WEBVTT - Fan Favorite: 9 Hilarious Monuments (probably) not worth the Road Trip

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<v Speaker 1>Guess what, mango? What's that? Well, so, I know I

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<v Speaker 1>asked you if we could cover today's topic, but I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't tell you exactly why, And that's because I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to save this story for you. So, uh, this actually

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<v Speaker 1>happened in a town a Silicaga, Alabama, my home state

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<v Speaker 1>of Alabama. And so this happen in nine A woman

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<v Speaker 1>named An Hodges was taking a nap on her couch

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<v Speaker 1>when a softball sized chunk of meteorite crashed through her roof,

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<v Speaker 1>came through the ceiling, bounced off a radio, and smacked

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<v Speaker 1>her right in the thigh. Sad? Is that but funny?

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<v Speaker 1>To say? Why is this so much funnier that hit

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<v Speaker 1>her in the thigh? It is, isn't it? Yeah, I

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<v Speaker 1>can't handle it anyway. There are photos online of this

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<v Speaker 1>giant bruise if you if you want to check this out.

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<v Speaker 1>But so, there was an astronomer from Florida State. His

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<v Speaker 1>name is Michael Reynolds, and he was talking about how

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<v Speaker 1>rare this occasion would be. Says, you have a better

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<v Speaker 1>chance of getting hit by a tornado, a bolt of lightning,

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<v Speaker 1>and a hurricane all at the same time than getting

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<v Speaker 1>hit by a media right that's amazing. And apparently there

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<v Speaker 1>was a ton of contra versy after the fact about

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<v Speaker 1>who got to keep this rock. So so the public

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<v Speaker 1>demanded that the government give the rock back to Anne,

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<v Speaker 1>and they finally complied, but then they were sued by

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<v Speaker 1>the landlady, who claimed it was her since it fell

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<v Speaker 1>on her property. What kind of person doesn't this woman's

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<v Speaker 1>been hit by a meteorite, I am right, And so

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<v Speaker 1>Anne's argument was, though, that God intended for it to

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<v Speaker 1>hit me. After all, it hit me, That's what she said.

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<v Speaker 1>And so they settled out of court, and the meteorite

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<v Speaker 1>was eventually donated to the Alabama Museum of Natural History

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<v Speaker 1>and it's still on display there. So I'll admit I

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<v Speaker 1>had heard this story before, but what I didn't know

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<v Speaker 1>is that there's actually a monument to it. It commemorates

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<v Speaker 1>the whole bizarre happening, and it's in front of the

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<v Speaker 1>town hall in Silicago. And so that's why we decided

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<v Speaker 1>to do today's episode on nine weird statues and monuments

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<v Speaker 1>around the world. Let's get started a their podcast. Listeners,

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson, and as

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<v Speaker 1>always I'm joined by my good friend man Guesh Ticketer

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<v Speaker 1>and the man on the other side of the soundproof

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<v Speaker 1>glass who's been standing perfectly still for what like the

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<v Speaker 1>last forty five minutes. I think I even I saw

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<v Speaker 1>him blink once, But that's about it. That's our friend

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<v Speaker 1>and producer Tristan McNeil. And also joining us by phone

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<v Speaker 1>today is our researcher Gabe Bluesier. Gabe, how's it going

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<v Speaker 1>going well? Thanks for having me back. Guys. All right,

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<v Speaker 1>Gabe has been trying to claim that the weather in

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<v Speaker 1>l A today is is Chris. I'm not buying it. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think they've ever experienced Chris. But alright, Gabe,

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<v Speaker 1>So you've done your research on some some monuments and

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<v Speaker 1>statues around the world. Do you want to take the

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<v Speaker 1>first one? Yeah? Sure, Actually I have another statue from

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<v Speaker 1>Alabama to go along with yours. You guys bizarre statues

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<v Speaker 1>out there, I guess, um. And this is actually it's

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<v Speaker 1>a bullweevil monument in Enterprise, Alabama. And so this is

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<v Speaker 1>a marble statue of a Greek woman holding a bowl

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<v Speaker 1>above her head, and in the bowl there's this fifty

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<v Speaker 1>pound bronze bull weevil, and the bull weevil was actually

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<v Speaker 1>added about thirty years ago after the statue was originally dedicated,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was erected because bullweevils have this history of,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, destroying cotton crops in the South, which back

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<v Speaker 1>in the day, it forced local farmers to kind of

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<v Speaker 1>branch out and try a new crop instead, and that

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<v Speaker 1>was peanuts. So Coffee County in Alabama became the largest

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<v Speaker 1>producer of peanuts in the US. And it also ended

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<v Speaker 1>up planting and prospering from potatoes, sugarcane, sorghum, and tobacco.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's thanks in part to the bull weevil kind

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<v Speaker 1>of you know, disrupting the cotton trade. So the dedication

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<v Speaker 1>on the monument actually reads in profound appreciation of the

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<v Speaker 1>bull weevil. And as far as anyone knows, it's the

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<v Speaker 1>first and probably only monument to honor and agricultural pest.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is one I have actually seen. I can

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<v Speaker 1>verify this one. So if you, if you ever happen

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<v Speaker 1>to be passing through Enterprise, Alabama, make sure to check

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<v Speaker 1>out the bowl weevil statue. Alright, so two facts about

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<v Speaker 1>weird statues or monuments from Alabama. Mango, do you have

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<v Speaker 1>one from Alabama? No, Russia. Okay, close, alright, what you got?

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<v Speaker 1>So obviously there are a lot of monuments out there

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<v Speaker 1>that celebrate you know, great men, tyrants, ballplayers, whatever. But

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if that many monuments that are there

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<v Speaker 1>to bring warmth and comfort. But that's exactly what local

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<v Speaker 1>artists intended when they created this monument to the radiator

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<v Speaker 1>in Samara, Russia. Apparently it's in Russia because Russians claimed

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<v Speaker 1>the quote hot box, as the radiator was originally called,

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<v Speaker 1>was invented in St. Petersburg by this guy in Eft

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<v Speaker 1>before he took it to Germany and then the US.

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<v Speaker 1>But the best part of the whole thing is that

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<v Speaker 1>the sculpture isn't just some radiator on a pedestal. It

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<v Speaker 1>also has a cat sprawled out on a giant window

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<v Speaker 1>sill over. Russians also invented cats, So I did. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't know that fact. That's really good. That's also not true,

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<v Speaker 1>all right, I've got one coming from Paris. So this

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<v Speaker 1>is a huge three D molding of the sculptor Caesar

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<v Speaker 1>baldachinie Thumb, and this was put up in nineteen sixty five.

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<v Speaker 1>It's over forty ft tall and weighs eighteen tons, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's so out of place because it's actually right and

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<v Speaker 1>kind of the business district there in Paris. And then

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<v Speaker 1>you just turn the corner and there's this giant thumb. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>it turns out it's not the only one of baldachinie

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<v Speaker 1>thumbs out there in the world. Turns out you can

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<v Speaker 1>find one at Olympic Park and Soul. There's another one

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<v Speaker 1>in Germany, and a couple others, you know, of different

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<v Speaker 1>sizes and uh and colors all around the world. Baldachinie

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<v Speaker 1>thumbs just waiting to get hitchhiked, like exactly, alright, gay,

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<v Speaker 1>what you got next? Alright, So for this one, we

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<v Speaker 1>got to head over to Riverside, Iowa, which is a

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<v Speaker 1>real town that has a monument commemorating the future birth

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<v Speaker 1>of the fictional character Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek.

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<v Speaker 1>So I mean, according to the official Star Trek website,

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<v Speaker 1>Kirk will be born in Riverside, Iowa on March two,

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<v Speaker 1>in the year two thirty three. But that's kind of

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<v Speaker 1>invented by the town itself, because the creator of Star Trek,

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<v Speaker 1>Gene Roddenberry, he only ever specified that Kirk was born

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<v Speaker 1>in a small town in Iowa. Riverside took advantage of

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<v Speaker 1>that vague reference to you know, claim him as their own.

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<v Speaker 1>And so if you go into the town, there are

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<v Speaker 1>plaques denoting where Captain Kirk will eventually, you know, grow

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<v Speaker 1>up and do this or that, and even where he

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<v Speaker 1>will be conceived. Apparently this is this is a joke

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<v Speaker 1>from a local bar owner. Wow, all right, that's pretty good.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, mango, what's your next one? So? I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about this Abe Lincoln statue. And obviously they're

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<v Speaker 1>Abe Lincoln statues all over, but this one special because

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<v Speaker 1>it's called Abe Lincoln talks to Perry Como. That's the

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<v Speaker 1>name is as well. Actually it's not the statue's real name.

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<v Speaker 1>The real name is the Return Visit and the statue

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<v Speaker 1>is lookate outside the place where Lincoln spent the night

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<v Speaker 1>putting his finishing touches on the getty's right address. But

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<v Speaker 1>the whole idea behind the statue is to show a

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<v Speaker 1>cool Lincoln chatting with modern day tourists. So the dude

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<v Speaker 1>he's talking to is wearing a white cable knit sweater

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<v Speaker 1>and a collared shirt and khaki cordroys. You know, the

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<v Speaker 1>common man and Lincoln's just talking his ear off. But

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<v Speaker 1>the dude looks like a young version of that singer

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<v Speaker 1>Perry Como. So that's how the statue got nicknamed. But ice,

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<v Speaker 1>that does sound so cool. Actually, I have a Lincoln

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<v Speaker 1>statue fact as well. This is weird alright. So this

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<v Speaker 1>one is the Lincoln Watermelon Monument in Lincoln, Illinois. And

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<v Speaker 1>actually in nineteen fifty three, former Congressman Abraham Lincoln, he

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<v Speaker 1>had not been president yet, he visited a town in

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<v Speaker 1>Illinois to help christen the town name, which was to

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<v Speaker 1>be Lincoln of course, and it was actually the only

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<v Speaker 1>town to be named after Lincoln while he was still

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<v Speaker 1>alive again, and this happened before he was even president.

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<v Speaker 1>But while he was visiting there, he poured watermelon juice

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<v Speaker 1>on the ground to baptize it. I don't really know why.

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<v Speaker 1>There are other reports that he spit watermelon seeds on

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<v Speaker 1>the ground to christen it. I've never heard of using

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<v Speaker 1>waters homies exactly to do this, but anyway, in nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>sixty four, the local kawanas and Lions and rotary clubs

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<v Speaker 1>all united in order to commission this steel sculpture of

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<v Speaker 1>a watermelon in order to mark this historic event. It's

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<v Speaker 1>such a strange thing, but I want to check this out. Soide,

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<v Speaker 1>that's pretty great, alright, Gabe, your last fact of the day.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you have? Al Right? So this this was

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<v Speaker 1>a really weird one. And uh it's a monument to

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<v Speaker 1>rats and mice that have been used in DNA research.

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<v Speaker 1>And uh, it's it's found over in Russia, and it

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<v Speaker 1>was made by an artist named Andrei Karkovich. And the

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<v Speaker 1>statue it depicts an anthropomorphic mouse wearing glasses and a

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<v Speaker 1>little lab coat and he's he's knitting with strands of

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<v Speaker 1>DNA and uh it sits near Russia's Institute of Psychology

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<v Speaker 1>and Genetics, and the institute actually collected fifty thousand dollars

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<v Speaker 1>and donations to fund this statue. And according to them,

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<v Speaker 1>it commemorates lab animals who have been killed as a

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<v Speaker 1>part of our ongoing attempts to understand and the nature

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<v Speaker 1>and workings of d N. A. Wow, that's very sweet

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<v Speaker 1>to remember them in that way. And you said this

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<v Speaker 1>is in where where did you say this in Russia? Yeah?

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't say on purpose, but no votes Cerberus. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>Well that was a good final fact from you, Gabe. Okay, Mango,

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<v Speaker 1>you got one more? Yeah, definitely. So I guess we're

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<v Speaker 1>all on some sort of Russia kick because they have

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<v Speaker 1>the best statues. But have you guys ever heard of

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<v Speaker 1>the Enema statue? And Zilla's no votes? I have not.

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<v Speaker 1>But the Monument to Animals features a giant animal bulb.

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<v Speaker 1>It's five ft and eight hundred pounds of bronze. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's held up by three tiny angels. And so

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<v Speaker 1>the angels are based off this bott of Chelly painting.

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<v Speaker 1>And while the sculpture claims the work was designed with humor,

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<v Speaker 1>the spot director who commissioned it disagree. Then if arts

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<v Speaker 1>in the eye of the beholder, there's no irony hiding

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<v Speaker 1>and all that bronze. Wow, so we we We've covered

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<v Speaker 1>one that was dedicated to the radiator, and then the

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<v Speaker 1>one Gay did with about the the lab mice and rats,

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<v Speaker 1>and and now the Enema. Wow. What a collection of statues.

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<v Speaker 1>That's that's pretty great. All right? Well, my last one

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<v Speaker 1>happens to be about one statue that is in the

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<v Speaker 1>world's largest sculpture park, or at least the world's largest

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<v Speaker 1>sculpture park made by a single artist. There are two

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and twelve bronze and granite sculptures there in the

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<v Speaker 1>Vigilance Sculpture Park in Oslo, Norway. Now there is one

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<v Speaker 1>specific one that's worth looking up, and it's called man

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<v Speaker 1>attacked by Genie. And I actually didn't know the plural

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<v Speaker 1>of genie. Just has two eyes at the end, you

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<v Speaker 1>know this, I didn't even know how to pronounce it

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<v Speaker 1>at first when I was looking at it. But this

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<v Speaker 1>is why you need to look it up, because it's

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<v Speaker 1>apparently this guy that's being attacked by these genie. But

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<v Speaker 1>at the same time, what it really looks like is

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<v Speaker 1>just this naked man heroically fighting off four toddlers. So

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<v Speaker 1>you're gonna have to check this out. So anyway, well

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<v Speaker 1>those are our facts of the day. But before we go,

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<v Speaker 1>we need to decide decide who's one today. What do

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<v Speaker 1>you guys think that meteor in the thigh? Thank god,

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<v Speaker 1>just the word thigh, I think. Okay, I'm gonna give

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<v Speaker 1>it to myself on that. Yeah, you can take the

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<v Speaker 1>crown home. That's right, all right, Well, thank you guys

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<v Speaker 1>for listening. We'll be back with a full length episode tomorrow.