SANDY KOZEL

Marvin Neil Simon is 89 today.
               

Sandy Kozel

Marvin Neil Simon is 88 today.

The Statue of Liberty is shown as it arrives in New York. France’s gift to America
crossed the Atlantic dismantled in crates aboard the French steamer Isère (center), which nearly sank in a storm during the voyage. Two hundred thousand people
lined the docks and hundreds of boats put to sea to welcome the Isère. It took a
year to completely assemble the statue on Bedloe’s Island, now called Liberty
Island.
 

The Statue of Liberty’s spine and pedestal on Bedloe’s Island, awaiting
segments arriving from France.

An illustration of The Statue of Liberty being assembled after her arrival on Bedloe’s Island. 

The Statue of Liberty is an icon of freedom and of the United States, and
was a welcoming sight to many immigrants arriving from abroad.

Presidents’ Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of February. It was 
originally established in 1885 in recognition of George Washington, and it is still
officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22, Washington’s actual birth date, the holiday became
known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday
Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s
workers.

While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of
Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now
popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.