01. Woman with the bag
This statue was raised in Växjö, in memory of Danuta Danielsson, a woman who showed true civil bravery. It happened in 1985 during the demonstration of the Nordic Reich Party, a group of aggressive people who support Nazi ideas. While most people tried to avoid the demonstration and steer clear of it, Danuta Danielsson hit one of the men with her handbag on his head. It inspired other people as well and everyone came in solidarity to drive the neo-Nazis away. In the end, Nazi supporters had to hide in a bathroom and wait for the police to come.
After that lots of cards and statues depicting Danuta and her handbag appeared around the city. Now she is associated with a person who is not willing to just watch when something bad and unfair is happening.
02. Shark on the roof.
This may appear a bit funny at the first glance but it symbolizes a tragic event. The subtext of this creation links back to the Nagasaki attack. This, in fact, was built in remembrance of the 41st anniversary of the Nagasaki attack.
03. Full size elephant
Located in St. Thomas, Canada, this shows a savannah elephant which is about 13 ft tall. The statue is built in memory of the widely known circus elephant, Jumbo, who died in this city when he was killed by a train on the railways. There is also a similar exhibit at Tufts University in America which is not a sculpture. It is a stuffed elephant made soon after he died.
04. The red bravo Fićo
This monument is located in Osijek, Croatia. The small red Fićo (Fiat) car is literally pushing a massive tank into the ground with its wheels. The real “brave Fićo” became famous on June 27, 1991. On this day, Yugoslavian military troops entered the city and one brave citizen demonstrated his disobedience towards them by parking his small red Fiat in the way of the tanks. Leaving his car there, he walked away. The car was later destroyed but they could not destroy the bravery of the action. The incident was recorded on video which was later shown on TV, making the car popular.
05. Boll Weevil monument
This monument is located in Enterprise, Alabama and it depicts a goddess. Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, who symbolizes grain crops, fertility, and motherly relationships, is holding a boll weevil, a pest, above her head. This statue has an interesting story behind it.
It was in 1915 when the population of boll weevils in Alabama suddenly increased. The bugs had been destroying the cotton fields for 3 years and the local farmers were on the verge of bankruptcy. They couldn’t figure out how to eradicate these pests. One farmer, however, decided to plant peanuts instead of cotton. This soon proved to be a highly demanded product. Soon, many followed his path and eventually became rich.
06. Man in the bathroom
Depicting a man who is writing something and taking a bath with a toy duck, this statue is set in Grand Junction, Colorado, US. The persona sculptured is Dalton Trumbo, the scriptwriter of movies like Roman Holiday, Spartacus, and A Guy Named Joe. In 1947, Trumbo was added to the Hollywood blacklist because he was close to the US Communist Party. When Dalton refused to give Congress the names of other party members, he was sentenced to 11 months in prison.
This story scared some of the members of the Communist Party and they gave Congress the names it needed. However, Trumbo spoke for them, calling them victims just like he was. There is a movie called Trumbo, and the main role was played by Bryan Cranston.
07. American Stonehenge
The monument consists of 6 granite slabs and is located in Elbert County, Georgia, in the US. There are inscriptions on the slabs which give instructions on how to restore society after the end of the world. The texts are in 8 modern languages and 4 ancient ones. Interestingly, nobody knows who is behind the raising of this monument. The slabs were made by Elberton Granite Finishing Company. They said that they set the price 8 times higher than normal but the customer paid it with no questions. The mysterious customer introduced himself as Robert C and nobody knows who this is.
08. Knitting mouse
This monument was set in Russia on the Novosibirsk University campus. It was opened on July 1, 2013. The monument expresses the scientists’ gratitude toward lab rats.
09. Eagle feathers
This monument was built in Middleton, Ireland. There are 9 eagle feathers which are made of stainless steel. They form a circle and are 19 ft tall. The monument was raised in memory of the Native Americans helping the Irish during the potato famine. They donated $170 to the Irish people (about $ 4,600 today) which meant a lot for very poor tribes. The monument was officially opened in 2017.
10. Loyal fan
This is located in the stadium of the soccer club Valencia. It was erected in memory of Vicente Aparicio who tried not to miss any of the team’s home games. Vicente lost his vision due to detached retinas 40 years ago but he never stopped coming to the club. He died 2 years ago but he is forever remembered.
