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The World
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Landmarks
A Virtual Tour of the US Capitol - This page lets you tour the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. There are some virtual reality views of areas such as the Old Supreme Court Chamber, and you can press the space bar to locate "hot spots" you can click for more information. You'll learn the history of the building, too. On September 18, 1793, George Washington laid the first cornerstone for the Capitol. The dome is made of cast iron and was erected during the Civil War. The pictures of the construction of the building are fascinating.
Bill's Lighthouse Getaway - It's a foggy night, and a ship is lost amid the black waves, with shoals and rocks somewhere out ahead. Suddenly, the darkness is pierced by a friendly light in the distance. It's the lighthouse! Checking the navigational map, the ship's captain notes the location of the lighthouse on shore and is able to steer clear of danger. Part of American lore and legend, lighthouses all over America (and now, Ireland) can be visited via this home page. You'll find pictures and descriptions of lights from New England, through the Great Lakes, around the South Atlantic, and to the West Coast. There are also links to Lighthouse Societies and something about the history of the Fresnel lens, which produces the powerful light needed.
Castles of the United States - There are lots of castles and castlelike buildings in the United States. King James the Castlefinder and his lady, Princess Patricia, enjoy going to Renaissance festivals, and along the way they like to collect castles. They have quite a list here; is there a castle located near you? Look in the listings for your state. If the castle has a home page, you will find a link to it as well.
Covered Bridges - Why are some bridges covered? To avoid rot, according to Dr. McCain, who also says that the structures were once called "kissing bridges." Take the Northeastern Chester County Driving Tour and read about the renovation of Bartram's Bridge. Stop by the Covered Bridges page today and enjoy your virtual tour of the bridges of various counties in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and New Hampshire.
Empire State Building - It's big, it's historic, it's got a big gorilla climbing up it! OK, we were just kidding about that last part--that only happened in the movies. Besides the monkeyshines you remember in King Kong, about 90 other movies have featured the Empire State Building. In case you were wondering, the building is about 1,454 feet (OK, exactly 1,453 feet, 8 9/16 inches), or 443.2 meters, tall, to the top of the lightning rod. There are 1,860 stairs from street level to the 102nd floor. Every year a race is held to see who can climb them the fastest. The course distance is .2 miles. In 1999, the winning time was 10 minutes, 15 seconds.
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District - San Francisco's most beautiful bridge is the Golden Gate. It's not painted gold; it's painted a color called international orange. The name of the bridge comes from the location it spans: the Golden Gate Strait, which is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. This site offers history, photos, and answers to trivia questions such as "Has the bridge ever been closed?" The answer is yes: it was closed several times due to 70 mph winds and again a few times for visiting dignitaries.
Great American Landmarks Adventure - At this page you can download pages of historic landmarks to color. But it's not the usual type of famous landmark. Here you'll find some really weird stuff, such as Independence Rock (Casper, Wyoming), where folks traveling along the Oregon Trail got out of their covered wagons long enough to scratch their names. You'll find the U.S. Capitol here, but you can also choose to color the Taos pueblo. If you send in your drawing, they may put it on the Web. Check it out!
Historic Mile - Take a tour of over 50 famous landmarks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You'll visit Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and see Betsy Ross' House, where some say she sewed the very first American flag. Along the way, stop in at the Pretzel Museum for a quick snack.
Jackie Kennedy White House Tour - In February of 1962, CBS television aired a tour of the White House conducted by the nation's First Lady, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Nearly 80 million Americans watched as Mrs. Kennedy led the tour through the East Room, State Dining Room, Red Room, and other rooms that she spent months restoring and redecorating. Follow along as this site presents part of the televised tour, complete with the questions asked by CBS reporter Charles Collingwood and the answers given by the First Lady.
Landmarks of Hispanic L.A. - What do you think of when you hear someone say Los Angeles, California? Maybe movie stars come to mind, or surfers, or rock musicians. Los Angeles, though, is a very old center of American Hispanic and Latino culture. To understand Los Angeles, you have to understand its Latin roots. This page is a good place to begin. Here you'll read about some of Los Angeles' earliest history, and you'll see the landmarks where the history took place.
Light of Liberty - On July 4, 1884, the United States received a monumental birthday gift from France. The 15-story-tall Statue of Liberty was designed by sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. He used his mother as the model! Learn more at this illuminating site.
Lighthouses and Ships Within the National Park System - Many lighthouses and historic ships may be seen at America's national parks. This site offers photos of the buildings and provides interesting information about each one. For example, the current Boston Harbor lighthouse was first lit in 1783 and is still operational. Its original light source was tallow candles, but now it has a "second order fresnel lens." As old as it is, this lighthouse is not the first at this location. The original stone tower was built in 1716, but it was blown up by the British in 1776.
Lucy the Elephant - Lucy is a famous elephant-shaped building in Margate City, New Jersey. She dates back to 1888, built by a realtor to advertise his business development plans. It took one million pieces of lumber for the structure and 12,000 feet of tin for the elephant's skin. You can climb up spiral staircases inside the legs to get to the rooms inside. She is 65 feet high--as tall as a six-story building. From the top, you get a great view of the beach. Remember to keep your cool souvenir ticket to prove you walked through an elephant!
Mount Rushmore - Who are "the four most famous guys in rock"? Well, it's not the Beatles; it's the four American presidents carved into the granite of Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. At this site you can find out why the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are sculpted there, and how the feat was accomplished.
Statue of Liberty - This is part of the poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. It was written by Emma Lazarus, and you can learn more about the statue's history at the official National Park Service site.
Temple Square - The Deseret News offers a stunning tour of the landmarks of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You'll see the temple, the tabernacle, and various monuments around the grounds. Be sure to take a peek at the world-famous pipe organ in the tabernacle. It has 1,623 pipes!
The American Experience - Hoover Dam - Built to tame the flooding of the Colorado River, Hoover Dam was completed in 1935. A wonder of clever engineering, the dam is almost 700 feet tall--much higher than the Washington Monument, which is 555 feet tall. At this site you can take a virtual tour to the dam and learn about the people who built it.
The Building of the San Francisco Bay Bridge - The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridged to traffic in November 1936. It was called "the greatest bridge in the world for the versatility of its engineering." This bridge is one of seven toll bridges in the Bay Area that connect San Francisco to its surrounding cities and suburbs and are key to making the city what it is today. Here you'll see photos of how this historic bridge was built.
Washington National Cathedral - On the highest point in Washington, D.C., is a beautiful interfaith cathedral. It is decorated with 107 carved stone gargoyles and untold numbers of grotesques. A grotesque is like a gargoyle, except it has no pipe inside and the water runs over the outside of the carving. The cathedral also has wonderful stained glass windows inside. The western rose window contains over 10,500 pieces of glass! Along the inside aisle is another window commemorating the flight of Apollo 11. It holds a real piece of moon rock. In addition to many U.S. presidents, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Indira Gandhi have spoken from the pulpit. Helen Keller is among the famous Americans buried beneath the cathedral.
Welcome to the White House - Besides a tour of the White House, you can learn a lot about President George W. Bush and the First Family. This is also a gateway to information about the executive branch of the U.S. government, its cabinet offices, and independent agencies. Don't miss the White House for Kids tour.
White House Historical Association - The year 2000 marks the bicentennial year of the White House. This wonderful Web site will tell you the origin of the Oval Office, what White House china looks like, what sorts of souvenirs Lewis and Clark sent to President Jefferson from their expedition, and where you can order White House Christmas decorations. There are games and activities for many age groups; all contain fascinating facts. Coming soon is a Learning Center for K-12 with lesson plans, activities, and other resources to help everyone learn more about the world's most famous house.
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