Abraham Lincoln wax statue melts in sweltering Washington DC heat

As a severe heatwave swept across the United States, a six-foot-tall wax statue of Abraham Lincoln outside an elementary school in Washington DC melted over the weekend. The statue, modelled after the Lincoln Memorial, succumbed to the extreme heat as temperatures soared to 37.7-degree Celsius (nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit) in Northwest Washington on Saturday.

Typically Washington DC temperatures can go up to 29-degree Celsius and down to 17-degree Celsius, making this month unseasonably hot.

A viral photograph captured the aftermath, showing Lincoln’s head and right foot melted, with his legs separated from the torso. The post by user Kirk A Bado has amassed more than 14 million views. The image was posted with the caption, “Maybe a wax Lincoln sculpture wasn’t the best idea during DC’s first week of summer heat.”