Monuments
Top Ten World’s Tallest Statues
The roster of the world's tallest statues is dominated by Buddhist figures, with most of the top ten (actually 11 because of a tie) being representations of the Buddha or Guanyin. While we've looked at Very Large Buddhas twice before…
On this day: The Menin Gate Was Unveiled
On July 24, 1927, the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing was unveiled in Ypres, Belgium. The Gate commemorates soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth who were killed in the region during WWI, but whose graves are unknown.
On this day: W.B. Yeats Was Born
On June 13, 1865, Irish poet W.B. Yeats was born in Dublin. His family soon relocated to Sligo, where he is honoured with a statue on Stephen Street (at least we think it's him - Google blurred his face for…
On this day: The Afsluitdijk Opened
On May 28, 1932, the (unpronounceable for those of us outside the Netherlands) Afsluitdijk opened. This 32km (20mile) dike is part of a larger flood-protection scheme. Near the mid point is a monument and viewing tower. On the inland side…
On this day: The Celsius Thermometer was Invented
On May 19, 1743, the first Celsius mercury thermometer design was published by Jean-Pierre Christin. Only a handful of countries still doggedly hold on to the Fahrenheit scale, including the US where the World's Tallest Thermometer is found in Baker,…
On this day: Florence Nightingale was Born
On May 12, 1820, Florence Nightingale was born in the Italian city which she was named after. Known as 'the lady with the lamp' for her night-time nursing rounds during the Crimean War, there are several statues in her honour,…
Sharing statistics
Share this site