN
BRONZE INTO IT.

UP, UP.

GOOD. STOP.

HERE WE GO. READY?

IT'S A POTENTIALLY
DANGEROUS MOMENT.

BACK, BACK.

WHEN IT HITS THE MOLD,

THE BRONZE COOLS DOWN
AND TAKES ITS INVERTED SHAPE.

♪♪

EXPERTS BELIEVE WORKERS
CAST THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES

IN LARGE SECTIONS.

EACH STOOD 5 FEET TALL
AND WEIGHED UP TO 250 POUNDS.

WORKERS MOUNTED THE SKIN

ON AN INTERNAL FRAME MADE
OF IRON BARS

AND RIVETED EACH
LARGE SECTION TOGETHER.

THE PEOPLE OF RHODES USED
AN ABANDONED SIEGE TOWER

AS A SCAFFOLD TO REACH
THE STATUE'S CROWN,

A DIZZYING 110 FEET
OFF THE GROUND.

FOR STRENGTH, THE METAL WAS
AN INCH THICK BELOW THE KNEES,

WHERE IT SUPPORTED
THE MOST WEIGHT.

TO STOP IT BEING TOP-HEAVY,

IT TAPERED TO A QUARTER
OF AN INCH NEAR THE HEAD.

♪♪

BUT, INSTEAD OF BRONZE,
BARTHOLDI CHOSE COPPER,

A METAL NOT SUITABLE
FOR CASTING.

COPPER MEANT HIS WORKERS
HAD TO USE A SPECIAL TECHNIQUE,

CALLED REPOUSSé,

WHICH INVOLVED
SHAPING THE METAL

BY HAMMERING
FROM THE REVERSE SIDE.

Cavanaugh:
THEY CREATED A NEGATIVE
WOODEN FORM.

THEN, AND USING ALL SORTS
OF DIFFERENT LITTLE TECHNIQUES,

THEY WERE ABLE TO HAMMER
INTO THE WOODEN FORM

AND THEN HAVE IT HOLD ITS SHAPE,

SO IT COULD BE RIVETED
TO THE INSIDE STRUCTURE.

♪♪

Narrator: PAUL ASSESSES
THE TWO TECHNIQUES.

HE BELIEVES THAT CAST BRONZE
IS THE SUPERIOR METHOD.

CASTING BRONZE,
FOR A LARGE MONUMENT,

LIKE THE COLOSSUS,
IS MUCH BETTER.

THE COLOSSUS WOULD BE
A LOT STRONGER

THAN THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

♪♪

Narrator:
WHEN EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS,
COPPER TURNS GREEN OVER TIME;

AND, COMPARED TO CAST BRONZE,
COPPER REPOUSSé IS WEAKER

AND MORE LABOR-INTENSIVE,
SO WHY DID BARTHOLDI CHOOSE IT?

♪♪

DESPITE ALL ITS FLAWS,
IT HAS ONE MAJOR ADVANTAGE.

IT WAS MUCH, MUCH LESS
EXPENSIVE THAN CAST BRONZE.

IT WAS JUST A TECHNIQUE
TO SAVE A LOT OF MONEY.

♪♪

Narrator:
ACCORDING TO LEGEND,
THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES WAS BUILT

USING CAPTURED BRONZE WEAPONS
FROM A RECENT WAR,

BUT FRéDéRIC BARTHOLDI
DIDN'T HAVE THIS ADVANTAGE.

HE WAS LIMITED BY MONEY

AND HAD TO DRUM UP FUNDS
TO REALIZE HIS VISION.

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
WAS MADE AS A GIFT

AND I THINK THAT THE WAY
THOSE THINGS WORK IS

THE PERSON WHO CONTROLS
THE PURSE STRINGS

CONTROLS WHAT MATERIAL'S CHOSEN,

SO BARTHOLDI HAD TO SOMEWHAT
GO ALONG WITH THAT.

♪♪

Narrator:
DESPITE IT NOT BEING
FIRST CHOICE,

THE WORLD HAS GROWN TO LOVE
THE STATUE'S GREEN COPPER TINT

AND LIBERTY HAS LASTED
FAR LONGER

THAN HER ANCIENT ANCESTOR,
THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES,

EVEN IF SHE WAS BUILT USING

AN INFERIOR
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE.

BUT THIN COPPER SHEETS
ARE FAR TOO WEAK

TO SUPPORT SUCH A MASSIVE
STRUCTURE ON THEIR OWN,

SO WHAT SECRET METHODS
DID HER ENGINEERS USE

TO ENSURE SHE WOULD
STAND THE TEST OF TIME?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS,
CHORD STRIKES ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ RUMBLING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator:
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY,
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

HAS STOOD PROUDLY ON ITS PLINTH,
WATCHING OVER NEW YORK HARBOR.

♪♪

THE FAMOUS COLOSSUS OF RHODES,
ON WHICH IT WAS MODELED,

WAS SHORTER AND BUILT
OF STURDIER STUFF,

YET IT WAS DESTROYED
BY AN EARTHQUAKE

AFTER JUST 66 YEARS.

♪♪

HOW DID LIBERTY'S
ENGINEERS ENSURE

SHE WOULD OUTLIVE
HER ANCIENT GREEK ANCESTOR?

♪♪

VETERAN STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
DONALD FRIEDMAN

IS ONE OF AMERICA'S
LEADING SPECIALISTS

IN RENOVATING
HISTORICAL BUILDINGS.

♪♪

HE'S INVESTIGATING
HOW THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.

Friedman:
SHE'S AN AMAZING STATUE.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT HER
FROM THE OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW,

YOU SEE WHAT EVERYBODY
HAS ALWAYS COME HERE TO SEE,

BUT WHEN YOU GO INSIDE,
YOU SEE THE STRUCTURE,

AND IT'S EVEN MORE INTERESTING.

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORDS STRIKE ]

Narrator:
UNDERNEATH HER ROBE

LIES A VAST, HIDDEN LATTICE
OF INTRICATE METALWORK.

♪♪

A HUGE, CENTRAL PYLON
ANCHORS HER TO THE PEDESTAL...

♪♪

...AND ACTS AS A SPINE
FOR LAYERS OF STEEL GIRDERS...

♪♪

...SUPPORTING A FRAMEWORK
OF THIN, METAL BARS...

♪♪

...THAT ATTACH
TO HER COPPER SKIN.

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORALE CLIMBS ]

♪♪

SO HOW DID THIS
SEEMINGLY FRAGILE FRAME

MAKE HER STRONGER THAN ANYTHING
THAT HAD COME BEFORE?

♪♪

TO SOLVE THIS MYSTERY,
DON FIRST WANTS TO UNDERSTAND

EXACTLY HOW
THE COLOSSUS COLLAPSED.

[ KNOCKING ]

♪♪

NICE TO SEE YOU.

DON WORKS WITH VETERAN
PHYSICIST NEVILLE REIGER,

WHO HAS BEEN RESEARCHING
THE FATE

OF THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES
FOR OVER 20 YEARS.

THIS IS WHAT WE THINK
THAT THE COLOSSUS LOOKED LIKE.

IT STOOD PRETTY MUCH
WITH ITS LEGS CLOSE TOGETHER.

CERTAINLY NOT STRADDLED
OVER THE HARBOR.

♪♪

Narrator:
NEVILLE HAS BUILT
A COMPUTER SIMULATION

TO INVESTIGATE WHY IT FELL.

♪♪

IT WOULD HAVE FAILED
AT THE ANKLES.

THAT WOULD'VE BROUGHT
THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE DOWN.

I'M SURE THAT'S WHAT THEY SAW
LYING ON THE GROUND

FOR 700 YEARS.

♪♪

Narrator:
DON BELIEVES THE
STATUE OF LIBERTY'S CREATOR

MAY HAVE TAKEN THIS
INTO ACCOUNT.

IF YOU LOOK AT A PERSON,
WE'RE BIG IN THE MIDDLE

AND THEN WE GET NARROW
DOWN TOWARDS THE ANKLES

AND THAT'S THE WEAKEST
PART OF A STATUE.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE NARROW LEGS AND ANKLES
OF THE COLOSSUS

MADE IT SUSCEPTIBLE TO COLLAPSE.

♪♪

SO LIBERTY WAS DESIGNED
TO HAVE A WIDE,

FLOWING ROBE AROUND THE BASE.

♪♪

THE ROBE WOULD MAKE HER
MORE STRUCTURALLY SOUND.

♪♪

THAT WOULD ALSO HELP HER DEAL
WITH A MORE LIKELY THREAT...

♪♪

...STRONG WINDS.

THE SCULPTURE ITSELF
IS A VERY THIN COPPER SKIN

AND, EVEN WITH A GOOD SHAPE

AND EVEN WITH THE GOOD GEOMETRY
THAT THE DRESS GIVES IT,

THERE'S STILL THE ISSUE OF HOW
DO YOU MAKE THIS STRONG ENOUGH

TO WITHSTAND THE WIND PRESSURE
THAT'S BLOWING ON IT

ON A DAY LIKE TODAY,
FOR EXAMPLE?

Narrator:
SO WHY HASN'T THE WIND RIPPED
OFF LIBERTY'S THIN COPPER SKIN?

IN ORDER TO PROVIDE
THE STRUCTURE

FOR THIS MASSIVE SCULPTURE,
THE ARTIST EMPLOYED ONE

OF THE MOST FAMOUS ENGINEERS
OF THE ERA

AND ARGUABLY THE BEST ENGINEER
IN FRANCE, AT THAT TIME.

♪♪

Narrator:
BARTHOLDI RECRUITED

A RISING STAR
OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY,

WHO WOULD GO ON TO COMPLETE THE
FAMOUS EIFFEL TOWER IN FRANCE:

GUSTAVE EIFFEL.

♪♪

INSIDE THAT THIN, COPPER SKIN,

YOU'VE GOT A WROUGHT-IRON,
BRACED FRAME

THAT IS THE MAIN STRUCTURE
OF THE STATUE,

DESIGNED BY THE ENGINEER
GUSTAVE EIFFEL,

AND IT'S VERY SIMILAR
TO THE TOWER

THAT HE BUILT IN PARIS
A FEW YEARS LATER.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE STATUE'S STRENGTH

COMES FROM ITS SOLID
CENTRAL PYLON,

MADE OF FOUR COLUMNS REINFORCED
WITH CROSSED DIAGONAL GIRDERS.

♪♪

THIS SUPPORTS
A SECOND STEEL FRAME,

WHICH ATTACHES
TO THE STATUE'S SKIN

WITH FLEXIBLE RODS
AND STRIPS OF METAL.

♪♪

THESE STRIPS ARE HELD IN PLACE
WITH COPPER SADDLES,

SO THAT THE TWO LAYERS
MOVE INDEPENDENTLY.

♪♪

THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN
THE SKIN AND THE SKELETON

ACT AS A SPRING, ALLOWING
THE STATUE TO SWAY AND FLEX.

♪♪

YOU HAVE POTENTIALLY A LOT
OF MOVEMENT OF THE SKIN

FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER,

RELATIVE TO THE STRUCTURE
THAT'S IN THE MIDDLE,

AND, IF IT WEREN'T
ALLOWED TO MOVE,

IT WOULD START
TO RIP ITSELF APART.

♪♪

Narrator:
BACK AT HIS OFFICE,
DON INVESTIGATES

THE EFFECTS OF WIND
ON THE STATUE'S SKELETON.

THIS FRAME IS DOING WHAT EIFFEL
DESIGNED IT TO DO,

WHICH IS TO TAKE
ALL OF THIS WIND LOAD

AND THEN TRANSMIT IT DOWN TO THE
BASE, DOWN TO THE PLINTH.

Narrator:
THIS SPRING TECHNIQUE WAS ONE
OF THE FIRST OF ITS KIND

AND IT PAVED THE WAY FOR MANY
OTHER HIGH-RISE STRUCTURES.

Friedman:
AT THE TIME THAT EIFFEL
DESIGNED THIS,

THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST
FRAMES IN THE WORLD.

I MEAN, THIS WAS JUST AN AMAZING
DESIGN FOR THE 1880s.

EVEN TODAY, USING THE
MATERIALS HE WAS USING

AND WITH THE CONSTRAINTS
HE HAD FOR CONSTRUCTION,

I'M NOT SURE WE COULD DO
VERY MUCH BETTER.

[ POIGNANT TUNE PLAYS ]

♪♪

Narrator:
ON THE OUTSIDE,
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

RESEMBLES THE GODS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD,

BUT, INSIDE, SHE IS
A MODERN ENGINEERING MARVEL.

HER FACE MAY HAVE INADVERTENTLY
BEEN BASED ON A REAL PERSON,

BUT THIS GREAT MONUMENT

HAS GROWN IN PEOPLE'S
HEARTS AND MINDS

TO TAKE ON A UNIQUE
IDENTITY OF HER OWN.

IT IS WHAT ONE ART HISTORIAN
CALLED A HOLLOW ICON.

THAT IS, IT DOESN'T HAVE
ANY DEFINITE MEANING

WRITTEN INTO IT,
AND SO THAT ALLOWS US

TO SPECULATE
AND IT ALSO ALLOWS THE MEANING

OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
TO EVOLVE WITH THE TIMES.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
IS THE LIFETIME ACCOMPLISHMENT

OF FRéDéRIC BARTHOLDI,
WHO OVERCAME COLOSSAL OBSTACLES

TO BUILD AN ANCIENT WONDER
IN 19th-CENTURY NEW YORK.

♪♪

LIBERTY'S CREATOR
MAY HAVE TAKEN INSPIRATION

FROM THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES,

BUT THIS ICONIC LADY
STANDS TALLER AND STRONGER,

THANKS TO THE INGENIOUS
STRUCTURAL INNOVATION

HIDDEN WITHIN.

♪♪

THE ISLAND SHE CALLS HOME IS
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURE TROVE

ROOTED IN THE BIRTH OF A NATION.

♪♪

ONCE A GLEAMING
COPPER LEVIATHAN,

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
HAS EVOLVED TO BECOME ONE

OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SYMBOLS
OF THE MODERN WORLD.

[ TRIUMPHANT MUSIC CLIMBS ]

♪♪

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]