The Statue of Liberty (officially named Liberty Enlightening the World and sometimes referred to as Lady Liberty) is a monument symbolising the United States. The statue is placed on Ellis Island, near New York City Harbor.
The statue commemorates the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. It was given to the United States by the people of France in 1886, to represent the friendship between the two countries established during the American Revolution. It represents a woman wearing a stola, a crown and sandals, trampling a broken chain, and with a torch in her raised right hand and a "tabula ansata", or tablet where the date of the Declaration of Independence "" (1776) is written, in her left hand. The statue is on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, and it welcomes visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans travelling by ship.
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue and he obtained a U.S. patent for the structure. Maurice Koechlin, who was chief engineer of Gustave Eiffel's engineering company and designer of the Eiffel Tower, designed the internal structure. The pedestal was designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc chose copper in the construction of the statue, and for the adoption of the "repoussé" construction technique, where a malleable metal is hammered on the reverse side.
The statue is made of a covering of pure copper, left to weather to a natural blue-green patina. It has a framework of steel (originally puddled iron). The exception is the flame of the torch, which is coated in gold leaf (originally made of copper and later altered to hold glass panes). It is on a rectangular stonework pedestal. The foundation is an old star fort in the shape of an irregular eleven-pointed star. The statue is tall, but with the pedestal and foundation, it is tall.
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. For many years it was one of the first glances of the United States for millions of immigrants and visitors after ocean voyages from around the world.
The statue is the central part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, administered by the National Park Service. The National Monument also includes Ellis Island.
There are several metal plaques on or near the Statue of Liberty. A plaque on the copper just under the figure's feet declares that it is a colossal statue representing Liberty, designed by Bartholdi and built by the Paris firm of Gaget, Gauthier et Cie ("Cie" is the French abbreviation analogous to "Co."). Another plaque declares the statue to be a gift from the people of the Republic of France that honors "the Alliance of the two Nations in achieving the Independence of the United States of America and attests their abiding friendship." The New York committee made a plaque that commemorates the fundraising done to build the pedestal. The Freemasons put another plaque on the cornerstone.
In 1903, a bronze tablet that bears the text of "The New Colossus" and commemorates Emma Lazarus was presented by friends of the poet. Until the 1986 renovation, it was mounted inside the pedestal; today it resides in the Statue of Liberty Museum in the base. It is accompanied by a tablet given by the Emma Lazarus Commemorative Committee in 1977, celebrating the poet's life.
A group of five statues is at the western end of the island. They honor people involved in building the Statue of Liberty. The statues stand for two Americans—Pulitzer and Lazarus—and three Frenchmen—Bartholdi, Laboulaye, and Eiffel. The five statues were designed by Maryland sculptor Phillip Ratner.
In 1984, the Statue of Liberty was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The UNESCO "Statement of Significance" describes the statue as a "masterpiece of the human spirit" that "endures as a highly potent symbol—inspiring contemplation, debate and protest—of ideals such as liberty, peace, human rights, abolition of slavery, democracy and opportunity."
1875
Ankst
Ankst is a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at Aberystwyth University. Ankst has been the launch-pad for several popular Welsh artists, including Super Furry Animals and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. The label is now based in Pentraeth on Anglesey.
1988
1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was .
April 1
January 8
October 4
February 11
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns Eliot OM, (26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965), was a poet. He was one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. He also wrote plays and some important essays about literature.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, then went to college in Harvard. He spent most of his adult life in London, England. He became a British citizen in 1928.
One famous book of his was written for children and is called "The Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". The songs in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Cats" are based on poems in it. He also wrote "The Waste Land", a very mysterious, complicated poem that helped start a new style called Modernism. His friend, Ezra Pound, another Modern poet, helped him finish it. His poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and his play "Murder in the Cathedral" (about Thomas Becket) are also well known.
He was married two times. He worked at a bank in England and later as the head editor of a famous publishing company in London that is now called Faber and Faber. In 1948, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He died of emphysema in London.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a British composer and impresario of musical theatre. His company, the Really Useful Group, is one of the largest theatre operators in London.
In 2018, Webber became one of fifteen people to win an Oscar, Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award.
During his career, he has produced 15 musicals (several have run at the West End and on Broadway for ten or more years). His lyricists have included: Tim Rice, Don Black, Christopher Hampton, Richard Stilgoe, and Ben Elton. He wrote the music for two movies: "Gumshoe" and "The Odessa File". He wrote a Latin requiem mass. He has won many awards for his work, most notably seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Oscar, an International Emmy, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. Lloyd Webber was knighted in 1992, and entered the House of Lords in 1997.
Lloyd Webber's second marriage was to the actress and singer Sarah Brightman. They divorced in 1990. Lloyd Webber's third and current wife is Madeleine Gurdon, a former three-day event horsewoman. His younger brother is cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. On 25 October 2009, it was reported that Webber had been diagnosed with the early stages of prostate cancer. He had an operation and has recovered.
He has many musical plays, including:
October 24
Bob Kane
Bob Kane (October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998) was an American cartoonist. He is best known for creating the superhero Batman with Bill Finger.
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger for DC Comics and the overall main protagonist in the DC Universe. Batman is the secret identity of the very rich businessman Bruce Wayne. He is one of the most famous and popular superheroes. Batman first appeared in comic books and was later used in several radio series, movies, TV programs, books, and video games. There are also many toys and other merchandise dealing with Batman and other characters and items from the world he lives in. Batman lives in the fictional city of Gotham. Batman has a trusty sidekick Robin whose identity has been taken up by various heroes, usually his wards.