National treasure

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The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of Romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology which supports the nation as the fundamental unit of human social life, which includes shared language, values and culture. Thus national treasure, part of the ideology of nationalism, is shared culture.

National treasure can be a shared cultural asset, which may or may not have monetary value; for example, a skilled banjo player would be a Living National Treasure. Or it may refer to a rare cultural object, such as the medieval manuscript Plan of St. Gall in Switzerland. The government of Japan designates the most famous of the nation's cultural properties as National Treasures of Japan. The National Treasures of Korea are a set of artifacts, sites, and buildings which are recognized by South Korea as having exceptional cultural value.

1 Notable national treasures
2 See also
3 References

Notable national treasures

There are thousands of national treasures around the world. Listed here are samples of the different types of things that can be national treasure:

People

Examples of people who have been described as national treasures include the following:

Certain countries officially designate individuals or groups as Living National Treasures. See, for example, Living National Treasures of Japan and Australian Living Treasures.
American actress, comedienne, television presenter and producer Betty White, who has been working in television since 1939, is often referred to as a national treasure in the United States.^[1]
British comedian, actor, author and director Stephen Fry is often referred to in Great Britain as a national treasure.^[2]^[3]^[4]
After the Brazilian Football team won the 1962 FIFA World Cup, wealthy European clubs offered massive fees to sign their young star player, Pelé, but the government of Brazil declared him an official national treasure to prevent him from being transferred out of the country.^[5]
Broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough is widely seen as a national treasure of the United Kingdom.^[6]^[7]^[8]
British racing driver Stirling Moss is often referred to in Great Britain as a national treasure for his contribution to motorsport.^[9]^[10]^[11]
In Q magazine in 2005 it was stated that John Lydon, lead vocalist of The Sex Pistols, had "somehow achieved the status of national treasure." A 2008 issue of the same magazine described Elvis Costello as a national treasure.
The late German humorist Vicco von Bülow alias Loriot had the status of a national treasure in Germany.^[12]^[13]

In 2013 the British satirical magazine Private Eye began running a column poking fun at the trend for increasing numbers of well-known people to be referred to in the press as "national treasures".^[14]

Places

Sungnyemun in South Korea.
Hōryū-ji in Japan.

Cultural artifacts

Stonehenge in the United Kingdom

The Fairy Queen locomotive in India.
The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights for the United States.
Stonehenge in the United Kingdom
Original katanas made by Japanese blacksmiths
Chinese bronze tripod cauldrons (ding) dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE)
Moon rock collected in the lunar space missions by NASA's Apollo missions

Geographic features

The Constitution of Greece of 2001 declared that the Greek coastline is a national treasure (see Patras).
The United States natural and cultural resources that collectively comprise the National Park System are considered to be a national treasure.

Music

In 1997, the United States Library of Congress recognized the song Truckin' by the rock band Grateful Dead as a national treasure of the United States.^[15]
Andy Williams's voice was one described as a national treasure by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.^[16]

Animal

Bald eagle in the United States

References

^ [1] Washington Times 06-05-12
^ Stephen Fry gives some Quite Interesting answers Telegraph.co.uk 29-02-2008
^ Stephen Fry biography Dave.uktv.co.uk
^ Stephen Fry night BBC4 website
^ "Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) The King of football". FIFA.com. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
^ Waldemayer, Winston (2009-01-28). "Short Sharp Science: Eye-burrowing worms, national treasures... and creationism". Newscientist.com. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
^ Kendall, Paul (31 January 2009). "'"Sir David Attenborough: 'Man was given permission to exploit the natural world by the Bible. The Daily Telegraph.
^ "Margaret Thatcher, Richard Branson and Judi Dench picked as National Treasures". The Daily Telegraph. 18 September 2008.
^ Motor Sport. "Stirling Moss at 80: the interview". Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
^ Fordham, Mike (2009-10-21). "Sir Stirling Moss: The Knight of the Road | Influx Magazine | Influx Magazine". Influx.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
^ "Sir Stirling Moss: Still Stirling stuff - Features - Motoring". The Independent. 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
^ "Germany mourns king of comedy Loriot". The Guardian. 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
^ "Obituary: German comedian Loriot, aka Vicco von Bülow, dies aged 87". http://100gf.wordpress.com/. 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
^ For example, Private Eye no. 1340 (17–30 May 2013), "National Treasures", p. 13, contains excerpts from newspaper reports which attach the status of national treasure to Olivia Colman, Clare Balding, Graham Norton and (formerly) Stuart Hall.
^ Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip. Jake Woodward, et al. Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2003, pg. 112.
^ "'National treasure' Andy Williams dies of bladder cancer at age 84", www.foxnews.com, 2012-09-26

National treasure