2015
Two tourists traveling in Cremona, in Northern Italy, are accused of breaking a crown off a priceless eighteenth-century monument as they sat atop it. The pair were allegedly attempting to document their proximity to the statue by taking a selfie on their phone. The Telegraph reports:
The crown sat on top of a large marble shield which is flanked by two statues depicting Hercules.
The monument, located on Piazza del Comune, a medieval square at the heart of Cremona, is one of the city's best known symbols.
Police are investigating the accident, while experts were on Monday expected to assess the extent of the damage and give an estimate of how much repairs are likely to cost.
1774
While no one is entirely certain whether or not the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the boulder has been a draw for tourists since the idea of America came into being. In 1774, wanting to bring it closer to the view of townspeople and travelers, Plymouth residents decided to move the rock—and promptly broke it.
The inhabitants of the town [Plymouth], animated by the glorious spirit of liberty which pervaded the Province, and mindful of the precious relic of our forefathers, resolved to consecrate the rock on which they landed to the shrine of liberty. Col. Theophilus Cotton, and a large number of the inhabitants assembled, with about 20 yoke of oxen, for the purpose of its removal. The rock was elevated from its bed by means of large screws; and in attempting to mount it on the carriage, it split asunder, without any violence. As no one had observed a flaw, the circumstance occasioned some surprise. It is not strange that some of the patriots of the day should be disposed to indulge a little in superstition, when in favor of their good cause. The separation of the rock was construed to be ominous of a division of the British Empire. The question was now to be decided whether both parts should be removed, and being decided in the negative, the bottom part was dropped again into its original bed, where it still remains, a few inches above the surface of the earth, at the head of the wharf. The upper portion, weighing many tons, was conveyed to the liberty pole square, front of the meeting-house, where, we believe, waved over it a flag with the far-famed motto, ‘Liberty or death.’