Why 'The Mona Lisa' is so Famous?

The worlds' famous smirk of The Mona Lisa, possibly the only woman in the history who has been stared at by millions without blinking once. She is googled more than your last crush, visited more than your neighborhood grocery store and, written about so much that even she might roll her mysterious eyes (if she could). But what makes her that famous? Sure she is gorgeous but lets be honest - so are cat videos and they don't live in bulletproof glass. So lets rewind to the renaissance and spill the paint...

Leonardo da Vinci

In early 1500, Leonardo da Vinci, the ultimate multitasker (painter, inventor, dreamer, possibly a time traveler) put his brush to work and created The Mona Lisa. Fast-forward to 1517, da Vinci gets invited to France by the king. Like any good guest, he doesn't forget his luggage - only his carry-on happens to be The Mona Lisa. When he passed away in 1519, his assistant - Salai sold it to king Francis I for 4000 gold coins (roughly the cost of an apartment in Paris - the size of a shoe-box).

Francis I King of France

The painting chilled at the palace of Fontainebleau before being upgraded to Versailles by Louis XIV. After the French revolution, she found her forever home in the Louvre but, oh - the drama wasn't over!

Vincenzo Perugia

In 1911, Mona Lisa pulled off the biggest disappearing act, it was stolen right under everyone's noses. The world panicked, headlines exploded, and poor Pablo Picasso was accused (because, well, who else but another famous painter?) Eventually, the thief turned out to be Vincenzo Perugia - a Louvre employee with an overdeveloped sense of patriotism. His reasoning - she is Italian and she belongs in Italy. His plan to sell her in Florence for a modest $10000 aka - the price of a modern-day espresso machine that froths milk on command. Luckily, the plan flopped and Mona was returned to France in 1913.

Since then, she has been living the VIP life 24/7 cameras, 3 layers of bulletproof glass, and 1300 guards. Back in 1911, the Louvre only had 13 guards - no wonder she just walked out like she owned the place.

As for Italy's repeated requests to get her back, the French politely say - "Non, merci. She is too fragile to move" Translation: She is ours now, deal with it!!!

And so, Mona Lisa continues to sit there smiling or smirking like she knows all our secrets. Which let's face it, she probably does!