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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International Day for Monuments and Sites
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Sanxiantai Dragon Bridge in Taitung, Taiwan
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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
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Happy Birthday, Eiffel Tower
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Groundhog Day
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Welcome to the Year of the Pig
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Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
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Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, Utah
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Cenote near Puerto Aventuras, Mexico
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Keep watching the skies
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National Napping Day
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Midsummer in Sweden
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International Literacy Day
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Great Fountain Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
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Fallow deer, Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England
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Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania
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Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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An avian predator built for the snow
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It’s Endangered Species Day
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Pandas pucker up for International Kissing Day
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All eyes on sustainability
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Sand dunes in the Sahara, Algeria
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St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
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Celebrating Bike to Work Week, May 14-18
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Who left the tub running?
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It’s Penguin Awareness Day
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A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
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Celebrating Minnesota’s statehood
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Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
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Can you see the family resemblance?