1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Guess what, mango? What's that? Well, so, I know I 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 1: asked you if we could cover today's topic, but I 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 1: didn't tell you exactly why, And that's because I wanted 4 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: to save this story for you. So, uh, this actually 5 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: happened in a town a Silicaga, Alabama, my home state 6 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 1: of Alabama. And so this happen in nine A woman 7 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: named An Hodges was taking a nap on her couch 8 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: when a softball sized chunk of meteorite crashed through her roof, 9 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,639 Speaker 1: came through the ceiling, bounced off a radio, and smacked 10 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: her right in the thigh. Sad? Is that but funny? 11 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: To say? Why is this so much funnier that hit 12 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: her in the thigh? It is, isn't it? Yeah, I 13 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: can't handle it anyway. There are photos online of this 14 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: giant bruise if you if you want to check this out. 15 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: But so, there was an astronomer from Florida State. His 16 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: name is Michael Reynolds, and he was talking about how 17 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: rare this occasion would be. Says, you have a better 18 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: chance of getting hit by a tornado, a bolt of lightning, 19 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: and a hurricane all at the same time than getting 20 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: hit by a media right that's amazing. And apparently there 21 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: was a ton of contra versy after the fact about 22 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 1: who got to keep this rock. So so the public 23 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:06,919 Speaker 1: demanded that the government give the rock back to Anne, 24 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 1: and they finally complied, but then they were sued by 25 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: the landlady, who claimed it was her since it fell 26 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: on her property. What kind of person doesn't this woman's 27 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: been hit by a meteorite, I am right, And so 28 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: Anne's argument was, though, that God intended for it to 29 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: hit me. After all, it hit me, That's what she said. 30 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,119 Speaker 1: And so they settled out of court, and the meteorite 31 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: was eventually donated to the Alabama Museum of Natural History 32 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: and it's still on display there. So I'll admit I 33 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: had heard this story before, but what I didn't know 34 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: is that there's actually a monument to it. It commemorates 35 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 1: the whole bizarre happening, and it's in front of the 36 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 1: town hall in Silicago. And so that's why we decided 37 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: to do today's episode on nine weird statues and monuments 38 00:01:48,200 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: around the world. Let's get started a their podcast. Listeners, 39 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson, and as 40 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: always I'm joined by my good friend man Guesh Ticketer 41 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: and the man on the other side of the soundproof 42 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 1: glass who's been standing perfectly still for what like the 43 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: last forty five minutes. I think I even I saw 44 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: him blink once, But that's about it. That's our friend 45 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 1: and producer Tristan McNeil. And also joining us by phone 46 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: today is our researcher Gabe Bluesier. Gabe, how's it going 47 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: going well? Thanks for having me back. Guys. All right, 48 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: Gabe has been trying to claim that the weather in 49 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:39,959 Speaker 1: l A today is is Chris. I'm not buying it. Yeah, 50 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: I don't think they've ever experienced Chris. But alright, Gabe, 51 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: So you've done your research on some some monuments and 52 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: statues around the world. Do you want to take the 53 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: first one? Yeah? Sure, Actually I have another statue from 54 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: Alabama to go along with yours. You guys bizarre statues 55 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: out there, I guess, um. And this is actually it's 56 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: a bullweevil monument in Enterprise, Alabama. And so this is 57 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: a marble statue of a Greek woman holding a bowl 58 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: above her head, and in the bowl there's this fifty 59 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: pound bronze bull weevil, and the bull weevil was actually 60 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: added about thirty years ago after the statue was originally dedicated, 61 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: and it was erected because bullweevils have this history of, 62 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 1: you know, destroying cotton crops in the South, which back 63 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: in the day, it forced local farmers to kind of 64 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: branch out and try a new crop instead, and that 65 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: was peanuts. So Coffee County in Alabama became the largest 66 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: producer of peanuts in the US. And it also ended 67 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: up planting and prospering from potatoes, sugarcane, sorghum, and tobacco. 68 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: And that's thanks in part to the bull weevil kind 69 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: of you know, disrupting the cotton trade. So the dedication 70 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: on the monument actually reads in profound appreciation of the 71 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: bull weevil. And as far as anyone knows, it's the 72 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: first and probably only monument to honor and agricultural pest. 73 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: And this is one I have actually seen. I can 74 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: verify this one. So if you, if you ever happen 75 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: to be passing through Enterprise, Alabama, make sure to check 76 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: out the bowl weevil statue. Alright, so two facts about 77 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: weird statues or monuments from Alabama. Mango, do you have 78 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: one from Alabama? No, Russia. Okay, close, alright, what you got? 79 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: So obviously there are a lot of monuments out there 80 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: that celebrate you know, great men, tyrants, ballplayers, whatever. But 81 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: I don't know if that many monuments that are there 82 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: to bring warmth and comfort. But that's exactly what local 83 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 1: artists intended when they created this monument to the radiator 84 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 1: in Samara, Russia. Apparently it's in Russia because Russians claimed 85 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 1: the quote hot box, as the radiator was originally called, 86 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: was invented in St. Petersburg by this guy in Eft 87 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 1: before he took it to Germany and then the US. 88 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: But the best part of the whole thing is that 89 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: the sculpture isn't just some radiator on a pedestal. It 90 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: also has a cat sprawled out on a giant window 91 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: sill over. Russians also invented cats, So I did. I 92 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,559 Speaker 1: didn't know that fact. That's really good. That's also not true, 93 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: all right, I've got one coming from Paris. So this 94 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,919 Speaker 1: is a huge three D molding of the sculptor Caesar 95 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: baldachinie Thumb, and this was put up in nineteen sixty five. 96 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:19,040 Speaker 1: It's over forty ft tall and weighs eighteen tons, and 97 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: it's so out of place because it's actually right and 98 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: kind of the business district there in Paris. And then 99 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 1: you just turn the corner and there's this giant thumb. Well, 100 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: it turns out it's not the only one of baldachinie 101 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: thumbs out there in the world. Turns out you can 102 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: find one at Olympic Park and Soul. There's another one 103 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: in Germany, and a couple others, you know, of different 104 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: sizes and uh and colors all around the world. Baldachinie 105 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: thumbs just waiting to get hitchhiked, like exactly, alright, gay, 106 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: what you got next? Alright, So for this one, we 107 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: got to head over to Riverside, Iowa, which is a 108 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: real town that has a monument commemorating the future birth 109 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: of the fictional character Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek. 110 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 1: So I mean, according to the official Star Trek website, 111 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: Kirk will be born in Riverside, Iowa on March two, 112 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: in the year two thirty three. But that's kind of 113 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: invented by the town itself, because the creator of Star Trek, 114 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: Gene Roddenberry, he only ever specified that Kirk was born 115 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: in a small town in Iowa. Riverside took advantage of 116 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: that vague reference to you know, claim him as their own. 117 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:25,920 Speaker 1: And so if you go into the town, there are 118 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: plaques denoting where Captain Kirk will eventually, you know, grow 119 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: up and do this or that, and even where he 120 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: will be conceived. Apparently this is this is a joke 121 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: from a local bar owner. Wow, all right, that's pretty good. 122 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: All right, mango, what's your next one? So? I wanted 123 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,039 Speaker 1: to talk about this Abe Lincoln statue. And obviously they're 124 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,559 Speaker 1: Abe Lincoln statues all over, but this one special because 125 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: it's called Abe Lincoln talks to Perry Como. That's the 126 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: name is as well. Actually it's not the statue's real name. 127 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 1: The real name is the Return Visit and the statue 128 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 1: is lookate outside the place where Lincoln spent the night 129 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: putting his finishing touches on the getty's right address. But 130 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: the whole idea behind the statue is to show a 131 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,840 Speaker 1: cool Lincoln chatting with modern day tourists. So the dude 132 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 1: he's talking to is wearing a white cable knit sweater 133 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: and a collared shirt and khaki cordroys. You know, the 134 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: common man and Lincoln's just talking his ear off. But 135 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:17,239 Speaker 1: the dude looks like a young version of that singer 136 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: Perry Como. So that's how the statue got nicknamed. But ice, 137 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 1: that does sound so cool. Actually, I have a Lincoln 138 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: statue fact as well. This is weird alright. So this 139 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 1: one is the Lincoln Watermelon Monument in Lincoln, Illinois. And 140 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: actually in nineteen fifty three, former Congressman Abraham Lincoln, he 141 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: had not been president yet, he visited a town in 142 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: Illinois to help christen the town name, which was to 143 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: be Lincoln of course, and it was actually the only 144 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: town to be named after Lincoln while he was still 145 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: alive again, and this happened before he was even president. 146 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 1: But while he was visiting there, he poured watermelon juice 147 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: on the ground to baptize it. I don't really know why. 148 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: There are other reports that he spit watermelon seeds on 149 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:58,679 Speaker 1: the ground to christen it. I've never heard of using 150 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: waters homies exactly to do this, but anyway, in nineteen 151 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: sixty four, the local kawanas and Lions and rotary clubs 152 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: all united in order to commission this steel sculpture of 153 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: a watermelon in order to mark this historic event. It's 154 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: such a strange thing, but I want to check this out. Soide, 155 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: that's pretty great, alright, Gabe, your last fact of the day. 156 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: What do you have? Al Right? So this this was 157 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: a really weird one. And uh it's a monument to 158 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: rats and mice that have been used in DNA research. 159 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: And uh, it's it's found over in Russia, and it 160 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: was made by an artist named Andrei Karkovich. And the 161 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: statue it depicts an anthropomorphic mouse wearing glasses and a 162 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: little lab coat and he's he's knitting with strands of 163 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: DNA and uh it sits near Russia's Institute of Psychology 164 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: and Genetics, and the institute actually collected fifty thousand dollars 165 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:54,559 Speaker 1: and donations to fund this statue. And according to them, 166 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 1: it commemorates lab animals who have been killed as a 167 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 1: part of our ongoing attempts to understand and the nature 168 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 1: and workings of d N. A. Wow, that's very sweet 169 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: to remember them in that way. And you said this 170 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: is in where where did you say this in Russia? Yeah? 171 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 1: I didn't say on purpose, but no votes Cerberus. Okay, 172 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: Well that was a good final fact from you, Gabe. Okay, Mango, 173 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: you got one more? Yeah, definitely. So I guess we're 174 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: all on some sort of Russia kick because they have 175 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: the best statues. But have you guys ever heard of 176 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: the Enema statue? And Zilla's no votes? I have not. 177 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: But the Monument to Animals features a giant animal bulb. 178 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 1: It's five ft and eight hundred pounds of bronze. Uh, 179 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,959 Speaker 1: and it's held up by three tiny angels. And so 180 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: the angels are based off this bott of Chelly painting. 181 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: And while the sculpture claims the work was designed with humor, 182 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: the spot director who commissioned it disagree. Then if arts 183 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: in the eye of the beholder, there's no irony hiding 184 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 1: and all that bronze. Wow, so we we We've covered 185 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: one that was dedicated to the radiator, and then the 186 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: one Gay did with about the the lab mice and rats, 187 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: and and now the Enema. Wow. What a collection of statues. 188 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: That's that's pretty great. All right? Well, my last one 189 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: happens to be about one statue that is in the 190 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,560 Speaker 1: world's largest sculpture park, or at least the world's largest 191 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: sculpture park made by a single artist. There are two 192 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: hundred and twelve bronze and granite sculptures there in the 193 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: Vigilance Sculpture Park in Oslo, Norway. Now there is one 194 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: specific one that's worth looking up, and it's called man 195 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,079 Speaker 1: attacked by Genie. And I actually didn't know the plural 196 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 1: of genie. Just has two eyes at the end, you 197 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: know this, I didn't even know how to pronounce it 198 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 1: at first when I was looking at it. But this 199 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: is why you need to look it up, because it's 200 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: apparently this guy that's being attacked by these genie. But 201 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:56,839 Speaker 1: at the same time, what it really looks like is 202 00:10:56,880 --> 00:11:00,200 Speaker 1: just this naked man heroically fighting off four toddlers. So 203 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: you're gonna have to check this out. So anyway, well 204 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: those are our facts of the day. But before we go, 205 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: we need to decide decide who's one today. What do 206 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: you guys think that meteor in the thigh? Thank god, 207 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:16,839 Speaker 1: just the word thigh, I think. Okay, I'm gonna give 208 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: it to myself on that. Yeah, you can take the 209 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 1: crown home. That's right, all right, Well, thank you guys 210 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:23,440 Speaker 1: for listening. We'll be back with a full length episode tomorrow.