Story Archive

The King Has Fallen

An unnamed man was at the Rossio Station in Lisbon, Portugal, where he saw the 126-year-old statue of King Dom Sebastião. He apparently decided to take a selfie with the statue and, camera in hand, climbed up next to it. According to police, the man’s weight brought the statue down, and it broke into about a dozen pieces. The man reportedly attempted to flee, but police apprehended him. Infraestruturas de Portugal said it plans to pursue charges “against the authors of this unfortunate act of destruction of national historical heritage.” Sebastião reigned from 1557 to 1578, and disappeared in battle at the age of 24 — the same age as the alleged destroyer of his statue. Legend has it that Sebastião will return someday on a foggy morning, riding a white horse. (MS/Reuters, CNN) ...And definitely not holding a selfie stick.
Original Publication Date: 22 May 2016
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 22.

Is There a Problem on This Page? Let Me Know using the Help button lower right, and thanks.

I believe humanity is held back by the lack of thinking. I provoke thought with examples of what happens when we don’t think, and when we do. This is True is my primary method: stories like this come out every week by email, and basic subscriptions are free. Click here for a subscribe form.


Search for:

Category: