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Eternal Flames

TO ELVIS IN MEMORIUM

You gave yourself to each of us in
some manner. You were wrapped in
thoughtfulness and tied with love.
May this flame reflect our never
ending respect and love for you.
May it serve as a constant reminder
to each of us of your eternal presence.

We all went to Graceland and went to Elvis's grave and next to the grave there was a plastic box with rainwater in it. I asked a security guard what it was and he said it "was the eternal flame." We mentioned that it wasn't burning, and he said "It's a semi-eternal flame." The spirit of the song was inspired there. Blame it on Elvis.
-- Michael Steele of the Bangles

  • German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder accidentally extinguishes the Yad V'Shem eternal flame at the Holocaust memorial in Israel. (November 1, 2000)
schroder_flame
  • Eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris lit in 1921, extinguished in 1998 by soccer fan's urine stream
  • Eternal flame of the Cherokee Nation at Red Clay Park, TN lit 1984, extinguished many, many times
  • JFK flame in Arlington National Cemetery lit in 1963, doused with holy water from by Catholic school group
  • Eternal flame in memory of Elvis Presley at his Circle-G ranch in Memphis, TN lit in 1981, burned out a few years later and never re-lit
  • Eternal flame at the shrine of Brighid in Kildare, Ireland lit around 200 AD, extinguished in 1220 by order of a Catholic bishop; lit again and extinguished by Henry VIII; lit again in 1993
  • Eternal flame in Manitowoc, Wisconsin lit on May 30, 1969, extinguished 1974
  • Eternal flame in Troy, Alabama lit on May 6, 2000, extinguished Feb 21, 2001
  • Eternal flame in Orchard Park, NY
  • Eternal flame at the Napier War Memorial, Hawke's Bay NZ lit in 1956, extinguished prior to 1995
  • Eternal flame in Cedar Rapids, IA extinguished in 1954 because of safety concerns
  • Eternal flame in Ottawa extinguished in anticipation of G8 protests
  • Eternal flame in Crestview, FL lit in 1994, extinguished 2002 and many other times previously
  • Eternal flame dedicated to war veterans in Charlotte County, FL lit by Kiwanis July 4, 2003, extinguished less than a month later
  • Eternal flame at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN just under the balcony where Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed in 1968

  • Eternal flame at the Tzitzernagaberd Memorial outside Yerevan, Armenia
  • Eternal flame in Jacksonville, FL dedicated to fallen veterans
  • Eternal flame in Lodi, CA dedicated to fallen veterans
  • Eternal flame in Miami, FL dedicated to those who died trying to overthrow Castro's regime
  • Eternal flame in Odessa, dedicated to the Unknown Seaman

  • Eternal flame at the Peace and Justice Camp in Puerto Rico
  • Eternal flame protesting violence against women Port Elgin, Ontario lit in 1989
  • Centoaph flame in Japan, to be extinguished when the last nuclear weapon is destroyed [does detonation count?]
  • Eternal flame in London, Ontario to be extinguished when a cure for diabetes is found

  • Eternal flame in New Belgrade, Serbia commemorating end of NATO bombings lit on June 12, 2000, extinguished October 5, 2000.

  • Eternal flame at ground zero, New York City
  • Eternal flame in Honolulu, HI lit in 2001 in memorial to 9-11 victims
  • Eternal flame in Shanksville, PA to honor those aboard flight 93 on 9-11


timeline

Oct 1997 French police arrest an Australian man for using the eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to cook an egg.
2 Jul 1998 The eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which has burned continuously since 1921 to commemorate the dead of World War I, is extinguished by an intoxicated soccer fan with his beer-enriched urine. Mexican national Rodrigo Rafael Ortega is arrested and charged with public drunkenness and offending the dead.
1 Nov 2000 German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder accidentally extinguishes the Yad V'Shem eternal flame during a ceremony at the Holocaust memorial in Israel.
21 Feb 2001 Local officials extinguish the eternal flame in Troy, Alabama. It had been lit less than a year before, on May 6, 2000.
27 May 2001 An unnamed man attempts to extinguish the eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, by sitting on it. He is promptly arrested and sent to Bichat hospital to treat his burns.
Jan 2002 An unnamed French soldier attempts to urinate on the perpetual flame at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He is promptly arrested and sent to a mental clinic.
18 Mar 2004 The Birmingham city council extinguishes their eternal flame dedicated to world peace (lit 31-Dec-1999) after refusing to pay the gas bill.

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