1

A tough decision

Image: Spencer James Lucas

While the first three figures —Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln— were almost unanimously agreed upon, there was some debate over who should be the fourth face on Mount Rushmore. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, advocated for Theodore Roosevelt, but others believed Woodrow Wilson should be included. In the end, Borglum stuck with his original choice, and that's why today we see Teddy Roosevelt up there on America's Shrine of Democracy.

2

The original plan

Image: Jon Sailer

While it's hard to picture the Black Hills without the iconic faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, the original idea for Mount Rushmore was actually quite different. At first, Sculptor Gutzon Borglum envisioned a more complex job (yes, even more complicated than it already is!) In his original plan, he imagined not just the presidents' heads but their upper bodies as well! There was even talk of including other key figures from American history, like explorers Lewis and Clark.

3

14 long years

Image: piotr sawejko

We can assume that carving the giant heads of 4 presidents into the granite was no easy task. But do you know how long it took to complete the monument we see today? 14 years! That's right; 14 years of hard work, 400 men, and a whole lot of dynamite went into bringing this colossal project to life.

4

The first

Image: Spencer James Lucas

As the first President of the United States and widely known as the "Father of His Country," George Washington was a must for this incredible monument. In fact, his face was the first to be completed and was officially dedicated in a grand ceremony. In addition, as part of the powerful symbolism behind the work, Washington's sculpture is also the most prominent.

5

Starting over

Image: Raimund Schlager

One of the many unexpected construction challenges involved the placement of Thomas Jefferson's sculpture.

The original plan was to place Jefferson's face to the left of Washington. However, when the dynamiting process began, they found quartz beneath the surface, which made it impossible to continue carving in that spot. After 18 months of work, they "erased" (yes, again, with dynamite) what they had of Jefferson and started over to the right of Washington, where it is today.

6

The secret door

Image: Tommy Bond

Did you know there's a secret room hidden behind the 60-foot-tall heads on Mount Rushmore? The sculptor had big plans for the monument, including a Hall of Records carved into the mountain to store important national documents like the Constitution. And he started to build it! However, when Congress found out that part of the budget was set aside for the Hall of Records, they asked Borglum to focus solely on carving the heads.

7

The last one

Image: caleb weiner

After Washington's, the other faces followed: Jefferson's was dedicated second, and Lincoln's was officially unveiled in 1937. So, which one came last? That's right! The last to be completed was Theodore Roosevelt's, with his iconic mustache included! Of course, members of the Roosevelt family attended the big ceremony.

8

The legacy

Image: Ashim D’Silva

Building Mount Rushmore took many years. Unfortunately, Gutzon Borglum, the mind behind the project, didn't get to see it fully completed, as he passed away just a few months before the work officially ended. However, it was his son Lincoln who stepped in to complete the great work his father had started.

9

An extra foot

Image: Andrew Ling

Borglum believed this monument should stand the test of time, built to inspire and be admired for thousands of years to come. So, how did he achieve that? Some historical sources suggest one of Borglum's techniques was adding extra material to certain angled areas of the sculpture, like Washington's nose, for example. That's right! It's believed that the author added an extra foot to George Washington's nose to help it better withstand erosion over time.

10

The man behind the name

Image: Pamela Huber

Long before the presidents were carved into the Black Hills, a New York lawyer paid a visit to the area, and that visit wouldn't go unnoticed. In 1885, attorney Charles E. Rushmore was at the site for business, and he asked for the name of a particular peak. When they told him it didn't have a name, he jokingly suggested they could call it "Rushmore Peak." Charles E. Rushmore was actually the first person to make a private donation to get the project started: $5,000! And so it was that his name stuck.

1

Roswell Incident

In June 1947, a rancher in Roswell, New Mexico, found strange metallic debris in a field. Soon after, military personnel from a neighboring air base gathered all the evidence and announced they had recovered a flying disc . The following day, however, they retracted their statement, claiming instead that the debris was part of a weather balloon — and suspicions of a conspiracy were born

Years later, government officials stated that the balloon story had been a cover, but there are still disputes about what actually happened. Military sources have since said the balloon was part of a program to detect Soviet nuclear weapons , but the contradicting stories have led many to believe that we don’t know the whole truth about the incident.

2

Washington, D.C. UFO Incident

In July 1952, a series of UFO sightings in Washington, D.C., was reported over two consecutive weekends near the White House and the Capitol. These objects were seen visually by pilots and air traffic controllers, and they were also tracked by radar.

Though the air force deployed jets to intercept the UFOs, the pilots reported that these objects had incredible speed and that they were easily outmaneuvered. The incident sparked attention from the media, which led President Truman to create the Robertson Panel, a scientific committee dedicated to investigating UFO sighting reports.

3

Cash–Landrum incident

In December 1980, Betty Cash and Vickie Landrum, alongside Landrum’s grandson, spotted what they initially thought was an airplane near Dayton, Texas, but was actually a diamond-shaped object, emitting a bright light and hovering near the ground . After getting out of their vehicle to inspect the object, they returned to the car to find it was extremely hot to the touch.

After the alleged UFO left, Cash and Landrum claimed to have seen a military aircraft following it. The three of them experienced burns, nausea, and other symptoms similar to those of radiation sickness , and Cash spent a month hospitalized. The government denied any involvement in the situation, but many investigators and researchers believe this could have been a secret military experiment.

4

The Westchester Boomerang

From 1983 to 1984, residents of Hudson Valley in New York and Fairfield County in Connecticut reported the appearance of large objects that emitted bright lights , flying in a circle or V-shaped formation.

The police later claimed that these were actually a group of Cessna 152s from a neighboring town , and the alleged pilots expressed their amusement at the confusion. However, witnesses claimed that the flying objects could not have been small aircraft, as they made no sound and were able to hover in one spot for extended periods of time.

5

Travis Walton incident

On November 5, 1975, Travis Walton, a logger working in Heber, Arizona, was reported missing by his crew. They claimed that, returning from work, they had stopped because they saw an unusual light. Walton had walked into the forest following it and had been struck by a beam . Afraid that he had died, his companions fled and alerted the police, but Walton was not found despite intense searches.

Five days later, Walton appeared in Heber, confused and disoriented. He claimed to have been abducted by humanoid aliens, who kept them in their aircraft . He and other witnesses passed the lie detector test, but many people believed the incident was an elaborate hoax.

6

Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting

In June 1947, Kenneth Arnold, a pilot flying near Mount Rainier in Washington State, reported sighting of several flying objects, which he believed were experimental military aircraft. After an investigation by military officials, they found several witnesses who reported sightings at a similar time and location to Arnold.

Arnold described these aircraft as round objects that moved as a "saucer would if you skipped it across the water". The popularity of the story, the first UFO sighting after World War II, first popularized the term "flying saucer."

7

Stephenville, Texas sighting

Residents of Stephenville, Texas, reported in January 2008 that they had seen a massive flying object, moving at high speed and emitting lights. The witnesses, including a pilot and a police officer, claimed the object was up to a mile long and made no sound.

Though the U.S. Air Force initially denied having planes in the area , they later explained that training maneuvers for 10 F-16 jets had been conducted; this contradiction sparked rumors of a classified military aircraft.

8

Marfa Lights, Texas

One of the oldest alleged sightings in America, the first record of the Marfa lights dates back to 1883. These light orbs appear sporadically on the horizon, and their color varies between blue, red, and white. Appearing around 30 times a year, the Marfa lights can still be seen to this day.

Scientists have tried to explain these appearances as an atmospheric phenomenon similar to a mirage, or the reflection of car lights from a highway, but they have failed to reach a definite conclusion. Marfa has become a popular destination for UFO aficionados , which has led the Texas Department of Transportation to build a dedicated viewing area.

9

Japan Airlines Cargo Flight 1628

On November 17, 1986, the crew of a Japanese cargo plane claimed to have been followed by three flying objects —one massive and two smaller ones— as they flew over Anchorage, Alaska. Media outlets reported that these objects had been captured on a military radar, but government officials later discredited the claims.

After landing in Anchorage, the crew was interviewed by the FBI and the CIA, who allegedly confirmed a radar sighting. However, the agencies have since denied that the meeting ever took place.

10

USS Nimitz "Tic Tac" incident

In November 2004, jet pilots from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier reported encountering a ‘tic tac-shaped’ object with remarkable flying capabilities. Besides the eyewitnesses, the object was captured by the jets’ cameras and tracked by the radar of another aircraft carrier for two weeks.

The videos were classified until 2020, when they were released by the Pentagon after a series of reports by the New York Times . Though several theories have been postulated, there is no official explanation for this incident.

1

In God we trust

Image: Kelly Sikkema

The famous phrase "In God We Trust" hasn’t always been part of our money. It first showed up on some coins during the Civil War , when the country was looking for hope in tough times. It didn’t become standard on all bills and coins until 1955, during another period of strong religious feeling. Today, it’s part of our national identity and one of the most recognized mottos in the world.

2

The all-seeing eye on the dollar

Image: Thought Catalog

That little pyramid with an eye floating above it on the one-dollar bill has sparked plenty of wild theories, but the truth is rooted in history. Known as the "Eye of Providence," it represents divine guidance and watchfulness . The Founding Fathers saw it as a symbol of wisdom and protection.

3

The Secret Service started with cash, not presidents

Image: Collin

When the Secret Service was created in 1865, it had nothing to do with protecting the president. Its original job was to fight counterfeit currency , which had become a huge problem during the Civil War. Back then, nearly one in three bills was fake! The agency did its job so well that it built the foundation for the secure money system we have today.

4

The $10,000 bill that once roamed the banks

Image: Artem Beliaikin

Yes, there really was a $10,000 bill, and it carried the face of Salmon P. Chase, who served as Lincoln’s Treasury Secretary . It was never meant for everyday use at the store, of course. Banks used it for large transfers between Federal Reserve branches. Although it’s been out of circulation for decades, collectors still love to get their hands on one.

5

Fighting fakes with science

Image: Alexander Grey

Counterfeiting has been a problem since the first coins were made, but modern bills are loaded with clever security tricks . Watermarks, color-shifting ink, and hidden security threads help stop fake money before it spreads. If you tilt a newer bill in the light, you’ll see colors shift and patterns appear. It’s not just decoration, it’s actually protection.

6

Paper money doesn’t live forever

Image: Emilio Takas

Every bill has a limited lifespan. A $1 bill lasts about five years before it wears out, while higher denominations tend to last longer since people handle them less often. When a bill becomes too soft or torn, the Federal Reserve removes it from circulation and replaces it with a new one. Check your wallet and see if any of your bills need changing!

7

Tiny text with a big job

Image: Pete Alexopoulos

If you look very closely at your bills, you might spot lines of tiny printed words around the portraits and borders. That’s called microprinting. It’s so small that it’s nearly impossible to copy accurately. Most people never notice it, but it’s one of the details that protects the money from being easily counterfeited.

8

The penny paradox

Image: Annie Spratt

It’s funny to think about, but a single penny costs more than one cent to make. The mix of copper and zinc isn’t cheap , and that’s been true for years. Some even say it’s time to retire the penny, while others can’t imagine America without it. Maybe it’s more than money. Maybe it’s nostalgia that keeps Lincoln’s little coin alive. What do you think?

9

When spare change becomes treasure

Image: Gio Bartlett

Sometimes a coin is worth far more than its face value. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is one of the best examples. Only five of them exist, and one sold for over four million dollars! Collectors spend years searching for coins like that. It’s part history lesson, part treasure hunt. It may look like an ordinary coin, but it’s really priceless!

10

A woman’s face finally gets her due

Image: Kirt Morris

For most of our history, only men appeared on our currency. However, that’s changing. There are renewed efforts to redesign the twenty-dollar bill and feature Harriet Tubman in it, the fearless leader of the Underground Railroad. Even if it’s not official yet, it’s an important step toward showing the full story of America.