Only in America…

Metropolis, Illinois promotes its identity and tourism as the home of superman and wonderwoman. A giant statue of Superman stands in front of the Massac County Courthouse, one of only 6 courthouses in the country constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Courthouse square is surrounded by tourist shops selling an extraordinary array of Superman, Wonderwoman, superhero, and other pop paraphernalia.

It turns out, the Superman statue in the town square is not the original. Constructed of fiberglass in 1986, that statue did not last because it was assualted with driveby gunfire — joyriders apparently testing whether Superman could actually withstand “speeding bullets.”

It was replaced with the current bronze statue the has been much more durable.

Only in America….