There is nothing
as great a gift than when history rewinds itself. The incidents of the past are
often quite enthralling and awe-inspiring. There are numerous such great tales
of grand gifting from the erstwhile period that got etched in the pages of
history. So, let’s delve into the silent world of the past and throw light on
some of the grandiloquent and pompous gifts that were exchanged. Here we will
elaborate on some of the real as well as mythological gifting.
1) The Statue of Liberty –
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Considered
to be one of the biggest in history, this statue was France’s gift to the US.
This construction work for this statue began way back in 1865, when the then
French politician Frederic Bartholdi decided to honour the US. However, what
remains a lesser known fact is that France had gifted just the statue and the
base was built by the Americans. The Statue of Liberty stands as a mark of
friendship.
2) The Trojan Horse –
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The
much renowned Trojan Horse finds its mention in the Greek Mythology. It is a
noted precedence of military cunningness. In ancient Greece, gifting of a horse
from one king to another was considered as a symbol of surrender. The Greeks
once sent a big symbolic gift of a horse to the Trojans who took it as a sign
of surrender. The horse was actually an army hideout of the Greeks, who later
seized the opportunity and defeated the Trojans. The Trojan Horse therefore
refers to a enemy ploy in the disguise of a gift.
3) The Taylor Burton Diamond –
famousdiamonds.tripod. com
have you heard about the Taylor Burton diamond? No? It is a 69.42 carat pear shaped diamond that
was gifted by Richard Burton for his wife. This diamond was the first of its
kind to be sold at a 7 figure amount. This huge stone was auctioned off later
on in 1978 at a whopping $5 million. The huge sum was spent on a hospital in
Botswana and Taylor was quoted as saying “They need one badly and I certainly
don’t need another ring”.
4) Gift to Lebowski –
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Did you
know that in 1947, a two-lane bowling alley was installed right inside the
White House as a birthday gift to the then President Truman. This alley was
gifted to Truman by fellows of his home state. However, Truman’s interest lay
chiefly in Poker which is why the alley wasn’t used much by him. It was his staffs
at the White House who benefitted from it.
5) The Gift of the Magi –
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This book by O.Henry character sketched a young couple (Jim and Della
Dillingham) madly in love with each other. However their only constraint was
that of money. On a Christmas, Della buys a chain for Jim to be used for his
pocket watch that was gifted to him by his father. She cut off her locks and
sold them to pay for the chain. Jim on the other hand, sold of his prized
pocket watch to buy a comb for his lady love. This however strengthens their
bond of love!
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