History Book: A tribute to Billy Graham

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Monday, May 27th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Up next, the WORLD History Book. Today, a fire that burns for more than sixty years. Also, da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper restored and put on display.

EICHER: But first, a beloved pastor is honored with a statue at National Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill. Here’s WORLD Radio Reporter Emma Perley:

EMMA PERLEY: House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a new, 7 foot tall statue to the public two weeks ago. Here’s Johnson on C-SPAN.

MIKE JOHNSON: As the Speaker of the House it is my pleasure to welcome you here as we honor one of America’s greatest citizens, and enduring heroes.

The bronze man holds a Bible in one hand, while the other hand points to the pages. And the family was also present to mark the historic moment for the influential pastor who died in 2018.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper at the ceremony:

ROY COOPER: North Carolina gives the nation a symbol representing one of our dearest treasures … the Reverend Billy Graham.

Growing up during the Great Depression, Graham tended to his family dairy farm and spent his evenings reading all kinds of books. He dedicated his life to Christ at 15 years old during a revival service lead by Mordecai Ham, a traveling evangelist.

In May, 1944, Graham began preaching for the missionary organization Youth for Christ as an unknown, untested young pastor fresh out of college. The organization became Graham’s training grounds for evangelism. He then launched a revival crusade in Los Angeles which established him as a powerful preacher.

Audio from a 1949 sermon where thousands flocked to hear his words:

BILLY GRAHAM: I do not believe that any man—that any man—can solve the problems of life without Jesus Christ.

Graham’s statue is a nod to his extraordinary dedication to the Great Commission. Son Franklin Graham on his father’s legacy:

FRANKLIN GRAHAM: Our family is honored that our earthly father will be here in this Capitol pointing future generations to our heavenly Father and his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you.

Though some have criticized Graham’s reluctance to take political stances in his sermons, he remained a steadfast spiritual anchor in the sea of cultural change during World War II and the Civil Rights era.

Next up: it’s 1962 and Centralia, Pennsylvania is a tiny town of around 1,000 people—most of whom make their living mining the coal deposits sprawling underground. Many eventually swap the dangerous work for less demanding employment, but the mines remain. Audio from WGAL TV.

NEWSCAST: This town was built on coal. And coal is fueling its demise.

On May 27th, officials decide to clean up a nearby landfill by lighting the trash on fire. What they don’t know is that the deep pit connects to a maze of stripmines. Audio here from author Joan Quigley about the disaster on C-SPAN.

JOAN QUIGLEY: It was around Memorial Day and the fire quickly spread from the dump down underground to the exposed coal seam and into the abandoned workings. For various reasons, the borough didn’t have enough resources to put the fire out.

As the flames spread underneath Centralia, the residents begin to notice. A man complains to the town council about the horrible smell of sulfur and burning trash. A gas station owner takes the temperature of an underground gasoline tank and is shocked to find it boiling hot. And a local boy falls into a sinkhole that seems to appear out of nowhere. But officials have no solutions.

Audio from WGAL TV again:

NEWSCAST: After millions of dollars were spent on numerous, unsuccessful efforts to put out the fire, the federal government decided to let the fire burn itself out. Centralia sits on top of one of the largest veins of anthracite coal in America—the mammoth vein. Experts say there is enough coal for the fire to burn for 500 years … or longer.

The federal government eventually offers 42 million dollars to residents to evacuate, and most do. The 2020 census shows that only five people remain in the smoldering ghost town of Centralia.

Finally, on May 28th, 1999, one of Western civilization’s most famous paintings is revealed to the public after 21 years of restoration work. Audio from BBC News and restoration artist Pinin Brambilla Barcilon:

PININ BARCILON: People become emotional when they see it. This painting of this man who opens his arms and asks, “Who has betrayed me?”

Leonardo da Vinci originally painted The Last Supper around 1498 A.D. on a monastery wall in Milan. Using oil paints, he carefully crafted the revelation of Jesus’s eventual betrayal using realism and emotion as each of the twelve disciples reacted differently to the news. But the nearly 30 foot wide masterpiece didn’t last long.

DOCUMENTARY CLIP: Due to his experimental fresco technique, it started to flake away almost as soon as Leonardo da Vinci had finished it.

The painting quickly deteriorated despite various attempts to restore it. At one point, it was forgotten completely while the monastery was used as a stable during the French revolution. Finally, in 1978, Barcilon began painstakingly removing surface layers of grime and reconstructing the painting to restore what once was.

Barcilon again about the project:

BARCILON: It was a unique experience for a restorer to approach the genius that was Leonardo. A great privilege for me.

Less than half of The Last Supper remains the original work of da Vinci. Six restorers plus Barcilon have repainted sections of it over many years, and the original damaged pieces are lost forever. Yet Barcilon used a different restoration technique than others: she distinguished the original work from the repainted sections, using faded watercolors for da Vinci’s art and more vibrant colors for her own representation of what the painting originally looked like.

BARCILON: Each day was a slow struggle … that’s why it took twenty years. Honestly, I hope I did the right thing. Time will tell.

Some art critics complain that the restored version is altered—such as how Jesus’s sleeve is now draped over the table instead of behind it. But the painting can still be enjoyed and admired for its original beauty even with some tweaks along the way.

That’s this week’s WORLD History Book. I’m Emma Perley.

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