This Date in History, August 5: Sir William Wallace, Chicago and Cleveland's Lights

From the August 5, 2021 Chicago tribune "On August 5..."

Some very interesting things happening this date in history.

1305:  Sir William Wallace who unsuccessfully led Scottish resistance to the English in 1298, was captured near Glasgow by the English; he was executed for treason on August 23, 1305.  (From the movie "Braveheart.")

1833:  Chicago was incorporated as a village with population of 200.  (And, they weren't killing each other back then.)

1861:  The U.S. government levied an income tax for the first time.  Incomes of more than $800 were taxed at the rate of 3 percent.  (Funds needed to fight the Civil War.)

1884:  The cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's (now Liberty) Island near the entrance of New York Harbor.

1914:  The first electric traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio.

--Cooter

That's Not the Statue of Liberty's Original Torch Up There

From the November 16, 2018, Northwest Herald  "Statue of Liberty's original torch moved  to a museum site."

The Statue of Liberty's original torch has been housed in the base of the statue (whose pedestal, by the way, is an old fort) since a replica replaced the original in the 1980s. was moved on Thursday to its new home in a museum that will open in 2019.  The museum is 100 yards from the statue on Liberty Island.

The base and detached flame of the 3,600 pound torch was moved very carefully.  It had been removed in 1984 because it had been too damaged by the elements and pollution to restore.

The torch left France for the United States in 1876 where it was exhibited at the Centennial Celebration of the U.S. in Philadelphia and then was taken to New York City and then to Madison Square Park where it was used to raise funds to pay for the statue's pedestal.  These were the first of many moves the torch has made.

It went back to Paris in 1882 and then returned to New York City along with other crated pieces of the statue in 1885.

The torch was held high by Lady Liberty from 1886 to 1984, but modifications to the flame changed its original design over the years.

--CooterStatue

Liberty Island Still Closed with Superstorm Damage

From the Dec, 12, 2012, Chicago Tribune by Richard Simon.

Overlooked often in the damage done by Oct. 29th Superstorm Sandy is its impact on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, where the Statue of Liberty is located.  The iconic statue is still closed to the public, joining the Washington Monument in D.C., still closed after the Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake.

The statue and its pedestal, an old fort, came through the storm in great shape, but the docks used by boats bring visitors were seriously damaged and more than half of the walkway bricks were dislodge.

Liberty Island is among the federal sites recommended for the $60 billion Sandy Recovery measure the White House sent to Congress the week before.  The bill calls for $348 million for park service sites, of which nearly 70 were affected, including Ellis Island and Fire Island National Seashore.

Open That Lady Again.  --DaCoot