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Today's featured article
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper statue, an 1886 gift to the United States from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. It is a figure of Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty, holding a torch and a tablet bearing the date of the United States Declaration of Independence. A broken chain and shackle lie at her feet as she walks forward, commemorating the national abolition of slavery following the American Civil War. After its dedication the statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, and it was later seen as a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea. Its completion was marked by New York's first ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland. (Full article...)
Did you know...
- ... that actor George Kunkel (pictured) portrayed in blackface the character of Uncle Tom, using it at first to promote slavery during the American Civil War but later to attack it, after his views had changed?
- ... that sauerkraut made by members of a Russian spiritual sect in Armenia was popular in many other parts of the Soviet Union?
- ... that The Blue Angels was shot using IMAX cameras rigged to a helicopter, plus an ultra-high-speed camera shooting at 1,000 frames per second?
- ... that Margaret Carroux's German translation of The Lord of the Rings contains errors introduced by her editor?
- ... that the LACE satellite tracked rocket plumes from space for the United States's Star Wars program?
- ... that Melanie L. Campbell was arrested for civil disobedience while protesting proposed restrictions on voting rights?
- ... that historically, lichens like Umbilicaria torrefacta have been used to naturally dye traditional Scottish tartans and textiles?
- ... that American poet Edwin Ford Piper preserved 828 folk songs, most of which were from Iowa and Nebraska?
- ... that before reading the script for the play Golden Girls, at least nine of the cast members were under the impression that they would be taking the lead role?
In the news
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- In the Netherlands, a new cabinet is sworn in, with Dick Schoof (pictured) serving as the prime minister.
- A crowd crush during a religious event in Uttar Pradesh, India, leaves at least 110 people dead.
- José Raúl Mulino becomes the president of Panama after winning the general election.
- In cricket, the T20 World Cup concludes with India defeating South Africa in the final.
- In Bolivia, troops led by Juan José Zúñiga storm the presidential palace in an attempted coup.
On this day
July 4: Independence Day in the United States (1776); Republic Day in the Philippines (1946); Liberation Day in Rwanda (1994)
- 414 – Byzantine emperor Theodosius II proclaimed his elder sister Aelia Pulcheria as Augusta.
- 1054 – Chinese astronomers recorded the sudden appearance of a "guest star", later identified as the supernova that created the Crab Nebula (pictured).
- 1863 – American Civil War: Confederate forces failed in an attempt to recapture the Union-occupied Helena, Arkansas.
- 1954 – In what is known as "The Miracle of Bern", West Germany defeated Hungary 3–2 to win the FIFA World Cup.
- 1954 – CIA officers arrived in Guatemala City to begin Operation PBHistory in an attempt to justify the overthrowing of Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz one week earlier.
- Brian Twyne (d. 1644)
- Jack Warhop (b. 1884)
- Koko (b. 1971)
- Victor Chang (d. 1991)
Today's featured picture
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George Washington is a 1780 oil-on-canvas painting by John Trumbull, depicting George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and later the first president of the United States, standing on a bluff above the Hudson River. His enslaved personal servant, William "Billy" Lee, is on horseback behind him. The view across the river encompasses West Point, New York, with a red-and-white striped banner – possibly the Navy ensign adopted in 1775 – flying atop the fortress. Trumbull served on Washington's staff as an aide-de-camp early in the American Revolutionary War and painted this portrait from memory about five years later while studying in London. It was the first authoritative representation of Washington available in Europe and was soon copied throughout the continent. The painting has been in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1924. Painting credit: John Trumbull
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