THE HARVARD STATUE OF 3 LIES

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In front of the university hall one of the most recognized academies in the world, Harvard University, there is a statue of John Harvard that was sculpted in 1884.

There is an inscription on it that says “John Harvard, Founder 1638”. This is known as the statue of three lies.

First of all, the man that is represented is not John Harvard.

“When the statue was made, the Great Hall had been burned, and every portrait of how long gone John Harvard looked like was destroyed, so nobody knew how he looked.” Said one of the tour guides in the University.

The model used was one of the students that volunteered to pose at the moment.

The second lie is that John Harvard was not the founder of the school. The Massachusetts bay Colony had established it and it was not until years later  that named after Harvard.

Last but not least, the year the statue says is not correct. Harvard was founded in 1636, not 1638.

Nobody knows why this statue has these three mixed up details, or if it was even made on purpose as some kind of trick to fool outsiders.

Who new Harvard students weren’t so serious after all!