90px|The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty
Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated
on October 28, 1886. The statue, a gift to the United States from the
people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas,
the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a
tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of American
independence. It has become an iconic symbol of freedom and of the
United States. Fundraising for the statue proved difficult, especially
for the Americans, and by 1885 work on the statue's pedestal was
threatened due to lack of funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer of the World
initiated a drive for donations to complete the project, and the
campaign inspired over 120,000 contributors, most of whom gave less
than a dollar. The statue was constructed in France, shipped overseas
in crates, and reassembled on the completed pedestal on what was then
called Bedloe's Island. Its completion was marked by New York's first
ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President
Grover Cleveland. (more...)
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1664:
The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot, the forerunner
to the Royal Marines, was established at the grounds of the Honourable
Artillery Company in London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Marines>
1835:
Māori chiefs signed the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand
and established the United Tribes of New Zealand.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Independence_of_New_Zealand>
1928:
Indonesian composer Wage Rudolf Supratman introduced "Indonesia Raya",
now the country's national anthem.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia_Raya>
1965:
In St. Louis, Missouri, the 630-foot (190 m) tall parabolic steel
Gateway Arch was completed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Arch>
1995:
The world's deadliest subway disaster took place in Baku, Azerbaijan,
when an electrical malfunction caused a fire that killed 289 passengers
and injured 265 more.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Baku_Metro_fire>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
cornhusking (n):
Removal of the husk from corn
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cornhusking>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Paradoxically, the man who has failed and one who is at the peak of
success are in exactly the same position. Each must decide what he will
do next, choose the course that will lead him to the future.
--Jigoro Kano
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jigoro_Kano>