Some monsters have humble beginnings. For example, there's a famous one in Boston that can trace its origins back to 1912, but it didn't grow into its frightening "Green Monster" moniker until 1947.
That beast, of course, is the famous left-field wall in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. While every fan knows that the "Green Monster" is an imposing, 37-foot (11.3-m) wall that aspiring home run hitters hate, for the first 35 years of the wall's existence, it grew from a wooden facade to an advertiser's delight, with signs imploring fans to buy all sorts of things.
The ads were removed in 1947, and the "Wall" – as it was known at the time – was painted green, just like the rest of Fenway. The "Green Monster" was born, and besides a hard plastic coating that was added in 1975, it has remained the same fearsome outfield wall ever since.
Fenway facts:
- In 1914, 60,000 families, as well as former President Theodore Roosevelt, came to Fenway to see the city zoo's new residents, as three circus elephants took to the field.
- Because Fenway was near a church, no Sunday games could be played there until a law was repealed in 1932.
- There is a single red seat in Fenway's bleachers where a record-setting home run ball hit by Ted Williams landed in 1946.