New York

Puzzle-Solvers Control World Trade Center Spire for 1st Time Ever

A team of puzzle-solvers controlled the color of the One World Trade Center spire from a Brooklyn park on Monday night in a first-of-its kind event. 

The National Park Service continued its centennial celebration, in conjunction with the National Park Service and with the help of Bill Nye, Questlove and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, with an event at Brooklyn Bridge Park to honor the innovative spirit of Thomas Edison National Historical Park. 

The event was the third in the summer long Park Exchange series for the NPS Centennial and allowed participants to control the color of the One World Trade Center spire by working together to solve interactive, collaborative puzzles on a giant digital circuit board. 

For those who wanted to follow the excitement remotely, the Statue of Liberty's webcam of New York Harbor offered views of the city courtesy of Earthcam.

The festive day featured music by Ramblin' Dan and Questlove, appearances by Nye, Jewell and park rangers, and family-friendly activities that explored science and innovation. Interactive stations encouraged visitors to discover national parks. 

Across the country, National Park Service sites joined the celebration using Facebook Live as they completed a "virtual park circuit." The circuit started and ended at the Brooklyn Bridge Park event site in New York, with park rangers throughout the country exploring different concepts of innovation, one park at a time. Each park in turn tagged the next one in the series and the circuit was completed with a return to Brooklyn for the last live post. 

"National parks reflect the innovative spirit of America, because after all, they embody one of our nation's most revolutionary ideas – that some of the most beautiful landscapes, iconic historic sites and culturally significant places should belong to every American," Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Park Service said. "As we celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service this month illuminating the Manhattan skyline reflects this innovative, progressive American spirit and lights the way for the National Park Service as we enter our second century of service."

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