Originally Posted by
Tooold
David Rubinstein is always an interesting interviewee. He is smart and knowledgeable, but also self-deprecating. He is also a self-made billionaire, who is very generous with his charitable donations and is passionate about history. He paid to renovate the Washington Monument and other important historical structures. He has made a point of saying that, while others have made a pledge to give away their wealth when they die, his pledge is to give his away while he is living.
He bought the Magna Carta and put it on permanent display a the National Archives. This is the 1297 version.
Background
In 1215 on the plains of Runnymede an assembly of barons confronted the despotic King John of England and demanded that traditional rights be recognized, written down, confirmed with the royal seal, and sent to each of the counties to be read to all freemen. King John agreed, binding himself and his heirs to grant "to all freemen of our kingdom" the rights and liberties described in the great charter, or Magna Carta.
Between 1215 and 1297, Magna Carta was reissued by each of King John’s successors. To meet his debts from foreign wars, King Edward I imposed new and harsher taxes in 1297. This provoked another confrontation between the king and the barons, resulting not only in the reissue of Magna Carta, but for the first time its entry into the official Statute Rolls of England. The 1297 document on display represents the transition of Magna Carta from a brokered agreement to the foundation of English law.
Only four originals of the 1297 Magna Carta remain. By the 17th century, the one shown here was in the possession of the Brudenell family, the earls of Cardigan. It was acquired by the Perot Foundation in 1984 and purchased by David M. Rubenstein in 2007. David Rubenstein has placed Magna Carta on loan to the National Archives as a gift to the American people.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013