Vulcan Statue in Birmingham, Alabama

This 56-foot tall Vulcan statue has been "greeting" people in Birmingham, Alabama, for more than 100 years. It is the largest cast iron statue in the world and the largest metal statue ever made in the U.S.

Vulcan used to hold a torch in his hand as part of a traffic safety campaign. The torch would turn from green to red if there were traffic fatalities in Birmingham.

That's right, folks, he has no pants. There was even a novelty song called "Moon Over Homewood" written in 1981 that refers to the backside of Mr. Vulcan "mooning" the neighboring suburb of Homewood, Alabama.

In 1999, Vulcan was taken down for repairs that took five years. Vulcan returned back to his 124-foot tall pedestal in 2004 and was slightly tilted to give the people of Homewood a little break from seeing his bottom everyday.