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The Autumn 2019 Trivia Question

Which famous world leader stood motionless on the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition pointing at the New York State Building?

We had several interesting guesses–Teddy Roosevelt (who was at the Fair), George Washington, and Winston Churchill, and one correct answer: Augustus Julius Caesar. A replica of the famous statue Augustus of Prima Porta in the collection of the Vatican stood at the north entrance to the Palace of Fine Arts. The first Roman emperor’s finger pointed directly toward the top of the New York State Building. The correct answer P.H. from Iowa, who will receive a “SAVE FERRIS” T-shirt.

Statue of Augustus of Prima Porta in the Vatican museum. [Image from Wikipedia.]

Statue of Caesar at the Fine Arts Building. [Image from the Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR/California Museum of Photography, University of California at Riverside.]

“Caesar Admonishing New York.” [Image from the Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR/California Museum of Photography, University of California at Riverside.]