A 43-year-old French postman tripped over a stone on his rural mail round in 1879 and decided to build a palace. Ferdinand Cheval collected stones on his 18-mile route for 33 years - first in his pockets, then a basket, then a wheelbarrow. Neighbors called him insane. He carved into the wall: 10,000 days, 93,000 hours of struggle. 170,000 people a year now pay to see it.
