THE BORE

General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: Raban on June 06, 2014, 01:40:44 AM

Title: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Raban on June 06, 2014, 01:40:44 AM

Hello fellow Borians! Recently I've had monuments on my mind and I felt like opening a discussion of them here. This is probably not going to be everyone's cup of tea so if you don't want to type a lot of shit about big man-made structures, then kindly excuse yourself from the thread :P

Now let's get to question at hand. What do you consider your favorite monument(s)? Why are they your favorite? If it's not too much trouble, try to provide pictures of your choice and feel free to add historical trivia if that suits your fancy. I'll go first.

It's likely that my most beloved monument is La Liberté éclairant le monde (lit. Liberty Enlightening the World), or The Statue of Liberty.
(http://i.minus.com/iSBWenzdLguFW.jpg)
I am utterly transfixed by the beauty of this marvelous statue. Many of you likely know that it was a gift to us from the people of France, designed by one Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. What you might not know is that at the time, support for the building of this statue was not overwhelming in the media or the government. At one point during its development, funding was crowd-sourced to finish the pedestal and yielded over 100,000 donations, many of which were less than a dollar. I'm supremely thankful that the statue was finished and still stands tall today, as its allegorical nature, symbolic origins, and labored construction combine into one of the few remaining American icons that sincerely inspires patriotic feelings in me.

Sadly, I haven't yet seen it in person (so ashamed :'() but I vow to do so sometime in the very near future. I could probably write more about the history of the statue, like how it ended up on an island in the middle of the New York bay, or the beautifully poetic tribute to the colossus from Emma Lazarus that continues to be quoted over 125 years later, but really I'd rather let these images tell the story
(http://i.minus.com/igRjuoaNmjFt7.jpg)
(http://i.minus.com/ii1IHIyOtP5EC.jpg)
(http://i.minus.com/iT1HGVmuJ81Pr.jpg)
(http://i.minus.com/iPR9EhaxghyfY.jpg)
(http://i.minus.com/imnvXss3iEbYf.jpg)

Your turn!

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Great Rumbler on June 06, 2014, 01:59:46 AM

This is what's considered a monument where I live:

(http://i.imgur.com/KfLSfzg.jpg)

:oklahomacry

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Raban on June 06, 2014, 02:04:15 AM

:rofl

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: benjipwns on June 06, 2014, 02:29:22 AM

The one thing the shutdown and mentioning the Vietnam Wall above reminded me is how godawful the WWII monument is.

And really most of them in DC are pretty terrible. And Mount Rushmore.

I'm still upset this statue from Oslo didn't get on that new seven wonders of the world poll list thing:
(http://www.sickchirpse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Weird-Distrbing-Statues-Frogner-Park-Oslo-Baby-Fighter.jpg)
(http://assets.atlasobscura.com/media/BAhbCVsHOgZmSSJGdXBsb2Fkcy9wbGFjZV9pbWFnZXMvYjcxNjcwNzcxZDMxM2M4MzdkMDI0OWIzZjY3ZDFjNThjZjg5NmExYi5qcGcGOgZFVFsIOgZwOgp0aHVtYkkiCjYwMHg+BjsGVFsHOwc6CnN0cmlwWwk7BzoMY29udmVydEkiEC1xdWFsaXR5IDkxBjsGVDA/b71670771d313c837d0249b3f67d1c58cf896a1b.jpg)

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Kara on June 06, 2014, 02:51:40 AM

I have favorite pictures of monuments, but no pictures of favorite monuments (because I have none sorry).

(http://i.imgur.com/QRwX6PX.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/g6uOfFy.jpg)

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Kara on June 06, 2014, 02:52:48 AM

Also thanks to this thread I found this pic on my HDD, which made me laugh like it's always made me laugh, and I really needed to laugh tonight.  :heartbeat

(http://i.imgur.com/285WY2S.jpg)

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: benjipwns on June 06, 2014, 03:03:03 AM

Quote from: Esch on June 06, 2014, 02:59:21 AM

This thread has me looking at old temples destroyed in the cultural revolution

fucking commie bastards :tocry

uh oh, looks like somebody needs a struggle session

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Joe Molotov on June 06, 2014, 06:53:46 AM

I've always been fascinated by the unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial. It was started as sort of a rebuttal to Mount Rushmore by cheesed-off Indians back in the 40's. The sculptor they commissioned spent 35 years working on it, mostly volunteer, until he died in the 80's. His wife kept work going on it for the next 30 years through private donations and was able to finish the face, although she recently passed as well. It'll probably never be finished since the design was way too ambitious for what they were able to do (they wanted it to dwarf Mount Rushmore, and it would have ended up being one of the biggest statues in the world), but I still think it's pretty neat.

(http://i.imgur.com/9BWTgYe.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/WSmrUsa.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ODxzPep.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/RvCPZl7.jpg)

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: brob on June 06, 2014, 07:14:18 AM

In the same park as the naked angry man chucking babies around that benji posted there is also the monolith

(http://i.imgur.com/zCecjwV.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Ighrrcu.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/krrgj8t.jpg)

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Joe Molotov on June 06, 2014, 07:19:08 AM

Mmmm...old man saggy pancake moobs.

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: pilonv1 on June 06, 2014, 07:30:38 AM

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Big_Banana_Coffs.jpg)

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: chronovore on June 06, 2014, 08:12:28 AM

Quote from: benjipwns on June 06, 2014, 02:29:22 AM

The one thing the shutdown and mentioning the Vietnam Wall above reminded me is how godawful the WWII monument is.

And really most of them in DC are pretty terrible. And Mount Rushmore.

I'm still upset this statue from Oslo didn't get on that new seven wonders of the world poll list thing:
(http://www.sickchirpse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Weird-Distrbing-Statues-Frogner-Park-Oslo-Baby-Fighter.jpg)
(http://assets.atlasobscura.com/media/BAhbCVsHOgZmSSJGdXBsb2Fkcy9wbGFjZV9pbWFnZXMvYjcxNjcwNzcxZDMxM2M4MzdkMDI0OWIzZjY3ZDFjNThjZjg5NmExYi5qcGcGOgZFVFsIOgZwOgp0aHVtYkkiCjYwMHg+BjsGVFsHOwc6CnN0cmlwWwk7BzoMY29udmVydEkiEC1xdWFsaXR5IDkxBjsGVDA/b71670771d313c837d0249b3f67d1c58cf896a1b.jpg)

Is that Kosma fending off his illegitimate offspring?

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: nudemacusers on June 06, 2014, 08:35:56 AM

I grew up not far from this:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/WinlockEgg.jpg)

van cruncheon knows what's up :tocry

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: ToxicAdam on June 06, 2014, 08:58:44 AM

(http://wallpaperswiki.org/wallpapers/2012/10/Lincoln-Memorial-Washington-D.C.-485x728.jpg)

Lincoln Memorial is great. The view from it (looking outward) is terrific and the inside feels so spacious and somber.


I haven't been to D.C. since the 8th grade. I will be bringing me kids back there in a few summers. Can't wait.

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Rufus on June 06, 2014, 10:50:00 AM

Digging around on Wikipedia (-media, rather) and came across this:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monuments_and_memorials_by_content

"Monuments and memorials featuring artillery‎ (18 C, 89 F)" 89 files, biggest category. :lol

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: hampster on June 06, 2014, 11:14:45 AM

(http://i.imgur.com/1DLIDRml.jpg)

I like the Genghis Khan Statue in Mongolia. It would be cool to visit while listening to Hardcore History's Wrath of the Khans episodes

Title: Re: This is a thread about monuments
Post by: Mr. Gundam on June 06, 2014, 12:02:24 PM

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/FremontTroll.jpg)