27. Cleopatra's Needle is the name given to three obelisks which are located in the major cities of London, New York City - and where else?
From Quiz Needles
Answer:
Paris
These three obelisks are from the era of ancient Egypt. There are actually four of them. The first two, in London and New York City, are a pair, as is the one in Paris. Its mate, however, remains in Luxor, Egypt. Why they were called Cleopatra's Needles is anybody's guess, as they have no connection at all with that fascinating woman (Cleopatra VII ie) from history. In fact, by the time she came along (69-30 BC), with her reign lasting from 51-30 BC, these monuments were already over one thousand years old.
The needle in London, located along the Victoria embankment close to the Golden Jubilee Bridge, was an 1819 gift to the UK from the ruler of Egypt and the Sudan at that time. His name, believe it or not, was Muhammad Ali. Though gifted in that year, it didn't actually arrive in that country until 1878. New York's needle, located in Central Park, was a gift to that country's consul general at Cairo from the Khedive of Egypt and the Sudan, in 1877. The Paris needle is located in the Place de la Concorde. It was gifted to France, again by Muhammad Ali, in 1826. Erected in 1833, its rather unfortunate location is at the spot where poor old Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had their heads removed in 1794.