Statue rubbing; the tradition of touching the same part of a statue so often that years of contact polish it smooth, leaving behind a visible mark that reveals exactly where countless hands have reached. The tradition dates back centuries. One of the earliest documented examples is Florence’s Il Porcellino boar statue, installed in 1634, whose snout has long been rubbed by visitors hoping to ensure a safe return to the city. It’s not always based in fact, either. Harvard’s John Harvard statue has a shoe polished to a bright gold by tourists seeking good luck, despite the statue not actually depicting John Harvard himself. Feet and noses usually receive the most attention simply because they’re easiest to reach, but this statue clearly broke that rule. Somewhere along the way, a joke became a tradition, and now the bronze carries a permanent record of just how many people decided to be that person.(Historic Vids)