AMERICAN ICONS

10 Surprising Facts About America's Most Iconic Monuments

Image: Luke Stackpoole

From the rugged cliffs of the Grand Canyon to the stoic majesty of the Statue of Liberty, America's cultural and natural landscape tells the story of a nation shaped by diversity, resilience, and innovation. These landmarks stand as testaments to human achievement and the magnificence of the natural world.

Join us on a journey to explore some of the craziest facts behind 10 of America's greatest monuments!

Image: Omer Nezih Gerek

Carved into layers of rock by the mighty Colorado River over millions of years, the Grand Canyon is proof of the breathtaking power of nature. Stretching 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep, this geological marvel is so intricate that it ends up creating its own weather - with temperature and humidity varying wildly between different points within the canyon.

Image: Guilherme Bustamante

A symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty has welcomed immigrants and visitors to the shores of New York Harbor since 1886. Standing 305 feet tall, Lady Liberty holds a torch of enlightenment and a tablet inscribed with the date of the Declaration of Independence. Curiously, it wasn’t always green. When it was first assembled, it displayed a stunning reddish brown due to its thin patina of copper. However, as years passed by, the copper skin oxidized and turned into the bluish-green we know today.

Image: Ronda Darby

Carved into the granite face of the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore features the sculpted heads of four iconic American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. This colossal tribute to democracy is one of America’s most famous landmarks, and it attracts millions of visitors each year, but did you know that the monument is far from finished according to its original plan? The project was prematurely halted in 1941 due to the death of Gutzon Borglum - its leading sculptor - but it was intended for the carved figures to be sculpted down to the waist.

Image: Lucas

America's first national park, Yellowstone, is a wonderland of geothermal features, with over 500 active geysers and hot springs. Designated as a national park by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, it is nestled in the vicinity of the Yellowstone supervolcano, experiencing nearly 3,000 earthquakes annually. It also boasts diverse wildlife, from grizzly bears to bison, roaming across its vast wilderness.

Image: Joseph Barrientos

Spanning the entrance to San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge is considered an engineering marvel and an iconic symbol of the City by the Bay. Opened in 1937, it stretches 1.7 miles long and stands a maximum of 746 feet above the water. Its distinctive "International Orange" color was specifically created for the bridge, ensuring visibility through the bay's frequent fog. Beyond its engineering feats, the Golden Gate Bridge has also become a cinematic icon, featuring prominently in dozens of films, further cementing its place in popular culture.

Image: Ernie Journeys

Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and signed. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that offers visitors a glimpse into America's early beginnings. However, the historic building wasn’t always so revered. In 1816, it was almost demolished as part of a real estate development project, and the city of Philadelphia only intervened at the last possible moment, purchasing the entire block to prevent its destruction.

Image: Andy Feliciotti

Honoring the 16th President of the United States, the Lincoln Memorial is a neoclassical masterpiece located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Within the memorial’s marble columns, a towering statue of Abraham Lincoln seats majestically, overseeing visitors with solemnity. Interestingly, Lincoln's arms rest over representations of Roman fasces, an ancient symbol of power, both expressing his strength and authority and associating the monument with the imperial theme of the Washington Mall.

Image: Fudo Jahic

Carved by wind and water over millions of years, Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon located on Navajo land in Arizona. Known for its mesmerizing light beams and swirling sandstone formations, this natural wonder is a photographer's dream. But despite its serene appearance, Antelope Canyon demands respect and caution, as the same processes that created it are still active. During the monsoon season, swiftly rising water levels can flood the narrow passageways in a matter of seconds, and official tours are required to adhere to strict safety protocols.

Image: Emiliano Bar

An enduring symbol of New York City, the Empire State Building is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the world. Completed in 1931, the iconic skyscraper offers panoramic views of the city from its famous observation decks. Originally, it was designed to have a dirigible mooring mast, but only one airship ever docked at the skyscraper - and for only three minutes!

Image: Rikin Katyal

Straddling the border between the United States and Canada, Niagara Falls is a breathtaking cascade of water that attracts millions of visitors each year. While its natural beauty is unparalleled, Niagara Falls has also witnessed remarkable human intervention. Amazingly, during the summer of 1969, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers diverted the majority of the water away from the American side of the falls, halting the majestic spectacle for several months. This unprecedented action was undertaken to assess the effect of erosion on the submerged rock face, while providing a unique opportunity to study the geological processes behind the iconic waterfall.

Stock up on short words

Did you know you can use these words in Scrabble? Unusual 3-letter words

Need a few tricks up your sleeve for playing Scrabble? It’s not always the long words that will impress the other players: Sometimes it’s the surprisingly short combination of letters that none of them knew. Have you ever heard of unassuming three-letter words like "cwm" or "zax"? Those aren’t typos! Let’s explore some of the most obscure –yet perfectly valid– three-letter words.

Before you ask: it’s pronounced "koom". If you run out of vowels in your Scrabble set, this might save you. It refers to a deep, steep-walled valley, often carved by glaciers.

The term comes from Welsh, where it simply means "valley." Many places in Wales proudly bear the name, such as Cwmbran, a town in South Wales, or Cwmtwrch, a village with a name that translates to "Valley of the Wild Boar."

A "zax" is a tool used for cutting or trimming roof slates with precision. The word shares linguistic roots with seax, an Old English word for a short sword or knife.

Plus, in Scrabble, the mighty "Z" (10 points!) paired with "A" (1 point) and "X" (8 points) makes this one of the highest-scoring three-letter words you can play!

No, it’s not a mythical sea creature. "Voe" refers to a small bay or narrow creek that extends inland from the sea. These sheltered inlets are particularly found in Scotland, where they provided safe harbor for fishermen and sailors for centuries.

Some of these sailors were Vikings who once ruled the territory, and who called these bays with the Old Norse word vágr (bay or inlet.)

If you ever see a rowdy, loudmouthed troublemaker being kicked out of a bar in Britain, you might hear someone call them a "yob."

Here’s the funny part: There’s no Old English etymology involved. It’s just "boy" spelled backwards (a bit of Cockney slang trickery).

A very specific noun, but a valid one. A "pyx" is the container used in churches to hold consecrated bread.

The term comes from Latin pyxis, meaning "small box," which in turn derives from the Greek pyxos, a type of boxwood tree. Those three letters combined would earn you at least 15 points!

Have you ever seen the interior of a rock lined with dazzling, beautiful crystals? You might have been looking at a vug.

It’s a small cavity inside a rock that often exposes these pockets of hidden treasures, like quartz, amethyst, or more exotic gems. The word vug comes from the Cornish language, where vooga meant "cave" or "hollow."

Sure, playing "OK" is useful, but have you tried "Oka"? It’s a type of cheese from Canada, and also a historical unit of weight used in Turkey.

The cheese is named after the village of Oka in Quebec, where Trappist monks started making it in the late 19th century.

Gox might sound like the name of some sci-fi character. But it’s just a short abbreviation to refer to "gaseous oxygen."

"O₂" is the more common way to represent it, but "gox" is sometimes used by those in scientific and industrial contexts.

To be fair, you could pluralize any two-letter word by adding an S. "Xis" (the plural of the 14th Greek letter Ξ ξ) is no exception.

Just so you know, "xi" is not the translation of our "X," as you might think. What we call an "X," the Greek would call a "chi."

"Ait" is mostly used in Britain to describe little landmasses that pop up in waterways, like those dotting the Thames.

The word (sometimes spelled eyot) comes from Old English iegoth, meaning "small island." Though it’s not common in everyday speech, you’ll still find it in place names and historical writings.

Before they fully mature, newts crawl on land: this is when we call them efts. These tiny, bright-colored amphibians can be found around damp forests, looking like pocket-sized dragons.

The word eft has been around for centuries, coming from Old English efeta, which evolved to ewt, and ultimately to newt.

The gnu (pronounced "new" or "guh-noo") is better known as the wildebeest, that sturdy African antelope famous for its dramatic migrations across the Serengeti.

The word gnu comes from the Khoisan languages of southern Africa and was first recorded by European explorers in the 18th century. The alternative name wildebeest is the Dutch word for "wild beast," of course.

"Nix" means to reject, cancel, or put an end to something. The word comes from the German nichts, meaning "nothing."

It entered American English in the 19th century, likely through German immigrants. Over time, it became a snappy, no-nonsense way to say "no."

An "ulu" is a traditional Inuit knife with a characteristic curved blade, perfect for chopping, skinning, or even cutting a child's hair (yes, really).

The name comes from the Inuktitut word ᐅᓗ (ulu), which roughly translates to "woman’s knife"

because it was traditionally used by Inuit women for household and hunting tasks.