Wax museum never wanes

Madame Tussaud's wax museum can still proudly lay claim to being London's most popular tourist attraction 150 years after the death of its founder.

The museum, a living memorial to humans' enduring fascination with celebrity, attracts 2.8 million visitors a year, more than the Tower of London or St Paul's Cathedral.

In an age of high-tech theme parks full of virtual reality exhibits, its perennial appeal has not waned since it was started by an astute businesswoman who survived the French revolution and fled to Britain.

She first toured Britain in 1802. In an age when few had a chance to feast their eyes on the famous, the exhibition was a huge hit, especially a model of Napoleon and such ghoulish offerings as the guillotine blade that decapitated Marie Antoinette.

In 1835 she made her permanent base in London, where she died on April 15, 1850.

The models cost $64,600 each, use real human hair, and take six months to make.