What happened to the Statue of Liberty in 1916?

What happened to the Statue of Liberty in 1916?

For on the night of July 30th, 1916, German saboteurs detonated a colossal explosion at a nearby munitions dump, that forever damaged the Statue of Liberty, making the ladder up in the torch off limits. It was the largest act of terrorism on American soil prior to 9/11 and is little known about today.

What was the Black Tom explosion in the Statue of Liberty?

It was still dark in Manhattan on a Sunday morning, July 30, 1916, when the sky suddenly exploded with an unnatural brilliance. Two million tons of war materials packed into train cars had blown up in the Black Tom railroad yard on what is now a part of Liberty State Park.

What caused the huge explosion at Ellis Island in 1916?

In the early morning hours of July 30, 1916, a munitions depot located on Black Tom Island, in Jersey City, NJ, was deliberately sabotaged to prevent supplies from being delivered to Britain and France during World War I. …

What were the long lasting effects of the Black Tom explosion in the United States?

Black Tom did have one lasting consequence. Shrapnel from the explosion hit the nearby Statue of Liberty. After the damage was surveyed, it was decided that the public would no longer be allowed access to Lady Liberty’s torch and its spectacular views of New York harbor. The torch has never reopened.

When was the explosion at the Statue of Liberty?

On June 3, 1980, a bomb exploded in the museum at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Initially, at least five separate terrorist groups took responsibility, but, within days, the bombing was attributed to the Croatian Freedom Fighters.

What was the significance of the explosion on Black Tom Island?

The Black Tom explosion was an act of sabotage by agents of the German Empire, to destroy U.S.-made munitions that were to be supplied to the Allies in World War I. The explosions, which occurred on July 30, 1916, in New York Harbor, killed four people and destroyed some $20,000,000 worth of military goods.

Was there an explosion at the Statue of Liberty?

Why did German government most likely order the New Jersey munitions bombing?

Was it an accident or planned? According to historians, the Germans sabotaged the Lehigh Valley munitions depot in order to stop deliveries being made to the British who had blockaded the Germans in Europe.

Was the Statue of Liberty destroyed?

The destruction actually takes place due to a controlled demolition — a preset ring of explosives at the base. The explosives blow up the pedestal, causing the statue to slide down the rubble so the torch hand can sink below the surface of New York Harbor.

Why Statue of Liberty is important?

Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has symbolized the freedom and the democracy of the United States. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design the Statue Sculpture with the completion date of 1876 to celebrate American’s centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.