Read The Plaque
July 17, 2024 8:07 AM Subscribe
A gigantic map of all* the cool plaques in the world.
* For certain values of all. Submit glaring omissions here.
* For certain values of all. Submit glaring omissions here.
Whacky distribution on the map. I currently live near Spokane, where there are only 2 listed, which seems kinda sparse for a town this big that once held a world expo. I checked Mukilteo, the tiny town I used to live in and there are 47(!) plaques listed there.
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:16 AM on July 17
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:16 AM on July 17
Happy Apparently Enormous Cherry Pie day to all those who celebrate. 272 years and going strong.
posted by The Bellman at 8:18 AM on July 17 [4 favorites]
posted by The Bellman at 8:18 AM on July 17 [4 favorites]
This one on the shores of Lake Titicaca shows a Bolivian soldier running through a Chilean one.
https://readtheplaque.com/plaque/bolivia-war-mura
It refers to Chileans as "rotos" a slur that refers to Chilean soldiers' torn clothes during the Guerra del Pacífico in the late 19th century.
This plaque and mural are big favorites of Chilean backpackers waiting to cross the Titicaca.
posted by signal at 8:20 AM on July 17
https://readtheplaque.com/plaque/bolivia-war-mura
It refers to Chileans as "rotos" a slur that refers to Chilean soldiers' torn clothes during the Guerra del Pacífico in the late 19th century.
This plaque and mural are big favorites of Chilean backpackers waiting to cross the Titicaca.
posted by signal at 8:20 AM on July 17
Wow, what a labor! I'm not really a history person, but if there's a plaque, I'll read it and say "huh, that's interesting." These are quite interesting.
The amount of time put into this is extraordinary. Some are even transcribed. This one, of Lincoln's "I'll be back" pledge to Illinois, even comes with a story from the photographer.
posted by hydra77 at 8:24 AM on July 17
The amount of time put into this is extraordinary. Some are even transcribed. This one, of Lincoln's "I'll be back" pledge to Illinois, even comes with a story from the photographer.
posted by hydra77 at 8:24 AM on July 17
Happy Apparently Enormous Cherry Pie day to all those who celebrate. 272 years and going strong.
1/2 a guinea in 1752 was the equivalent of £149 or $193 today. That pey must have indeed been enormous, incredibly delicious, or possibly both.
posted by jedicus at 8:44 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
1/2 a guinea in 1752 was the equivalent of £149 or $193 today. That pey must have indeed been enormous, incredibly delicious, or possibly both.
posted by jedicus at 8:44 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
You had me at "selected tags: monty python"
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 8:51 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 8:51 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
My town has one, but surprisingly, not the one for being where Charles Darwin returned to England from the Beagle expedition. Not the one for where news of the battle of Trafalgar (and Nelson's death) first reached Britain.
posted by biffa at 8:52 AM on July 17
posted by biffa at 8:52 AM on July 17
That pey must have indeed been enormous, incredibly delicious, or possibly both.
I mean, there's a plaque.
posted by The Bellman at 8:53 AM on July 17 [3 favorites]
I mean, there's a plaque.
posted by The Bellman at 8:53 AM on July 17 [3 favorites]
I wonder how much of this is imported from other sources and how often they update? There's a lot more plaques near me in Grass Valley, CA than show up here. California has good GIS databases of this kind of thing, see here for example, and I'm wondering if I should email them to offer to help import more data.
posted by Nelson at 9:28 AM on July 17
posted by Nelson at 9:28 AM on July 17
As someone who did an internship with the NC Historical Marker program, I heartily endorse this.
posted by marxchivist at 10:01 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
posted by marxchivist at 10:01 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
Great to see that the Harry Houdini Harvard (Mass Ave) Bridge plaque is included!
In memoriam to the great Artist
and Past National President who performed
one of his well know escapes from this bridge
on May 1, 1908.
posted by R. Mutt at 10:12 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
In memoriam to the great Artist
and Past National President who performed
one of his well know escapes from this bridge
on May 1, 1908.
posted by R. Mutt at 10:12 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
the plaque commemorating the treaty of ghent is affixed to an esprit store.
posted by logicpunk at 10:36 AM on July 17
posted by logicpunk at 10:36 AM on July 17
Okay, generally I'm all for the bloviation of Hollywood; however, given that there are more plaques for Hollywood listed than what is for the revolutionary war... Maybe cut back slightly on the bloviation?
posted by Nanukthedog at 10:40 AM on July 17
posted by Nanukthedog at 10:40 AM on July 17
I used to walk past this one on my way from London Bridge Station to the Globe in Southwark. I'd never heard of the incident before.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 10:50 AM on July 17 [2 favorites]
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 10:50 AM on July 17 [2 favorites]
I thought I had a good one to add.
And that's how I found out that the UFO monument had been taken down.
posted by bitslayer at 11:15 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
And that's how I found out that the UFO monument had been taken down.
posted by bitslayer at 11:15 AM on July 17 [1 favorite]
I like this. They have the Lakefield Dynamite Explosion.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 3:11 PM on July 17
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 3:11 PM on July 17
I discovered Read the Plaque when I had questions about this one in my neighborhood. I'm not sure if the macabre cliffhanger on RtP is intentional or the result of a character limit.
The linked Chicago Tribune article has a paywall, but there's more of the story here.
posted by hydrophonic at 3:29 PM on July 17
The linked Chicago Tribune article has a paywall, but there's more of the story here.
posted by hydrophonic at 3:29 PM on July 17
When I first moved to Seattle, I spent a weekend walking the waterfront to the southern end, where the Coast Guard had their laundry facilities for the Pacific coast fleet, then to the park at the northern end, taking pictures of all the plaques along the way.
Most should have survived the removal of the viaduct, but the plaque and statue for Christopher Columbus is in permanent storage now.
posted by funkaspuck at 4:49 PM on July 17
Most should have survived the removal of the viaduct, but the plaque and statue for Christopher Columbus is in permanent storage now.
posted by funkaspuck at 4:49 PM on July 17
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posted by rednikki at 8:11 AM on July 17 [4 favorites]