Little known facts about famous landmarks

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

It would seem impossible to hide or conceal any information in the age of modern technology. This is especially true of historical monuments, which are also popular tourist sites. However, as practice shows, even those sights that are known to almost everyone on the planet hide many secrets. Here are 15 little-known facts about famous tourist sites that will change the mind about them.

1. Great Sphinx: buried under the sands for centuries

The Sphinx is one of the most popular attractions among the Egyptian structures on the Giza plateau. However, humanity might not have had this unique historical monument. And all because it was mostly covered with sand.

Having studied the historical sources and the Sphinx itself, scientists have come to the conclusion that this process has not stopped since at least the 14th century BC. However, the structure was periodically excavated, and they began to do this during the time of Thutmose IV and Ramses II. After the excavations, the ancient Greeks and Romans were engaged, Italian specialists were able to clear the Sphinx up to the shoulders in 1817, and the work was completely completed only by 1925.

2. Fountain "Fallen Angel" in Madrid: the mystical height of the location

The mystical fountain from Madrid, which has the telling name Fuente del Angel Caido ("Fallen Angel"), is a statue of Lucifer, cast down from heaven. And it would seem that there is nothing original, except for the choice of the character himself for the sculpture, because she is the only one in Europe depicting the devil. Only there were enthusiasts who found another feature of the fountain: it turned out that Lucifer was located at the original mark of 666 meters above sea level.

Fun fact:the author of the fountain, Ricardo Bellver, portrayed Lucifer as a handsome young man with wings. Therefore, visitors to Buen Retiro Park, where the sculpture is located, often confuse the devil with Cupid.

3. Temple of Abu Simbel: little-known move

Monument of Ancient Egypt Abu Simbel Temple is a large-scale structure with a long history - monolithic and seemingly indestructible. But this impression did not at all prevent the temple … from moving.

Few people know, but in the sixties of the last century, the structure was cut into separate blocks and moved to a distance of about 200 meters, after which it was reassembled. This complicated process was conceived and accomplished for a practical purpose - it was necessary to save the unique historical monument from flooding due to the construction of the Aswan Dam.

4. White House: keeps traces of war

Most people know the White House as the seat of American presidents. However, in addition to information about the top officials of the state, the building keeps the memory of the hostilities taking place in this territory. So, in 1814, during the US War of Independence, the British army actively shelled the city, including the White House.

Modern restorers have decided not to remove these traces, so today you can see the prints of a fire caused by hostilities 200 years ago.

5. NASA Tower Assembly Building: Has Its Own Clouds

NASA's "Vertical Assembly Building" is located at Cape Canaveral, and is intended for the final staffing of spacecraft and launch vehicles. However, it has one more feature: the structure is one-story, but at the same time it is very high and large-scale, therefore, in the literal sense of the word, it has its own weather. It turns out that when a cyclone comes to this part of Florida, real rain clouds gather under the ceiling of the structure.

6. Great Wall of China: a source of income for local

The fact that the Great Wall of China is slowly collapsing has been known for a long time. Here are just a detrimental effect, as it turns out, is exerted not only by time, but also by man. The local population regularly collects bricks from the Great Wall of China. Moreover, such a negligent attitude is explained by banal commercialism. The quarried stone is used by the locals in the construction of their own houses, or they are sold.

7. Basilica of St. Peter in Rome: built at the expense of sinners

The Cathedral (or Basilica) of St. Peter in Rome is one of the most famous religious buildings. But the circumstances of its construction are not known to everyone. It is difficult to imagine, but the main investors in the construction were … sinners. The fact is that St. Peter's Basilica was built at the expense of finances received from the sale of indulgences - special documents testifying to the remission of sins. Such letters were issued by the priests to those who repented of their sins for a fee.

8. Leaning Tower of Pisa: it will still fall if not restored

Perhaps everyone knows about the phenomenon of the Leaning Tower in the Italian city of Pisa, although it was not originally thought that way: researchers are of the opinion that the mistake was made during the laying of the foundation. However, these inaccuracies in the structure of the building made themselves felt: at some point it needed restoration, because there was a real danger of collapse.

The work lasted more than ten years, the world famous landmark was saved - the building again took the same position as it was in 1838. According to the restorers' conclusions, the Leaning Tower of Pisa will remain stable for at least two hundred years.

9. Mount Everest: the pinnacle of digitalization in the literal sense

To get to the top of the highest mountain on the planet, you need to spend a lot of time, effort and money. However, the amazing experience of conquering the highest point of the Earth is unforgettable and definitely worth it. And most importantly, it is quite possible to share with this feat right away: it turns out that high-speed 3G and 4G Internet works perfectly on Everest. Satellite communications were established several years earlier, but they remain unstable.

10. The building of the US Supreme Court: puns and sports activities for judges

In addition to the White House, there is at least one other government building in America, which has several original features. We are talking about the US Supreme Court: it has its own basketball court, which is located directly above the courtroom.

Of interest is the very name of the institution. The fact is that in English the word "court" has two meanings at once: "court" and a sports court. Therefore, the locals gave the basketball court in the building an ironic nickname - "The highest court".

11. Itsukushima Island: a ban on births and deaths

The Japanese, despite their advanced developments in innovative technologies, still adhere to religious dogma and honor centuries-old traditions. True, some of them may seem downright strange. For example, on the territory of Itsukushima island, in Hiroshima prefecture, it is strictly forbidden … to give birth to children and die. The reason for this strange decision has its roots in religion: in this way the Japanese seek to preserve the sanctity of the Temple, the Shinto shrine, after which the island was named.

12. Big Ben: a coin is a sign of clock accuracy

The accuracy of the mechanism of London's Big Ben is legendary. But not everyone knows how it is achieved, although it is not easy to believe in it - the method is too original. It turns out that the required effect is provided thanks to … the British penny. The correct movement is achieved by placing a coin on the top of the pendulum - this is what affects the length of the clock and the frequency of oscillation. If you add or subtract one penny, then the speed of the pendulum will change by 0.4 seconds per day.

13. Stonehenge: Greetings from Historians of the Past

The practice of archaeological excavations has been known for a long time, but the technology has not always made it possible to extract the most information from the found monuments. Therefore, some remain subject to study for many years.

A striking example of such a process is the legendary Stonehenge: for example, in 1923, one of the members of the expedition discovered a port wine bottle under the world-famous monument. As it turned out later, another archaeologist left it back in 1802, and attached a note with a greeting to his colleagues from the future.

14. Plaza Torre Argentina: the site of the murder "sheltered" cats

Piazza Torre Argentina is best known for the assassination of one of the most famous Roman rulers, Julius Caesar. True, now only ruins remain of it, which have been actively excavated and studied by archaeologists over the past century.

But this did not stop this place from finding a new destination for itself. Today, hundreds of stray cats live on the territory of Torre Argentina, who themselves chose this place and made it their "reserve".

15. Eiffel Tower: in fact - colorful

The Eiffel Tower in Paris is so popular that it's hard to find someone who doesn't know what it looks like. And most of us are confident not only in its appearance, but also in its color.

But in fact, everything is not so simple: it turns out that the Eiffel Tower is painted in three different shades at once. The reason for using this gradient is to try to neutralize the effect of the atmospheric perspective of the sky over Paris. That is why the upper part of the tower is painted in a lighter golden hue, and the lower one in a darker one.