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Mar 2021
38m 35s

America’s Monuments | A Passage Through ...

Wondery
About this episode
For centuries, sailors and merchants dreamed of finding a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across the narrow isthmus of Central America. But no natural passage existed. To get ships across the fifty-mile stretch of land, someone would have to dig a canal.The French tried first, and failed. Then, in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt and the U. ... Show More
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Mar 2021
America's Monuments | Four Faces | 3
In 1927, workers began blasting granite rock off a towering cliff in South Dakota’s Black Hills. It was the start of an arduous 14-year struggle to carve the portraits of four American presidents into Mount Rushmore.The feat required grueling labor in extreme conditions. And it w ... Show More
40m 44s
Mar 2021
America's Monuments | The Longest Bridge | 4
In the early 1920s, San Francisco was a picturesque city on a narrow, isolated peninsula. Known for its scenic, natural beauty, it had the potential to become one of America’s leading metropolises. But to fuel its economic growth, it needed a bridge -- across one of the most trea ... Show More
36m 42s
Mar 2021
America's Monuments | The Mansion of the King | 5
Few historic residences are more synonymous with their owners than Graceland. Purchased by Elvis Presley in 1957, the stately Memphis mansion was the heart of his private world and his most prized possession. He always swore he’d never sell it. But after Elvis’s sudden and tragic ... Show More
40m 20s
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