Rizal

1. There are three
animals named after
Rizal. These species
of animals were the
ones he collected
while he was an
exile in Dapitan and
include Apogonia
Rizali (Heller), a type
of small beetle; Draco
Rizali (Wandolleck), a
species of flying dragon;
and Rachophorous
Rizali (Boetger),
a species of toad.
6 Facts
2. Contrary to popular
belief, the Rizal
monument in Luneta
was not made by a
Filipino artist. The design
was the work of
Swiss sculptor named
Richard Kissling who
won second prize in
an art competition
that was held in 1907
to find the best scale
model for the future
Rizal monument. The
first prize went to
Italian sculptor Carlo
Nicoli of Carrara but
for some reason, the
contract to build the
monument was given
to the second-prize
winner.
3. Rizal cured
himself of tuberculosis,
and was
later recognized
as a tuberculosis
expert.
4. He was already
a terrific sculptor
even at a very
young age. In fact,
Rizal carved a 9-inch
statuette of the
Sacred Heart out of
batikuling wood when
he was only 14 years
old. The Jesuit fathers
brought this statuette
in Fort Santiago when
they visited Rizal in
December 1896. Aside
from wood sculptures,
Rizal also carved 40
amazing masterpieces
out of plaster,
terra-cotta, wax, and
clay.
5. When he was
studying in Spain,
Rizal had to pawn
a ring owned by his
sister Saturnina just to
pay for his exams. But
he didn’t want his family
to get worried, so
he only mentioned his
victories and excellent
grades in the letters
addressed to his family.