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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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