Magna Carta Held Over in New York

The volcanic eruptions in Iceland may have paralyzed air traffic to and from Europe and cost the world economy billions of dollars, but there has been at least one good result, at least for visitors to New York--a precious copy of Magna Carta will be on display at the Morgan Library through the end of May rather than going back to its home at Oxford's Bodleian Library. The New York Times reports that airlines are reluctant to carry the 800-year-old document at a time when the "priority is to get people back home." The Morgan was able to pull together the exhibit with very little notice. This copy of Magna Carta is "one of 17 survivng originals produced in the 13th century that bear the royal seal." For more information about the copy on display at the Morgan, click here. The illustration shows King John signing Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215.

Revisiting the Magna Carta

Remember the Magna Carta from school? If not, don't feel too bad about it because neither do 45% of UK residents according to the poll featured in today's British Library Press Release.

In a nutshell, the Magna Carta is an English legal document from 1215 that is viewed as one of the most important in the history of democracy. It played an invaluable role in the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. One of 4 copies from 1297 has been on display at the National Archives in Washington, DC for the past 20 years. All thanks to the generosity of H. Ross Perot. Then...he put it up for sale.

Fear not, it came back on display yesterday! That's thanks to the generosity of its new owner, David M. Rubenstein. Phew!

If you're not in the DC area, you're not out of luck. You can still look at the copy at the National Archives online here or at the New York Times' site here. The British Library also has some fun ways to view the original online. You can use the Library's Shockwave viewer, or a more simple online version here. Additionally, you can check out the translation here.

For more on the Magna Carta, check out "Magna Carta and Its American Legacy" at the National Archives site and "The Basics" on the British Library site.