Sunlight on the Lincoln Memorial highlights not just the ornate detail of the monument, but the variety of material used to construct it. Architect Henry Bacon made sure to use granite, marble, and limestone sourced from states throughout the country. At the time of Lincoln’s presidency, there were only 36 states in the Union, so all 36 of those states’ names are what’s carved into the frieze directly above the columns. Now that we’ve given you a little bump of patriotic pride, remember that it’s Election Day. Did you vote?
A truly American monument
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Sweet! It’s maple syrup season
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Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
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An enduring vision
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A bridge comes full circle
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Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
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In search of a ‘great’ pumpkin
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Brown bears, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
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Polar Bear Week
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Bournemouth beach huts
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Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
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Angkor, Cambodia
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Hawai i Volcanoes National Park at 106
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There was gold in them there hills…
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World Lizard Day
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Spine-cheeked anemonefish in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
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Entoloma hochstetteri mushroom at Lake Mahinapua, New Zealand
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Grab onto the handlebars, kid
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Short-eared owl
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Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany
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Pi Day
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A bull, some flowers, and a stratovolcano
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Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
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Party like it’s 5779
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A sea of swirling stone
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It s Mountain Day in Japan
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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
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Wind Cave National Park celebrates 120 years
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World Philosophy Day
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A wonderland in winter
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Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania