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.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1054:

Chinese astronomers recorded the sudden appearance of a "guest star", later identified as the supernova that created the Crab Nebula (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_Nebula

1863:

American Civil War: Confederate forces failed in an attempt to recapture the Union-occupied Helena, Arkansas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Helena

1954:

In what is known as "The Miracle of Bern", West Germany defeated Hungary 3–2 to win the FIFA World Cup. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_FIFA_World_Cup_final

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. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_PBHistory

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

big tent: (idiomatic, also attributive) A group, philosophy, or social or political movement that encompasses or seeks to attract a broad range of constituents or members, or views. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/big_tent

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We are not likely to improve our own condition or help humanity very much until we come to the sympathetic understanding that human nature is about the same everywhere, that it is rather evenly distributed over the surface of the earth, and that we are all united in a common brotherhood. We can only make America first in the true sense which that means by cultivating a spirit of friendship and good will, by the exercise of the virtues of patience and forbearance, by being "plenteous in mercy," and through progress at home and helpfulness abroad standing as an example of real service to humanity.   --Calvin Coolidge https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge