Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish
Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within
the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. The sculpture and AT&T
Plaza are located on top of Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and
McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Constructed between 2004 and 2006,
the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its legume-like shape.
Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly
polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 feet by 66 feet by 42
feet (10 m × 20 m × 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (99.8 t; 98.2 long
tons). Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury and the
sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors
are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot (3.7 m) high
arch. On the underside is the omphalos, a concave chamber that warps
and multiplies reflections. The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's
artistic themes, although many tourists simply view the sculpture and
its unique reflective properties as a photo-taking opportunity.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Gate>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
474:
As the seven-year old Leo II was deemed too young to rule, his father
Zeno was crowned as the co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno_%28emperor%29>
1825:
After no presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes,
the United States House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams
President of the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election%2C_1824>
1895:
William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director in Holyoke,
Massachusetts, USA, invented a game called Mintonette, which evolved
into volleyball .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/volleyball>
1920:
The Spitsbergen Treaty was signed, recognizing Norwegian sovereignty
over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, but all signatories were also
given equal rights to engage in commercial activities on the islands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitsbergen_Treaty>
1943:
World War II: Allied forces declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the
Guadalcanal Campaign as a significant strategic victory for Allied
forces fighting Japan in the Pacific War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
disquietude (n):
1. A state of disquiet, uneasiness, or anxiety.
2. A fear or an instance of uneasiness
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disquietude>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have seen the truth; I have seen and I know that people can be
beautiful and happy without losing the power of living on earth. I will
not and cannot believe that evil is the normal condition of mankind.
And it is just this faith of mine that they laugh at. But how can I
help believing it? I have seen the truth — it is not as though I had
invented it with my mind, I have seen it, seen it, and the living image
of it has filled my soul for ever.
--Fyodor Dostoevsky
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoevsky>