Oddities: Harvard's Statue of Three Lies

The inscription reads:

John Harvard
Founder
1638

It is called the statue of Three Lies, because every bit of it is totally false.

One of the biggest show pieces in Harvard Yard, this statue is not actually of John Harvard. When the statue was designed, no pictures of John could be found, so the artists used images of the University's 3rd President instead.

More telling still, the 2nd lie is that John Harvard was not the founder. Mr. Harvard donated a fortune to the school during its fledgling years, so the actual founders named the school after him.

Last, Harvard was actually founded in 1636, two years earlier.

But the best part: most Harvard students, and many faculty members, actually believe these three things to be true. They are set in stone, after all...

So much for the idea that going to college makes you smarter!