Tufts University has one of the oddest monuments. It's called the Gravity Stone, it's the size and shape of regular modern
tombstone, and its inscription is as follows:
THIS MONUMENT HAS BEEN
ERECTED BY THE
GRAVITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION
ROGER W. BABSON FOUNDER
IT IS TO REMIND STUDENTS OF
THE BLESSINGS FORTHCOMING
WHEN A SEMI-INSULATOR IS
DISCOVERED IN ORDER TO HARNESS
GRAVITY AS A FREE POWER
AND REDUCE AIRPLANE ACCIDENTS
1961
Roger Babson, who also founded
Babson College, achieved fame for his statistical and financial analysis abilities (he predicted the crash of 1929.) He had lost a sister and grandson by drowning and was very interested in the study and, hopefully, ultimate mastery of
gravity. He donated money to Tufts with caveat that it be used towards research in this insulator, and also that this monument be placed.
(Babson has another stone
in
New Boston,
New Hampshire, calling attention to that city's role in "active research for
anti-gravity and a partial gravity insulator.")
This is a very odd thing to have on your
campus. Supposedly,
back in the day a popular prank was to assist the Gravity Stone in
'
levitating', leaving it to rest in a tree or anywhere up high. The
story goes on to say they finally bolted or cemented it down
so now its floating days would appear to be over.
...Man. I love this thing. It's such a
retrofuture viewpoint... they're proposing a (probably
breaking the laws of physics) technical breakthrough that would change
so much in society-- I mean, who knows what forms of travel, on Earth and otherwise, would be possible-- and this stone is looking for a reduction in
airplane accidents.
I'm glad it's a part of my life.