P.R.O.O.F.nv

👀 At Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, Victor Noir’s grave has become famous for something its sculptor probably never intended. Noir was a journalist killed in 1870 by Prince Pierre Bonaparte. His funeral drew more than 100,000 mourners, and sculptor Jules Dalou later commemorated him with a remarkably lifelike bronze statue, complete with a top hat fallen beside his body. 🎩 But visitors eventually began coming for a different reason. According to local folklore, rubbing certain parts of the statue could bring fertility or luck in love. Generations of visitors took the superstition seriously enough to polish the bronze smooth in those spots, leaving them gleaming against the statue’s green patina. In 2004, a fence was installed to stop people touching the monument. The backlash was so strong that it was eventually removed. Discover the story at the link: bit.ly/4zapGOG

🏰 A castle in Ohio with a secret room and a ghost story? 👻 Harry Andrews began building his own medieval-style chateau after retiring, creating a castle filled with medieval curiosities. But the story took a darker turn after his death, and the chateau is now said to be haunted. It’s one of the wonderfully weird places waiting to be discovered in America Obscura, our guide to the unexpected corners of the United States. 🎃 Would you dare to spend Halloween here? 📚 America Obscura is available for preorder now: bit.ly/3OHArpR