For Memorial Day, we"re visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. More than 58,000 names of men and women who served and died in the Vietnam War are etched on the black granite V-shaped wall. In 1981, Maya Lin was just 21 and still an undergraduate at Yale when she won a nationwide public competition to design the memorial. But when her design was unveiled, its minimalist and nontraditional approach sparked controversy. Many considered it bleak and thought the black granite symbolized defeat rather than honor. To address these criticisms, and over Lin"s objections, a bronze statue of three servicemen was added to the plan. Later another statue, the Vietnam Women"s Memorial, was erected south of the wall. Today the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is among the most popular and revered landmarks in DC, drawing over 4.5 million visitors a year.
Reflections on Memorial Day
Today in History
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The moai you know
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Goats don t grow on trees
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Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
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Anybody out there?
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And the skies filled with bats…
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World Meteorological Day
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This park is Superkilen
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Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens
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National Dolphin Day
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Ringing in the new year at Teotihuacan
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Nakupenda Beach Nature Reserve, Zanzibar, Tanzania
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Gauchos showcase Argentina’s independent spirit
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International Mountain Day
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Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
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Happy International Beaver Day!
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A water loch-ed castle
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Memorial Day