Today is a big day for Lady Liberty.
The Statue of Liberty was unveiled on this day in history, Oct. 28, 1886.
Here’s a look back at what happened in this infamous day in U.S. history.
The day of the unveiling was kicked off with festivities organized by the Franco-American Union and the City of New York, according to records from the National Park Service (NPS).
The dedication ceremonies honored both the French and American people, as well as Statue of Liberty contributors, including renowned sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, often considered the “father of the Statue of Liberty” for thinking up the grand gesture.
He died in 1883 before the dedication.
More than 1 million people attended the day’s celebrations on and off Bedloe’s Island — now known as Liberty Island — including then-president Grover Cleveland, according to the NPS.
Festivities involved the first-ever ticker-tape parade in honor of the statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World,” the NPS also noted.
Firefighters, soldiers and veterans marched down Broadway to the sounds of 100 brass bands, cannons and sirens.
The official unveiling was attended by over 2,000 men on the island, and the New York State Woman Suffrage Association chartered a boat for uninvited women to view the reveal from the water.
Leading up to the great unveiling, Bartholdi said, “The dream of my life is accomplished; I see the symbol of unity and friendship between two nations — two great republics.”