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| This statute in Bangor, Maine is said to be the largest statue of Paul Bunyan in the world. |
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nI’llnbe celebrating Darwin Day and Lincoln’s birthday, but I will ALSO bentipping my hat to Paul Bunyan, who was born on this date in 1834, innBangor, Maine.
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nWell,nexcept for the fact that he may have been born in one of severalntowns in Michigan, on some other date. Or maybe in Minnesota. OrnNebraska. Or Wisconsin.
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nAllnfive of these states lay claim to the giant lumberjack named PaulnBunyan. The truth is, he’s a fictional character—so he wasn’tnactually born anywhere, at any time!
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nPaulnBunyan is a character from folklore, someone that people toldnexaggerated or funny stories about, orally and then in written form.nSome scholars have claimed that Bunyan is really a character innfakelore—that is, someone people didn’t tell stories aboutnuntil after he was famous as an advertising icon.
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Herenis a story about his birth. It’s definitely a “tall tale” –neverything is exaggerated to show that Bunyan was really, reallynlarge.
Herenis a story about his birth. It’s definitely a “tall tale” –neverything is exaggerated to show that Bunyan was really, reallynlarge. n
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nHerenis the Disney version of Bunyan’s life.
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nAmericanFolklore has some more stories about Paul Bunyan.
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nHerenare those same stories with pictures.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nDarwin Day
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nLincoln’s birthday
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nPaleontologist Barnum Brown’s birthday
