Latest news with #StatueOfLiberty
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
These 65 Absolutely Mind-Blowing Photos Just Completely And Totally Shattered My Entire View Of The World Last Month
snapped the day before his death, is one of the last pictures ever taken of Pope Francis: here's what Pope Francis looked like as a young man: Popes: they were once young! Who'da thunk it. is what Niagara falls looks like from way, way above: Would ya look at that. my friends, is what a pregnant horse looks like: I am still searching for what a horse baby shower looks like. I imagine it's delightful. is what a human skeleton looks like next to a gorilla's skeleton: Feel free to pull this image up in your next "Yo Mama" debate on the playground. is Fernand Meyssonnier, France's last executioner, standing next to one of the guillotines he used on the job: Someone was executed by guillotine as recently as 1977 in France. The death penalty has since been abolished. here's a mask an executioner would typically wear: Not creepy at all. is what the USS Midway looks like compared to a person in a kayak: This makes me feel very relaxed. Just kidding. is what the bottom of the deepest trench on Earth, the Mariana Trench, looks like: Imagine being the guy responsible for the trash at the literal deepest part of the ocean. the mid-80s, the Statue of Liberty was completely covered in scafolding while being renovated: A pigeon's dream come true. 2.5 MILLION people attended Lady Gaga's show in Brazil last month. Here's what millions of people in one place looks like: I have to pee just thinking about it. Here's another angle: Again, my bladder hurts. comparison of the graphics of Grand Theft Auto V and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI has been making the rounds. The jump in graphical fidelity is incredible: What a different 13 years makes. is what an x-ray of a baby's hand looks like: A comforting thought. 1731, King Frederick I of Sweden was gifted with a lion that, after its death, he sent to be stuffed and preserved. The only issue was that the people doing the taxidermy had never actually seen a lion. This, the Lion of Gripsholm Castle, is the finished product: Juuuuuust a bit off. of terrible taxidermy and fossil reconstruction, this is the Magdeburg Unicorn, quite possibly the worst fossil reconstruction ever: It was probably done by Otto von Guericke, who thought he had found the remains of a unicorn. Turns out he'd just mixed and matched the bones of a rhinoceros, a mammoth, and a narwhal. is Steven Spielberg on top of Bruce, the animatronic shark that, well, played Jaws in Jaws: And now I'm realizing why the shark in Finding Nemo was named what it was. Here's a look at the full Jaws fake-shark rig: 2001, there was a huge dust storm on Mars that obscured the whole planet from the outside: Imagine leaving your windows open on Mars that day. is what a lizard getting a CT scan looks like: Stay strong, l'il fellah. is the one-time record holder for world's heaviest hamburger: Are the tomatoes really necessary? They're not even that heavy. scars don't sweat, so dirt doesn't stick to them: That's one way to stay clean. quarters can be very, very tiny: They were made by the Franklin Mint in the 1980s. Related: "I Know You Aren't Trying To Hurt Me." Doctors, Nurses, And First Responders Are Revealing The Most "Haunting" Last Words They've Heard From A Patient is what a World War II combat helmet looks like compared to a World War I combat helmet: Here's the other side of the helmets: I'm taking the World War II helmet for anything combat-related and the World War I helmet for anything heaping-bowl-of-soup-related. is what the first iPhone's camera looks like compared to a recent iPhone's camera: What is this... a camera for ants? is what a nuclear warhead looks like: Looks like the next water bottle TikTok is going to convince half the world to buy. 1924, a game of Human Chess was played in the Soviet Union: You know, if you weren't able to watch Babe Ruth hit 46 homeruns back then, you had to find some other way to entertain yourself. is what a four person see-saw looks like: That's a little busy. libraries let you know just how much money you save by going to them: Let's hear it for 'braries, folks. is what a golf course green that's been struck by lightning looks like: Or when my approach shot from 65 yards at hits the screen and bounces directly into the woods behind it. is what a Coke bottle from 48 years ago looked like: It was intentionally a throwback design for Coke's anniversary. original Pledge of Allegiance didn't include "under God": This was changed by Dwight Eisenhower during the Cold War, for, of course, Cold War reasons. year 2025 is the first year that's a square number since 1936: And you will almost certainly be long dead before the next one. Have a nice day! Related: 26 People Who Had Overwhelming Gut Instincts They Couldn't Were Right is "Boy Samson," the 14-year-old "strongest boy in the world" holding up a grown man on a motorcycle circa 1932: Today, that very same boy might have a Podcast. The mind reels. is how much it cost to buy a whole bunch of groceries in 1988, almost 40 years ago: Today that'll get you about two and half bell peppers. is what the first class menu looked like on the Titanic the day the ship sunk: No chicken tenders? No thanks. this is what the Second Class menu looked like that same day: Some similarities to the first class menu, but overall very, very different. for good measure, this is what the third class menu looked like that day so many of them tragically died: Literally getting served "GRUEL." is what the World Trade Center looked like at the very beginning of its construction: Construction began in 1966 and was finished in 1971. is what a fusion reactor looks like compared to a person: This particular reactor is located in China and set a record "160 million degrees celsius for 20 seconds." is Igor Sikorsky, inventor of the world's first "practical" helicopter, getting ready to take off in his contraption: This was in 1939. And here he is in the air: My guy Igor CHILLIN' up there. playgrounds have special "wheelchair only" swings: Love it! is Norwegian speed skater Oscar Mathisen pictured with his many, many, many, many awards and honors throughout the early 1900s: He set numerous world records, some even apparently lasting until the 21st century. is what a pair of maraschino cherries put through a dishwasher looks like: Now you have officially seen everything. a scientist testing out a hands-free shaving machine that used robotic arms: Okay, it was actually meant to be used with radioactive material, but shaving is a cool second use-case. my boy... strawberries can be very, very big: Nature is beautiful. dogs? Dogs can be gigantic: Who's a good... man? frogs, my boy... frogs can be very, very tiny: Now you know. Use this knowledge wisely. is a group of World War I soldiers creating a "Human Liberty Bell" at Camp Dix in 1918: This is what people did before iPhones. is 17-year-old Bryn Owen and his, frankly, ludicrous amount of mirrors on his Vespa: Every single source I've seen containing this picture points out that he used his own "pocket money." Now you know. a scene from the 1924 Olympics gold medal hockey game between the USA and Canada: Canada won 6-1. is what Meryal Waterpark, home of the world's tallest waterslide, looking like while it was under construction in Qatar: I can feel the wedgies just looking at this picture. is what Earth looks like from 3.7 billion miles away: To paraphrase the big man Carl Sagan, everyone and everything you have ever known exists on that little speck. is what the grave of HR Giger, creator of the design of the alien from Alien, looks like: Commitment to the very end. of which, the new Pope Leo went to a World Series game in 2005 and was caught on TV: Slacking off there, Leo. Should've been Pope-ing. is what caffeine looks like under a microscope: Looks about right. is Henry Behrens, at one time the world's smallest man, doing a little tango with a cat: He stood 30 inches tall, and, we can safely assume, was one heck of a dancer. is planet J1407b, a, I quote, "Super-saturn" with "over 30 rings, each stretching over tens of millions of kilometers in diameter:" It's hundreds of times bigger than the Saturn we all know and love. is what the remains of a World War I trench looks like today: These trenches date back to the Battle of the Somme and are located in Newfoundland Memorial Park near Albert, France. picture, from the early 1900s, shows an early basketball game, kneepads and all: Josh Hart would make that man CRY. another photo of a vintage basketball player, standing in front of a piano and striking fear into the hearts of his opponents: I think Jalen Brunson could put up 176 on this dude. is what Stephen Hawking's grave looks like: It reads "Here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking." isn't a fake picture of your worst "driving nightmare." It's the Hisashimichi Interchange, located near Tokyo, perhaps one of the most complicated roads in the world: I'll walk, thanks. is what the nerve inside a tooth looks like: (Cartoon cat slamming his finger inside a door voice) YEEEEE-OUCH! is what the knots on the outside of a tree look like on the inside: Neat! medicine used to be very, very, very strong: Add some melatonin to that baby and you might never wake up. there's a copperhead snake in this picture. Can you find it? Well, can you? Also in Internet Finds: 51 Wildly Fascinating Photos Of Disorders, Injuries, And Variations In The Human Body That I Cannot Stop Staring At Also in Internet Finds: 23 People Who Tried Their Best, But Crapped The Bed So Bad Also in Internet Finds: 27 Grown-Ass Adults Who Threw Such Unbelievable Temper Tantrums, Even The Brattiest Toddler Couldn't Compete
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
The Statue of Liberty Is for Sale: Amazon Is Selling Its 1685-Pieces LEGO Set at a Record Low Price
LEGO does not only tell stories of well-known franchises such as Star Wars or Harry Potter, even though those licenses certainly helped propel LEGO in the minds of consumers globally. LEGO strives to bring global culture and history to life with its Architecture series featuring many wonderful landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Westminster Bridge, and Statue of Liberty. Currently, the LEGO Architecture Statue of Liberty (21042) is available on Amazon at a record low price of $94, which is 22% off the original listing price of $119. Over 1,000 units have sold in the last month and it is an Amazon's Choice item, so it is a steal for all builders and avid collectors of LEGO. See at Amazon Beautiful Statue What is incredible about the Statue of Liberty model is how much detail LEGO included in this set and how many builders were blown away. Lady Liberty's flowing robe is beautifully depicted, the pedestal with the shield is incredibly detailed with brick details and columns, broken shackles represent freedom, a 7-ray crown is iconic and the tablet and upraised arm with the golden torch is equally representation of freedom. The colors (sand green and beige) are very humanlike and give the model a liveliness while building it. With a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars from more than 6,200 reviews—nearly 6,000 of which are five-star ratings—this set is a favorite for dedicated collectors. With more than 1,600 pieces, standing 44 cm tall, this statue certainly captures your focus and can be a great statement piece anywhere at home or in the office. Based on reviews, the alternative designs and materials of this set are top quality at it's current promotional price, that makes it a great dal for a LEGO fans. See at Amazon
Irish Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
In a Word...Language
The recent suggestion by a French politician that Washington should return the Statue of Liberty – presented to the US by France in 1876 to commemorate a century of American independence – was met with derision. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was typically blunt. 'Absolutely not,' she said, adding that the 'low-level' politician should remember 'it's only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now, so they should be very grateful to our great country'. It was almost as if soldiers from Britain, the Soviet Union, Canada, Australia, Poland, India, France and Ireland had nothing to do with it. In 1795, according to the story, were it not for the vote of just one politician in the US Congress, German might have become the official language of the US. READ MORE Americans of German descent, including US president Donald Trump , are among the largest ethnic group in the US – larger even than the Irish. On this island, we have had similar insults thrown in our direction. During the Brexit debate, some `leavers' in Britain - angered at Ireland's remaining in the EU and (yet again!) our neutrality in the second World War, claimed: 'You would all be speaking German if it weren't for us.' In that instance, the best response was: 'If it wasn't for you, we would all be speaking Irish!' Irish is one of Europe's oldest languages, dating back further than German and English. The origins of English can be traced to the fifth century while German dates back to the sixth century. Mere children compared to Irish in the language stakes. The earliest speakers of Irish are believed to have arrived on this island from mainland Europe over 2,500 years ago. Their Ogham script is evidence of an early written tradition of Irish, with some inscriptions dating from the fifth century. This evolution of Irish into a written language meant that by the seventh century, it had a rich body of literature. It is recognised as one of the oldest languages in Western Europe. Gaeilge was spoken and written long before either German or English were even wet behind the ears. Language , from Latin lingua , for 'tongue'. inaword@
India Today
22-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Jai MATA Di: How Trump is evolving as world's greatest broker
Soon after landing at Mar-a-Lago from Qatar in his gift jet, a dead chuffed Donald Trump sat pensively at his signature gold-plated desk. Sipping a covfefe, lost in the eyes of his Carrara marble bust set on a platinum pedestal, he teared up with gratitude for the success of his Gulf deals. Gratitude for the only person he loves, admires, envies, worships, covets and obsesses about. He decided to put it all down on paper. A fly on the wall caught him in the act, here are the details, tongue firmly in a stormy cheek:advertisementDear Donald,Muah. Beautiful man, beautiful. Lovely hair. Nice suit. Great undies. Man, nobody does Trump better than you. Such yuuuge achievements. Excellent deals, man. But of course, nobody makes deals better than you. Except me. You're Making America Trade Again. From MaGa, you've gone full MaTa. As my friend Vivekadamdama Ramaswami would've said, Jai MaTa di!That jet. Ooh. How did you swing the deal, man? (Winks.) Quid-pro-quo? A backroom deal with Trump Investments?Conflict of interest? Donald's wife and all, or was it Caesar's? My beautiful foot! Didn't Grover Cleveland accept the Statue Of Liberty—lovely girl—from the French? (Pouts). I know, I know, the idiots are saying it's not a gift to the nation. But Potus is us, US is Potus. Nobody does Potus better than you. Except me. Nobody treats the world like a pot better than us. Trust man. You got the Qatari blokes to sign a $1.2 trillion agreement; Riyadh Sheekhs are game for $600 billion. They're gonna do Boeings, weapons, drones, Starlink, Neuralink, Tesla, Nvidia, India, Golf Courses, That Jihadi from Damascus is gonna do a Trump Tower. Everyone's riding this gravy jet to the Gulf and back—Musk, Eric, Jared, Jr, and the Trump Organisation. Man, you're MaGa, and MaTa (Making Trump Great Again). Believe me!See, that's the point of having a broker in the Oval Office. You can sell anything, including MaTa, MaGa, GuGu, GaGa. And nobody brokers better than you. Except me. Because, unlike the woke sentimental fools, you know the price of everything, and the value of nothing. Bro, gotta reward you with the GloBro—Global Broker Of The Year. From POTY to BOTY, we rock, bro!Ah, the rewards (drools). Nobels for Peace, Economics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology are also coming. Peace because you stopped that 1000-year war somewhere (thank god for myself). Economics because you took Sharif and Munir, great countries both, out on a beautiful dinner date and asked them tomake crypto not war. Told Munni and Shabby, 'Look guys, if you stop, I'll let Trump coins be Pak's national currency. Then we can do tremendous trade—Trump mints, Trump buys, Trump sells, Pak pays.' Both were so grateful that in their excitement they started licking my, er, the Peace deal, then. Chemistry, Physics because of your great Biology—the best in the world, tremendous. Great genetic history, great biology—oh, man, what a you've the Nobel for Literature too. Was a no contest, literally. Nobody does double-speak better than you. (Let's call it Nobel for Goebbels, ha!) How beautifully you backed off from the Ukraine war. The Kiev to great diplomacy is trickery. That TaTa from Nata, or was it Nato, to MaTa with Papa Putin– the guy's got rare natural elements, tremendous abs, man. (Caresses his belly). Not better than yours, man. that we already have so many in the bag, got to sweep all the Nobels. Is there one for the environment? Let's do a MaTa of all green deals—zero tariff on solar panels shaped like my handsome face. Lovely, even the sun's gonna be grateful for that sight! Yuuge subsidies for wind farms with my hair flying in the wind as the logo. Fitting, so fitting. I'm the dad of all wind for Nukes–or is it de-nuke? Let's call the Ayatollah, give Iran an exclusive franchisee of McDonald's in Israel. Nobody does McDonald's better than the Real Kim, our friend—cutie, muah—gotta give him something he can't resist. Umm, a Trump statue in gold in Pyongyang. High as his highness—that's what he called me (tears up). With a Trumpet that sings, 'Heil, Jung, Heil, Trump, It's early morning, let's take a dump.' The Koreans call a song a nore, but we'll not let them snore. Nobody gibbers like me. Believe of songs, even a Grammy is a done deal, I hear. They call you the Gimme Prez—the prez who is always singing 'Gimme, gimme, a deal at midnight.' Great song, Beatles, but I got a better one:Old Man Donald Had A Farm, Oh Ya, Oh Ya, OhOn That Farm He Had Some Chics, Oh, Ya, Oh Ya, OhOld Man Donald Had A FarmOn That Farm He Had Some BullsAnd then the world was full of sh**Old Man Donald That Doesn't RhymeTremendous, Beautiful, It's FineOh Ya, Oh Ya, man, gotta go. Nobody goes off better than me. She's waiting for me —I mean Xi. Gotta do some tariffs. Nobody does tariff better than me, in any language. Jai, MaTa di!advertisementYour Biggest FanSignedDonald Trump(Potus who FlotusIn His Own GlotusHoist with own petardOn every trade boulevard)
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
France gave the Statue of Liberty, Qatar offered $400M plane. Experts say it's not the same
What do the Statue of Liberty and a super luxury jumbo Boeing 747-8 have in common?Other than their proximity to clouds, not much. But in response to concerns that President Donald Trump's acceptance of a $400 million plane from Qatar could be unconstitutional, social media users began drawing parallels. Trump has said the jet would be gifted to the U.S. Air Force and used as the new Air Force One. "I can't wait for the press to find out about France's so-called 'gift' of the Statue of Liberty, accepted in 1886 by then-President Grover Cleveland," conservative commentator Ann Coulter posted May 13 on X. "If you don't think we should accept the Qatari 747s, should we give the Statue of Liberty back too?" another X user said. So what's the difference between accepting Lady Liberty, gifted by the French people, and Trump accepting a plane from Qatar's monarchy?The people of France gifted the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States, not to a government official. Congress formally accepted it and the statue remains a public monument accessible to the public. Congress has not accepted the plane, which would be used mainly by Trump and his staff. Trump has said that after his term ends Jan. 20, 2029, the plane would be transferred to his presidential library — although it's unclear whether it would be under private or public ownership and accessible to the public. The Statue of Liberty was not a gift to a specific government official nor the U.S. government. "The Statue of Liberty was gifted by the French people to the American people," said Edward Berenson, professor of history and French studies at New York University and author of the book "The Statue of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story." The statue and pedestal were both mainly funded with private donations. The French public raised money to build the statue and the American public raised money for the statue's pedestal. Although it didn't set aside funds for it, Congress formally accepted the statue as a gift from the people of France in statue's acceptance and erection spanned five presidencies. In 1877, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill designating Bedloe's Island, which is federal property, as the statue's site. Ultimately, Cleveland spoke at the statue's unveiling in 1886. Since 1933, the National Park Service has managed the Statue of Liberty. The site is free to visit, but a ferry to the island costs money. In the late 1800s, the statue didn't raise the same concerns we are currently seeing around the plane. "Since it wasn't a gift to the president, emoluments didn't come up, and there were no constitutional issues," Berenson said. The Constitution's emoluments clause says, "No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State." The situation with the plane is "radically different," University of Carolina Law professor Michael J. Gerhardt said. "Cleveland never took the Statue of Liberty home." It is not unusual for presidents to receive gifts from foreign states, but gifts valued at over $480 are traditionally turned over to the National Archives. Sometimes, the gifts that presidents receive are ultimately displayed by the National Archives in a presidential library or museum, said Barbara Perry, a professor of governance and presidential expert at the University of Virginia. Some legal experts told PolitiFact they believe accepting the plane would violate the U.S. Constitution's emoluments clause. Trump's White House has countered that this gift is not a constitutional violation, because it is not a personal gift to the president but a gift to the U.S. Air Force. Still, University of Missouri law professor Frank Bowman said that it doesn't mean it's not an emolument. "The gift of this particular plane, the principal enjoyment of which both during the next three and a half years… and then for the rest of his life would accrue only to Donald Trump. That's an emolument, any way you slice it, because the benefit goes to one person." And that the plane will not remain a U.S. Air Force property, "blows the notion that this is a gift to the country completely out of the water," Bowman said. Trump said the plane will go to his library, similar to the retired Air Force plane at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi, California. "It would go directly to the library after I leave office. I wouldn't be using it," he said on May 12. But that parallel isn't quite the same as what Trump and Qatar have proposed. The Air Force One plane at the Reagan library was not a gift from a foreign country, but a plane that was retired in 2001 after 30 years of use. The Reagan library does not own the plane; it remains on permanent loan from the U.S. Air Force, Melissa Giller, chief marketing officer at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute told PolitiFact via email. Presidential libraries are typically co-managed by the National Archives and private foundations, Perry said. It is not clear which part — the private or public side — would get the airplane. If it's given to his private library foundation, Trump may have more latitude to continue to use the plane after his presidency. If it is given to the National Archives for display in the library, the government would likely be able to dictate its use. The White House did not respond to PolitiFact questions about who would own the plane once at the library. It is possible that the plane ultimately becomes a publicly-owned tourist attraction, like Air Force One at the Reagan Library or the Statue of Liberty, but that's not guaranteed. Statement from White House Press Office, May 15, 2025 Email Interview with Melissa Giller, Chief Marketing Officer at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, May 14, 2025 Interview with Barbara Perry, professor of Governance at the University of Virginia, May 14, 2025 Email Interview with Edward G Berenson, Professor of History and French Studies at New York University, May 14, 2025x Email Interview with Michael Gerhardt, law professor at the University of North Carolina, May 14, 2025 Email Interview with Richard Briffault, law professor at Columbia University, May 14, 2025 Interview with Frank Bowman, law professor at University of Missouri, May 14, 2025 PolitiFact, "Can Trump legally accept a $400 million plane from Qatar? What experts, Constitution say," May 13, 2025 Ann Coulter, "X post," (archived), May 13, 2025 X post, (archived), May 12, 2025 The Statue of Liberty, "Overview + History," accessed May 14, 2025 PBS, "A Look at Lady Liberty's First 125 Years," Oct. 28, 2011 National Park Service, "Liberty Island Chronology," May 4, 2023 State Department, "Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States with the Annual Message of the President, December 1, 1884," 1884 Miller Center, "May 11, 1886: Message on the Statue of Liberty," May 11, 1886 ABC News, "Trump administration poised to accept 'palace in the sky' as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources," May 11, 2025 National Park Service, "Fees & Passes - Statue Of Liberty National Monument," accessed May 15, 2025 C-SPAN, "Pres. Trump Signs Executive Order on Drug Prices," May 12, 2025 The Washington Post, "From elephants to inline skates, a history of foreign gifts to presidents," May 13. 2025 U.S. Constitution, "Foreign Emoluments Clause Generally | Constitution Annotated," accessed May 15, 2025 Karoline Leavitt, "X post," (archived), May 14, 2025 National Archives, "Presidential Libraries and Museums of the National Archives," accessed May 15, 2025 Reagan Library, "About Us," accessed May 14, 2025 National Archives, "Frequently Asked Questions," May 15, 2025 This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How the Statute of Liberty, Qatari plane gift differ
