In your life, you’ve probably walked or driven over a manhole cover thousands of times. Most of the time, you don’t even notice one unless it’s missing, and then, of course, you fall into a hole or damage your car.
Manhole covers, however, are actually pretty interesting.
Most manhole covers weigh around 110 pounds, but some can weigh up to 300 pounds. They are typically round because a round cover can’t fall through its own opening, and it’s believed that there are over 18 million manhole covers in the United States today, some 350,000 manhole covers in New York City alone. In fact, there are guided tours in New York City that focus on historic manhole covers including the oldest manhole cover in the United States. This 163 year old manhole cover is found in Central Park on the north side of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, right next to the Ladies Room of the Central Park Tennis Center. The first manhole covers, however, are far older and date back to the first century and Romans who used slabs of rock or pieces of wood to cover trenches carrying sewage.
Check out how a manhole cover is made:
Believe it or not, there are not only enthusiasts and artists who pay close attention to manhole covers, but competitions to design them. Such contests are held by sewer districts (the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District), academia (Texas State University conducted a Manhole Cover Art Contest) and cities (Des Moines, Iowa and Springfield, Missouri have both held Manhole Cover Design Contests).
Japan is particularly noted for manhole covers that have intricate and colorful designs, and many incorporate various themes including dogs. We covered this a few years ago:
We fast forward to the here and now, and the passing of “Kabosu,” a Shiba Inu who passed away on May 24, 2024. Kabosu gained international fame as the face of the “Doge” meme, a cultural phenom that inspired the cryptocurrency, Dogecoin. A photo of her quizzical expression and crossed paws taken in 2010 was posted on her owner, Atsuko Sato’s blog and became widely popular on social media platforms. Though it started as a joke, the image contributed to the rise of Dogecoin in 2013 in the cryptocurrency market.
You might well ask what Kabosu has to do with manhole covers. We’re glad you asked!
Kabosu now has her own manhole cover at Sakura Furusato Square in Sakura city, Chiba Prefecture. Though we don’t have permission to share the photo, you can still see it by clicking here. Note that the design includes depictions of the square’s Hiroba windmill and tulip field – two of the park’s most popular attractions. The image is based on Kabosu’s iconic pose leading her owner to be surprised that her dog’s crossed front paws look as if they nearly pop out of the manhole cover. Happily, both Kabosu and her owner experienced the honor at a special ceremony before Kabosu died.
Image:Manhole cover found in Wakkanai, Japan by Grant Hollingworth shows “Rishiri Fuji”, “Northern Breakwater Dome” and “Taro and Jiro.” Photo shared under CC BY-SA 2.0 license