The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue is a figure of Libertas, a robed Roman liberty goddess. She holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and in her left hand carries a tabula ansata inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. A broken shackle and chain lie at her feet as she walks forward, commemorating the recent national abolition of slavery.[8] After its dedication, the statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, seen as a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea. Bartholdi was inspired by a French law professor and politician, Édouard René de Laboulaye, who is said to have commented in 1865 that any monument raised to U.S. independence would properly be a joint project of the French and U.S. peoples. The Franco-Prussian War delayed progress until 1875, when Laboulaye proposed that the French finance the statue and the U.S. provide the site and build the pedestal. Bartholdi completed the head and the torch-bearing arm before the statue was fully designed, and these pieces were exhibited for publicity at international expositions. The torch-bearing arm was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, and in Madison Square Park in Manhattan from 1876 to 1882. Fundraising proved difficult, especially for the Americans, and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened by lack of funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer, of the New York World, started a drive for donations to finish the project and attracted more than 120,000 contributors, most of whom gave less than a dollar (equivalent to $29 in 2020). The statue was built in France, shipped overseas in crates, and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe's Island. The statue's completion was marked by New York's first ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland. The statue was administered by the United States Lighthouse Board until 1901 and then by the Department of War; since 1933 it has been maintained by the National Park Service as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, and is a major tourist attraction. Public access to the balcony around the torch has been barred since 1916.
Statue of Liberty
Stories and Missions
for Stories and Missions in The Modern-day Assassin-Templar conflict to blend Grand Theft Auto
Suggested by benpopplewell
Ubisoft may be developing a modern-day Assassin's Creed game focusing on the conflict between Assassins and Templars in a world with numerous cities, potentially inspired by the open-world gameplay of Grand Theft Auto and likely to set in the present or near future, featuring a contemporary Assassin's Creed narrative. This could involve the conflict between the Assassins and Templars along with Abstergo, but within a modern-day setting with its own unique challenges and opportunities would feature numerous cities from around the globe, each with its own distinct characters, lore, and gameplay opportunities. This would allow for diverse environments and a broader scope for the Assassin's Creed story. Integrating vehicles, a common element in GTA, would require balancing it with the Assassin's Creed focus on stealth and hand-to-hand combat as well as climbing would be more challenging in a modern city with glass skyscrapers and other obstacles. The focus might shift to using urban elements like bridges, tunnels, and transportation systems for traversal and would need to incorporate new methods beyond traditional climbing, such as using electronic devices to spy on targets, blending in with crowds, or utilizing urban infrastructure for cover. .
