ANIMALS
Five little-known curiosities about Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Monument is a rock sculpture complex located in South Dakota, on the Black Hills mountain range, formed by huge granite blocks.
One of the most visited attractions in all of North America, the monument shows the faces, carved in stone, of four of the most famous presidents of the United States, namely George Washington (1732-1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).
Controversial and peculiar, it fascinates the world with the majesty of the work, and yet there may be many little-known curiosities about this famous site.
Di Bbadgett - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16085819
Five little-known curiosities about Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Monument is a rock sculpture complex located in South Dakota, on the Black Hills mountain range, formed by huge granite blocks. One of the most visited attractions in all of North America, the monument shows the faces, carved in stone, of four of the most famous presidents of the United States, namely George Washington (1732-1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Controversial and peculiar, it fascinates the world with the majesty of the work, and yet there may be many little-known curiosities about this famous place.
Di Louisvillejg - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73705
The original design
Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the colossal carvings, which are 18 metres high. The original plan also included sculpting the busts, up to the waist, but this challenging project was abandoned almost immediately due to lack of funds. In addition, a large amount of dynamite was used to remove most of the excess granite, as the workers' chisels would never have been enough.
Di Winkelvi - Opera propria, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68412961
The debate over presidents
Since the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, wanted Mount Rushmore to become a Shrine of Democracy, there was some debate over which presidents to include. Three were easy enough to decide (Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson). However, there was much debate over who should have the fourth face. Borglum wanted Teddy Roosevelt while others wanted Woodrow Wilson. In the end, Borglum chose Teddy Roosevelt.
Di Winkelvi - Opera propria, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68401245
The name of the mount
The mountain is named after Charles E. Rushmore, a New York lawyer who visited the area in 1885. Rushmore is said to have asked for the name of the mountain and was ironically suggested 'Rushmore Mountain', which later became the official name.
Di Carol M. Highsmith - Library of CongressCatalog: http://lccn.loc.gov/2010630618Image download: ht
Initially, the presidents were to be arranged differently
The image of Thomas Jefferson was originally to be placed in the area to the right of Washington, but after work began, the rock proved to be unsuitable and they had to destroy what they had made with explosives and start all over again.
Di Jonathunder - Opera propria, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62533188
The room behind the faces
In a canyon to the rear of the carved faces is a rock-cut chamber, built in 1998, that contains a vault with sixteen porcelain-enamelled panels, which include the text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, biographies of the four presidents and Borglum, and the history of the United States.
Travel without booking
18/09/2023
The northern lights are an optical phenomenon of the Earth's atmosphere, characterized by bright bands of a wide range of shapes and colors, typically red-green-blue, called auroral arcs, caused by the interaction of charged particles of solar origin with the Earth's ionosphere.
Obviously, to observe the Northern Lights - the equivalent of the Southern Lights of the southern hemisphere of the Earth - it is necessary to head as far north as possible in the northern hemisphere, better beyond the Arctic Circle.
To observe the dawn the sky must be clear and, possibly, totally cloudless. It is also necessary that there is total darkness. The best time to observe the phenomenon, however, is between the beginning of autumn and the beginning of spring (approximately from the second half of September until the beginning of April).
Travel without booking
17/09/2023
Medieval castles, mausoleums, national parks, churches and more: often Disney animators have drawn inspiration from real places to make the locations in which animated films are set.
In some cases, real places have been reproduced in the films, such as Big Ben in Peter Pan or the Beijing's Forbidden City in Mulan.
Other times, however, animators were inspired by real locations to recreate new, albeit extremely similar locations to reality: and each of these locations can, of course, be visited. Here are some of the most famous examples.