FAMOUS WOMEN: MONA AND MARILYN

Mona Lisa: An empty teacup was thrown by a Russian woman at the famous Mona Lisa painting in the Louvre in Paris on August 2, but the painting was not damaged. The woman, who according to French authorities "did not have all her mental faculties," was arrested. This is one of a series of problems for the famous 16th-century painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Napoleon took it out of the museum and put it in his bedroom in the early 1800s. It was stolen in 1911 by an Italian who thought it should be in an Italian museum. It was returned in 1913. During World War II the painting was moved three times to other places for safety. The lower part of the painting was damaged by acid thrown at it in 1956. Later that year a Bolivian visitor threw a rock at it, flaking off paint near the elbow. Bulletproof glass was put over the picture in 1974; a short time later it was spray-painted, but Mona Lisa remained undamaged. The biggest problem for the painting these days is caused by its wooden frame, which has been infested with insects several times. Keep smiling, Mona Lisa.

Marilyn Monroe: Want to spend eternity near the famous movie star? Her body is resting in a crypt in a California cemetery. Monroe's ex-husband, Joe DiMaggio, sold the crypt above hers during their divorce in 1954. That crypt is now being offered for sale--with a starting bid of $500,000. The body of the current occupant will be moved to another crypt by his widow. She needs the money to help pay off her mortgage. The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is popular with tourists and as a final resting place for celebrities.