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Soaring structures built
to stand the test of time.
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And gigantic stone obelisks
that reveal mysterious agendas.
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For millions of people,
monuments like Mount Rushmore,
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the Washington Monument,
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and the Empire State Building
represent
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the engineering triumphs
of a great nation.
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But what is it about
America's monuments
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that continue to fascinate
and inspire us
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decades or even centuries
after their creation?
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And could their facades
be concealing hidden meanings
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or even secret purposes?
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Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.
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♪
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Here in the Black Hills, nearly
6,000 feet above sea level,
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four colossal granite faces
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look over the majestic
landscape.
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Their names?
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George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson,
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Theodore Roosevelt
and Abraham Lincoln.
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Four iconic representations
of America's dramatic past.
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TONY PERROTTET:
Mount Rushmore is an extraordinary vision
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when you first see it.
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It's very impressive.
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It's closer in spirit
to an ancient monument.
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It's like one of the, you know,
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the wonders
of the ancient world.
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SHATNER:
Today, more than two million people visit each year
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to gaze in awe at these
silent stone sentinels.
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But was Mount Rushmore built
merely to allow Americans
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to celebrate their history?
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Or is it possible
that it had another,
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even more profound purpose?
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Doane Robinson was the
state historian of South Dakota
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in the early 1900s.
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He was the original person
to have an idea
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of bringing tourists to his
great state of South Dakota.
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PERROTTET:
His idea was to create these folkloric sort of characters
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carving from the Black Hills.
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This sort of shaping of the,
of the, of the very landscape.
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It-it seems
a very American thing.
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SHATNER:
Doane Robinson envisioned his monument
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to depict the heroes
of the American West,
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such as Lewis and Clark,
Sacagawea, Buffalo Bill Cody,
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and Chief Red Cloud.
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BRACEWELL:
Doane Robinson's original idea was to bring a sculptor,
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a stone sculptor,
to South Dakota to do the job.
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He asked several sculptors
in the United States
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that were unavailable,
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and he read a newspaper article
about the work
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that Gutzon Borglum was doing
down in Stone Mountain,
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and got the idea that
he would be available
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to do this kind of massive
sculpture in South Dakota.
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PERROTTET:
Gutzon Borglum was the first American sculptor
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to have a piece of work bought
by the Metropolitan Museum
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while he was still alive.
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He'd gone and studied in Paris
with Rodin.
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So he had quite
an impressive career
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by the time he was
contacted by Doane
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to go to South Dakota.
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ROBIN BORGLUM-CARTER:
Gutzon was a second-generation American,
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and love for America
was instilled into him
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in the beginning.
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His father was from Denmark
and was a Mormon missionary,
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and had waited ten years
to get to the United States.
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So he had an appreciation
for American art
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and everything American.
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SHATNER:
Gutzon Borglum rejected Doane Robinson's plan
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to carve depictions
of Native Americans
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and regional folk heroes.
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As far as he was concerned,
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his masterpiece required figures
of a more national stature.
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PERROTTET:
He was really looking for something incredibly grand,
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incredibly splendid,
something for the ages,
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so that his name would
ring down through history.
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So he came up with the idea
of using the presidents.
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SHATNER:
But why would such an accomplished artist
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risk his reputation to pursue
an engineering feat
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that other sculptors had deemed
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not only difficult
but impossible?
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BORGLUM-CARTER:
I think he had convinced himself that he could carve mountains,
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and he wanted to prove
to everybody
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that this could be done.
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He had one dream,
and that was to create something
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on a monumental scale that would
show everybody one man's
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love for his country.
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It just became an obsession.
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SHATNER:
To realize this tribute to America,
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Borglum employed a small army
of highly skilled artisans
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to ensure that the beauty
of Mount Rushmore
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was equal to its enormity.
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People like Italian immigrant
Luigi Del Bianco.
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LOU DEL BIANCO: Before
Mount Rushmore was even carved,
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two years were spent
clearing trees.
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They had to create roads.
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They had to run 20 miles
of electrical cable
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from Mount Rushmore
to Rapid City
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so the pneumatic drills
could be powered,
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or any other kind of,
uh, necessities.
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SHATNER:
To get from the staging area
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to the top of the mountain,
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the men had to climb 700 steps,
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which is like climbing halfway
up the Empire State Building.
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And they had to bring heavy
equipment along with them.
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So, this is a pneumatic drill,
and it probably weighs about--
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I'm gonna say it weighs
about 25 pounds.
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The larger drills were probably
45 pounds.
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And these guys had to use these,
like, up to 12 hours a day.
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SHATNER:
After 15 years, 400 men,
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more than 20,000 pounds
of dynamite,
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and the removal of
450,000 tons of rock,
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the work intended to represent
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"the triumph of modern society
and democracy" was complete.
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But there is another feature
of Mount Rushmore's
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original design that has forced
many historians
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to debate and ponder
Gutzon Borglum's
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profound reason for
creating the monument.
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There's a valley
right behind the memorial,
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and on the other side
of the valley,
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he had plans of carving a sort
of cave into the mountain.
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BORGLUM-CARTER:
Some of the drawings were that there would be
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a 12-foot entrance, and then
there'd be a big room inside,
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and then he kind of
enlarged that
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to a second big room,
and then there was even talk
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of rooms underneath it.
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It was going to be something
quite monumental--
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pharaonic in scale, really.
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And the centerpiece of it was
this Hall of Records,
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which would recount
in very grandiose terms
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the first 150 years
of American history.
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SHATNER:
According to surviving documents,
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Borglum's Hall of Records was
to be an 80-by-120-foot chamber
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deep within the granite
mountain.
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Not unlike a similar chamber
believed to be located
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beneath the paws of the Sphinx
in Egypt.
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Inside, Borglum imagined
the busts of important
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American leaders and innovators
would be put on display
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along with the United States'
most sacred documents,
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including the original
Declaration of Independence
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and United States Constitution.
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But while only a small fraction
of the Hall of Records
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was ever built,
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one has to wonder,
why did Borglum think
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such a remotely located archive
was necessary?
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BRACEWELL:
Gutzon Borglum had always believed
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that you couldn't leave this
for future generations
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and civilizations
without explaining
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what the meaning was
and the message was
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of the mountain--
a massive sculpture
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as a memorial
to the United States.
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SHATNER:
Gutzon Borglum once lamented that
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each succeeding civilization
forgets its predecessor.
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"Civilizations," he said,
"are ghouls."
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Is it possible that he foresaw
the eventual criticism
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that his work, along with
his previous associations
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with white supremacist groups
like the Ku Klux Klan,
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would eventually receive?
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BORGLUM-CARTER:
Well, the Stone Mountain project is kind of complicated.
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What it always comes back to
is the Ku Klux Klan.
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And certainly Gutzon knew
when he went down there
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that the Klan met
at Stone Mountain.
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And he knew that the backers
were sympathizers.
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PERROTTET:
He fell in with a bad crowd as the Klan was reviving
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in the early '20s,
and especially in Georgia.
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It was very bad judgment.
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And what happened in the end is
he fell out with the Klan.
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He fell out with all the people
who were funding him.
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And he just threw
the whole thing aside.
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SHATNER:
Perhaps Borglum believed that by enshrining the nation's
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founding documents
in a stone vault,
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he could protect not only
his greatest work of art
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but his own reputation.
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Unfortunately, we may
never know the truth.
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Gutzon Borglum passed away
in 1941,
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before his original design
for Mount Rushmore
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and the Hall of Records
could be completed.
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It's a story similar
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to the true purpose behind
another famous U.S. monument
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not only associated
with dead American presidents
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but with those who lived there.
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MARK KETCHUM:
Two crowds came together
in the middle of the bridgeSHATNER:
While staying at
a temporary residence
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known as the President's House
on 190 High Street,
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George Washington meets
with the commissioners
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of the newly established
District of Columbia
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to announce the winner
of an important
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architectural design contest.
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The chosen plan
by Irish architect James Hoban
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was selected from dozens
of submissions,
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all vying to design
what was to be
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the president's permanent home.
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WILLIAM SEALE:
George Washington liked architecture.
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He was very interested
in houses, symbolism.
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And the White House
is an iconic symbol
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of the presidency
all over the world today.
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Everything about the White House
is George Washington's idea.
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It was really his vision
for the city,
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for the scale of the building,
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for the necessity of it being
built with stone in a time
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when there were no stonecutters
in Washington.
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SHATNER:
Starting construction in 1792,
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the President's Palace,
as it was then called,
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took eight years to complete,
at the then cost
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of approximately $230,000.
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A relatively modest sum,
even in those days.
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After British troops
set fire to the structure
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during the War of 1812...
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...numerous renovations
and additions expanded
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00:11:16,827 --> 00:11:20,689
the original two-story building
to include colonnades
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connecting the East
and the West Wings,
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as well as the north
and south porticos.
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According to the official tour,
the White House
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as we know it today contains
a staggering 132 rooms...
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...including 16 family
and guest rooms
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and 35 bathrooms.
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55,000 square feet in all,
located on 18 acres
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in the heart of one of the
busiest cities in the world.
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Presidents years ago
would entertain everyday people
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who could just walk
to the White House,
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get in and talk
to the president.
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The White House
used to be thought of
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as the people's house.
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There are very few areas
in the White House
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that the president
can be truly private.
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Presidents are living
a very abnormal existence.
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So you wonder how they get
some sense of normalcy,
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which you don't get
in the White House.
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SHATNER:
For more than two centuries,
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the White House has served
as the primary residence
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of every president
of the United States.
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But 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
is more than simply the home
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of the president
and first family.
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It is also the headquarters
of the executive branch itself.
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Which have led many to ask:
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is there more
about the White House
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that we don't know, hiding
behind its austere facade?
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Experts have long suspected
that top secret tunnels exist
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beneath the White House,
enabling the president to travel
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throughout the city
entirely unseen.
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00:13:02,379 --> 00:13:05,827
I was very surprised
to learn the quick routes
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00:13:05,862 --> 00:13:08,689
that needed to be taken
in case of an emergency.
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And not something
that I can discuss,
241
00:13:12,379 --> 00:13:14,482
but there are ways
that the president can be moved
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from point A
to point B very quickly
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00:13:16,413 --> 00:13:18,000
in an emergency situation.
244
00:13:18,034 --> 00:13:20,517
SHATNER:
According to historians,
245
00:13:20,586 --> 00:13:23,000
many of the rumors
surrounding such tunnels
246
00:13:23,034 --> 00:13:25,517
and other classified
security features
247
00:13:25,551 --> 00:13:28,655
originated during President
Harry Truman's administration
248
00:13:28,724 --> 00:13:30,862
in the 1940s,
249
00:13:30,931 --> 00:13:34,344
after numerous structural
issues were discovered
250
00:13:34,379 --> 00:13:36,482
throughout the residence.
251
00:13:36,517 --> 00:13:40,517
WHITCOMB:
The White House had nicknames like a "public shabby house."
252
00:13:40,551 --> 00:13:43,655
There was lots of derogatory
terms about it over the years
253
00:13:43,689 --> 00:13:46,344
because it would fall
in and out of disrepair
254
00:13:46,379 --> 00:13:50,000
depending on how popular
the president was with Congress.
255
00:13:51,517 --> 00:13:53,103
SEALE:
And so,
256
00:13:53,137 --> 00:13:56,793
the White House, by the time
President Truman was there,
257
00:13:56,827 --> 00:13:59,551
was like a hamburger
someone had sat on.
258
00:13:59,620 --> 00:14:02,241
All the levels
were just squashed.
259
00:14:02,275 --> 00:14:05,206
And the corps of engineers
had been yelling about this
260
00:14:05,241 --> 00:14:06,551
for a long time.
261
00:14:06,586 --> 00:14:10,310
SHATNER:
Between 1949 and 1952,
262
00:14:10,379 --> 00:14:13,689
a drastic renovation
was authorized by Congress.
263
00:14:13,724 --> 00:14:16,758
Engineers replaced
the wooden subframe
264
00:14:16,793 --> 00:14:19,448
with state-of-the-art
steel beams
265
00:14:19,517 --> 00:14:23,241
and rebuilt the inside from
scratch using modern materials,
266
00:14:23,275 --> 00:14:28,448
leaving only the iconic
sandstone exterior intact.
267
00:14:28,482 --> 00:14:32,103
The White House is a facility
that's-- we call it hardened.
268
00:14:32,137 --> 00:14:34,862
A facility that's actually
built to withstand
269
00:14:34,896 --> 00:14:37,206
someone shooting a rifle,
270
00:14:37,241 --> 00:14:39,586
someone bringing
any kind of explosive,
271
00:14:39,620 --> 00:14:43,310
or any kind of threat
to the building.
272
00:14:43,344 --> 00:14:45,965
You want to be able to protect
the people inside the building.
273
00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,172
SHATNER:
As a result, some historians have questioned:
274
00:14:49,206 --> 00:14:52,827
should the modern White House
be considered a residence
275
00:14:52,862 --> 00:14:55,000
or a fortress?
276
00:14:56,172 --> 00:14:59,517
RON KESSLER: The White House
grounds are protected
277
00:14:59,551 --> 00:15:04,275
by a complete array of sensors
that detect heat, motion.
278
00:15:04,344 --> 00:15:08,241
If anything is detected, the
Secret Service comes running.
279
00:15:08,310 --> 00:15:10,482
BRAD PATTERSON: It was realized
you really needed
280
00:15:10,517 --> 00:15:13,689
some kind of a military facility
there in the White House.
281
00:15:13,724 --> 00:15:16,758
And so the Situation Room
was established
282
00:15:16,793 --> 00:15:18,793
in the West Wing
of the White House.
283
00:15:18,862 --> 00:15:21,068
It has an international
top secret,
284
00:15:21,103 --> 00:15:23,482
secure teleconference system
285
00:15:23,517 --> 00:15:28,586
so the president can engage
in face-to-face conversations
286
00:15:28,620 --> 00:15:30,931
with other leaders of the world.
287
00:15:30,965 --> 00:15:33,655
There's the famous picture
in the Situation Room
288
00:15:33,689 --> 00:15:36,241
of President Obama
and Secretary Clinton
289
00:15:36,310 --> 00:15:41,137
and the staff during the mission
that went after Osama bin Laden.
290
00:15:41,206 --> 00:15:44,413
The capability certainly exists,
within the Situation Room,
291
00:15:44,448 --> 00:15:46,448
to watch live broadcasts.
292
00:15:49,310 --> 00:15:51,379
SHATNER:
As a matter of national security,
293
00:15:51,413 --> 00:15:53,965
the members of the White House
staff are under strict orders
294
00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,655
not to reveal the full extent
295
00:15:56,724 --> 00:15:59,068
of the building's
defense infrastructure.
296
00:16:00,068 --> 00:16:02,241
However,
it has been acknowledged
297
00:16:02,275 --> 00:16:04,448
that in addition
to the Situation Room,
298
00:16:04,482 --> 00:16:06,758
the White House also contains
a bunker-like structure
299
00:16:06,793 --> 00:16:08,586
beneath the East Wing
300
00:16:08,620 --> 00:16:12,206
known as the Presidential
Emergency Operations Center,
301
00:16:12,241 --> 00:16:14,379
or PEOC,
302
00:16:14,413 --> 00:16:17,896
to protect the president
in case of direct attack.
303
00:16:17,965 --> 00:16:21,517
But could the White House's
military capabilities
304
00:16:21,551 --> 00:16:24,551
go even further than that?
305
00:16:24,586 --> 00:16:27,586
Let's just say that, yes,
the White House is capable
306
00:16:27,620 --> 00:16:29,931
of thwarting an attack.
307
00:16:29,965 --> 00:16:33,034
For instance,
if you remember Frank Corder,
308
00:16:33,103 --> 00:16:36,206
the individual who flew
the airplane onto the South Lawn
309
00:16:36,241 --> 00:16:39,068
and that crashed
into the White House itself.
310
00:16:39,103 --> 00:16:42,551
SHATNER:
On September 12, 1994,
311
00:16:42,586 --> 00:16:45,172
Frank Eugene Corder,
a 38-year-old Army veteran
312
00:16:45,206 --> 00:16:47,379
suffering from depression,
313
00:16:47,413 --> 00:16:51,310
flew a small airplane
directly at the White House
314
00:16:51,344 --> 00:16:54,103
in what is believed to have been
an assassination attempt
315
00:16:54,137 --> 00:16:56,379
on President Bill Clinton.
316
00:16:57,931 --> 00:16:59,724
Although the official record
states
317
00:16:59,758 --> 00:17:03,137
that Corder's plane crashed
before it reached its target,
318
00:17:03,172 --> 00:17:08,310
many believe it was,
in fact, shot down.
319
00:17:08,379 --> 00:17:09,827
BASHAM:
People just assumed
320
00:17:09,862 --> 00:17:11,896
that the White House had
321
00:17:11,931 --> 00:17:14,896
all of those defense mechanisms
in place,
322
00:17:14,931 --> 00:17:18,034
and when this Cessna
flew into the White House,
323
00:17:18,068 --> 00:17:20,896
and fortunately
they prevented any penetration
324
00:17:20,965 --> 00:17:23,931
into the interior
of the White House itself.
325
00:17:23,965 --> 00:17:29,413
So, I think that demonstrates
that-that, that it does exist.
326
00:17:29,482 --> 00:17:32,724
SHATNER:
Is the White House a full-fledged battle station,
327
00:17:32,758 --> 00:17:35,000
protected by
antiaircraft missiles
328
00:17:35,034 --> 00:17:37,344
and other covert armaments?
329
00:17:37,379 --> 00:17:40,586
And if so, what about
the other prominent structures
330
00:17:40,620 --> 00:17:44,103
located in our nation's capital?
331
00:17:44,172 --> 00:17:49,137
May they also be hiding secrets
in plain sight?
332
00:17:49,172 --> 00:17:52,000
There are many who believe
that the answer lies
333
00:17:52,034 --> 00:17:54,862
just a few yards away
within the very heart
334
00:17:54,931 --> 00:17:56,724
of the Capitol dome.
335
00:18:07,896 --> 00:18:10,689
AKRAM ELIAS: George Washington wanted
to send that message,stands what is perhaps the single greatest monument
336
00:18:10,724 --> 00:18:12,793
to democracy in the world,
337
00:18:12,827 --> 00:18:16,000
the United States
Capitol Building.
338
00:18:17,137 --> 00:18:19,034
The iconic dome at the center
is flanked
339
00:18:19,068 --> 00:18:21,344
by two nearly identical wings.
340
00:18:21,379 --> 00:18:23,620
The North,
which houses the Senate,
341
00:18:23,689 --> 00:18:27,241
and the South, which houses
the House of Representatives.
342
00:18:27,310 --> 00:18:30,413
The vast sandstone-clad
structure contains
343
00:18:30,448 --> 00:18:36,241
some 600 rooms and covers
approximately four acres.
344
00:18:36,310 --> 00:18:38,896
It's designed to radiate power.
345
00:18:38,931 --> 00:18:41,206
And as one stands here,
one can feel themselves
346
00:18:41,241 --> 00:18:43,206
just being
lifted up by its presence.
347
00:18:43,241 --> 00:18:46,206
And it was designed
to be that way.
348
00:18:46,241 --> 00:18:48,275
SHATNER:
As with the White House,
349
00:18:48,310 --> 00:18:52,344
the cornerstone ceremony was
presided over by Freemasons.
350
00:18:52,379 --> 00:18:56,862
At 10:00 a.m.
on September 18, 1793,
351
00:18:56,896 --> 00:19:00,275
crowds gathered to watch
George Washington
352
00:19:00,344 --> 00:19:03,655
carefully anoint
a massive stone block
353
00:19:03,689 --> 00:19:06,344
with corn, oil and wine.
354
00:19:06,379 --> 00:19:09,137
He then struck it three times
with a gavel
355
00:19:09,172 --> 00:19:11,448
to announce the
laying of the cornerstone...
356
00:19:13,448 --> 00:19:15,275
...for the building
intended to become
357
00:19:15,310 --> 00:19:19,172
the heart
of America's new democracy.
358
00:19:19,206 --> 00:19:23,068
When Freemasons
conduct such a ceremony,
359
00:19:23,103 --> 00:19:25,344
they're basically
sending a message
360
00:19:25,379 --> 00:19:29,068
to the people who are going
to work out of that edifice
361
00:19:29,103 --> 00:19:34,068
that their main mission
is not to rule over people.
362
00:19:34,103 --> 00:19:36,655
George Washington wanted
to send that powerful message,
363
00:19:36,689 --> 00:19:41,482
"This is the symbol
of this new American republic."
364
00:19:43,379 --> 00:19:46,379
SHATNER:
Seven years after construction on the Capitol began,
365
00:19:46,448 --> 00:19:49,517
the United States Congress
held its first session
366
00:19:49,551 --> 00:19:51,965
on November 17, 1800.
367
00:19:52,896 --> 00:19:54,344
As the number of states
368
00:19:54,379 --> 00:19:57,724
admitted to the nation
grew over the next 50 years,
369
00:19:57,758 --> 00:19:59,379
the design
of the original buildings
370
00:19:59,448 --> 00:20:02,206
continued to expand
in order to accommodate
371
00:20:02,275 --> 00:20:05,862
the increasing number
of legislators in Congress.
372
00:20:05,931 --> 00:20:08,448
But there is one fact
about the Capitol dome
373
00:20:08,482 --> 00:20:10,379
that is less well-known,
374
00:20:10,413 --> 00:20:13,551
and it's not about what lies
on top of the building
375
00:20:13,620 --> 00:20:16,413
but what lies deep below.
376
00:20:16,448 --> 00:20:18,344
HENRY:
Beneath that is what's called
377
00:20:18,379 --> 00:20:20,000
the crypt.
378
00:20:20,034 --> 00:20:22,172
This is fascinating
because civic buildings
379
00:20:22,241 --> 00:20:23,586
are not supposed to have crypts.
380
00:20:23,620 --> 00:20:27,275
Churches have crypts.
Cemeteries have crypts.
381
00:20:27,310 --> 00:20:30,000
But the U.S. Capitol
has a crypt. Why?
382
00:20:30,034 --> 00:20:33,034
SHATNER:
A crypt?
383
00:20:33,103 --> 00:20:34,827
According to historians,
the crypt
384
00:20:34,896 --> 00:20:36,931
below the Capitol dome's rotunda
was intended
385
00:20:36,965 --> 00:20:40,068
to be the burial place
for George Washington,
386
00:20:40,103 --> 00:20:43,551
similar to the burial places
of English kings
387
00:20:43,586 --> 00:20:46,275
beneath the floors
of the British cathedrals.
388
00:20:46,310 --> 00:20:49,275
However, by the time
the construction
389
00:20:49,310 --> 00:20:52,275
of the crypt was completed
in 1827,
390
00:20:52,310 --> 00:20:55,793
Washington, who strongly
rejected any notion
391
00:20:55,827 --> 00:20:57,758
that he should be regarded
as a king,
392
00:20:57,793 --> 00:21:02,137
had already been buried
at his home in Mount Vernon.
393
00:21:02,206 --> 00:21:05,413
Washington's family,
out of respect for his wishes,
394
00:21:05,448 --> 00:21:08,517
now refused to move his body
to Washington.
395
00:21:08,551 --> 00:21:12,000
But even though the crypt
beneath the Capitol is empty,
396
00:21:12,034 --> 00:21:15,620
George Washington's presence
can still be felt
397
00:21:15,655 --> 00:21:18,275
all over the Capitol.
398
00:21:18,310 --> 00:21:20,931
ELIAS:
One of the most fascinating parts of the Capitol
399
00:21:20,965 --> 00:21:22,586
is the rotunda,
which is at the heart;
400
00:21:22,620 --> 00:21:24,034
it's a circle.
401
00:21:24,068 --> 00:21:28,241
And if you look above,
you see a beautiful painting
402
00:21:28,275 --> 00:21:31,517
of the apotheosis
of George Washington.
403
00:21:31,551 --> 00:21:34,896
It's an enormous painting
that depicts Washington
404
00:21:34,931 --> 00:21:37,896
as you would see a god depicted.
405
00:21:37,931 --> 00:21:41,310
He sits in a setting of clouds
406
00:21:41,344 --> 00:21:46,000
with what look like angels
immediately surrounding him.
407
00:21:46,068 --> 00:21:48,034
The apotheosis
of George Washington
408
00:21:48,103 --> 00:21:51,827
was completed
by Constantino Brumidi in 1865.
409
00:21:51,862 --> 00:21:53,827
The word "apotheosis"
is a Greek word
410
00:21:53,896 --> 00:21:56,517
that means to deify;
to raise from a man
411
00:21:56,551 --> 00:22:00,482
to a god-man,
or to achieve glory.
412
00:22:00,517 --> 00:22:04,206
And when one achieves glory,
one glows rays,
413
00:22:04,241 --> 00:22:06,103
just like the gods.
414
00:22:06,137 --> 00:22:08,965
Who's buried
in Washington's tomb?
415
00:22:09,034 --> 00:22:10,517
Nobody.
416
00:22:10,551 --> 00:22:12,827
Because he's up on the ceiling.
417
00:22:12,862 --> 00:22:15,275
He's raised himself
from the tomb,
418
00:22:15,344 --> 00:22:18,827
gone up through the rotunda
and up through the sun gate
419
00:22:18,862 --> 00:22:20,827
that leads to heaven.
420
00:22:20,862 --> 00:22:22,862
He is a deity.
421
00:22:25,137 --> 00:22:28,482
SHATNER: Could The Apotheosis
of Washingtonbe a clue
422
00:22:28,517 --> 00:22:31,482
that America's founding fathers
actually intended
423
00:22:31,517 --> 00:22:35,586
the United States be built upon
not only the laws of man
424
00:22:35,620 --> 00:22:41,034
but also divine forces
beyond our understanding?
425
00:22:41,068 --> 00:22:42,896
Perhaps.
426
00:22:42,931 --> 00:22:46,620
But the story of the Capitol
Building becomes even stranger
427
00:22:46,655 --> 00:22:51,413
when you consider what stands
atop the iconic dome.
428
00:22:51,448 --> 00:22:53,379
The freedom statue
on top of the Capitol
429
00:22:53,413 --> 00:22:58,034
is a 19 1/2-foot-tall statue
of an Iroquois goddess
430
00:22:58,068 --> 00:23:00,931
who actually is morphing
into an eagle.
431
00:23:02,413 --> 00:23:05,344
This is very important
because the ancient gods
432
00:23:05,379 --> 00:23:07,344
were portrayed as eagle-headed.
433
00:23:07,379 --> 00:23:10,000
Nimrod was taken into
the heavens by eagles.
434
00:23:10,034 --> 00:23:12,000
So was Zeus.
435
00:23:12,034 --> 00:23:17,137
And also with the legends of
the Iroquois Native Americans.
436
00:23:18,758 --> 00:23:25,103
The Iroquois creation story
of sky woman, uh, is basically:
437
00:23:25,172 --> 00:23:29,241
before Earth really became
what it is today,
438
00:23:29,310 --> 00:23:32,241
there were beings
that were similar to us
439
00:23:32,275 --> 00:23:34,310
living in the sky.
440
00:23:34,344 --> 00:23:38,137
One day, a young woman,
sky woman, became pregnant.
441
00:23:38,206 --> 00:23:42,275
She is to go down
to the world below.
442
00:23:42,310 --> 00:23:47,241
And so this extraterrestrial
that lived in the sky--
443
00:23:47,275 --> 00:23:51,413
she comes down
and then the human race begins.
444
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,965
SHATNER:
An extraterrestrial that came down to Earth
445
00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,448
from the sky?
446
00:24:00,482 --> 00:24:03,793
But if so, how did this figure
from Iroquois mythology
447
00:24:03,827 --> 00:24:07,206
come to be standing atop
America's Capitol Building?
448
00:24:08,793 --> 00:24:11,896
At the debate on the
Declaration of Independence,
449
00:24:11,931 --> 00:24:15,689
the Iroquois chiefs
were specifically invited.
450
00:24:15,724 --> 00:24:20,655
And over 40 of them came
to Philadelphia
451
00:24:20,689 --> 00:24:23,310
in May of 1776.
452
00:24:23,344 --> 00:24:26,551
And they stayed there
on through the debating
453
00:24:26,586 --> 00:24:30,620
and passage of the
Declaration of Independence.
454
00:24:30,689 --> 00:24:33,862
Their presence was
so important because
455
00:24:33,896 --> 00:24:37,344
if half your economy is
trading with Native Americans,
456
00:24:37,379 --> 00:24:39,965
then you have to learn about
how the community,
457
00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:41,206
their government runs,
458
00:24:41,275 --> 00:24:44,448
you have to learn about
the culture.
459
00:24:44,482 --> 00:24:46,862
Benjamin Franklin,
in particular,
460
00:24:46,896 --> 00:24:50,206
was deeply interested in
the star legends and star lore
461
00:24:50,241 --> 00:24:52,206
of the Iroquois Confederacy.
462
00:24:52,241 --> 00:24:54,793
So when we add all this
together, it looks like
463
00:24:54,862 --> 00:24:56,758
the freedom statue is
being referenced here
464
00:24:56,793 --> 00:24:58,344
as a star being.
465
00:24:59,620 --> 00:25:02,620
SHATNER:
An empty crypt beneath the rotunda.
466
00:25:02,655 --> 00:25:06,551
George Washington portrayed
as a god.
467
00:25:06,620 --> 00:25:10,448
And a statue of an Iroquois
star goddess.
468
00:25:10,517 --> 00:25:13,517
Might the United States
Capitol Building reveal that
469
00:25:13,551 --> 00:25:15,344
America's most important
monuments serve
470
00:25:15,379 --> 00:25:18,172
not just
an architectural purpose
471
00:25:18,241 --> 00:25:21,034
but also a spiritual one?
472
00:25:21,068 --> 00:25:25,551
Many believe the answer is yes,
and suggest that for the proof,
473
00:25:25,586 --> 00:25:29,931
we need only look to one of our
most iconic national monuments:
474
00:25:29,965 --> 00:25:35,758
a giant stone obelisk
whose history is as fascinating
475
00:25:35,793 --> 00:25:38,620
as the U.S. president
for whom it was named.
476
00:25:48,724 --> 00:25:50,655
ELIAS:
It is no coincidence
that the monumentSHATNER:
After an extensive
three-year renovation,
477
00:25:50,689 --> 00:25:53,482
including significant
security enhancements
478
00:25:53,551 --> 00:25:56,862
to make it nearly invulnerable
to terrorist attacks,
479
00:25:56,896 --> 00:26:00,172
the Washington Monument,
a towering memorial
480
00:26:00,241 --> 00:26:02,448
dedicated to America's
first president,
481
00:26:02,482 --> 00:26:05,931
finally reopens
to an eager public.
482
00:26:05,965 --> 00:26:09,758
The Washington Monument is
such an important place
483
00:26:09,793 --> 00:26:13,379
in the American narrative
because of what it represents.
484
00:26:14,724 --> 00:26:17,827
It represents
George Washington himself
485
00:26:17,862 --> 00:26:22,379
and his important position
in the building of our nation.
486
00:26:22,413 --> 00:26:25,103
It is a ray of light
descending from the heavens,
487
00:26:25,137 --> 00:26:26,482
or inspiration itself,
488
00:26:26,517 --> 00:26:28,758
just as he was that
to the young nation.
489
00:26:31,137 --> 00:26:33,068
SHATNER:
First unveiled in 1884,
490
00:26:33,137 --> 00:26:36,517
and standing 555 feet tall,
491
00:26:36,586 --> 00:26:38,517
the Washington Monument
is not only
492
00:26:38,586 --> 00:26:40,758
the tallest structure
in Washington, D.C.,
493
00:26:40,793 --> 00:26:45,241
but the tallest stone structure
in the world.
494
00:26:45,310 --> 00:26:47,620
It is a feat made
even more incredible
495
00:26:47,655 --> 00:26:51,724
by the fact that
the 36,491 blocks
496
00:26:51,758 --> 00:26:54,206
of marbled granite
and bluestone gneiss
497
00:26:54,241 --> 00:26:56,344
that comprise
the Washington Monument
498
00:26:56,379 --> 00:26:59,413
are only held together
by gravity and friction,
499
00:26:59,448 --> 00:27:02,896
without any mortar whatsoever.
500
00:27:02,931 --> 00:27:05,310
Most people look
at the Washington Monument
501
00:27:05,344 --> 00:27:08,310
and they see a huge obelisk,
502
00:27:08,344 --> 00:27:10,655
but I doubt that
very many people at all
503
00:27:10,689 --> 00:27:14,068
know every stone
in the monument is unique.
504
00:27:14,103 --> 00:27:16,379
Every stone has its own story,
505
00:27:16,448 --> 00:27:18,586
and they all have secrets.
506
00:27:19,724 --> 00:27:22,689
SHATNER:
Secrets? In the stones?
507
00:27:22,724 --> 00:27:25,517
Most who visit
the Washington Monument
508
00:27:25,551 --> 00:27:28,275
immediately notice
a slight variation
509
00:27:28,310 --> 00:27:30,413
in the color of
the stone facade,
510
00:27:30,448 --> 00:27:33,793
indicating the towering spire
likely underwent
511
00:27:33,827 --> 00:27:37,137
a troubled period
during its construction.
512
00:27:37,172 --> 00:27:41,206
The monument's origins
date back to 1833,
513
00:27:41,241 --> 00:27:43,241
when a group of citizens called
514
00:27:43,275 --> 00:27:46,068
the Washington National
Monument Society
515
00:27:46,103 --> 00:27:47,689
took charge of the project
516
00:27:47,724 --> 00:27:51,896
and selected a design
by architect Robert Mills.
517
00:27:51,931 --> 00:27:55,344
BERGER:
Robert Mills' original design for a Washington monument
518
00:27:55,379 --> 00:27:58,448
was that of a 600-foot shaft,
519
00:27:58,517 --> 00:28:01,827
a obelisk with a much
flatter pyramidion
520
00:28:01,896 --> 00:28:04,068
than that which now bedecks
the Washington Monument
521
00:28:04,103 --> 00:28:05,965
we all know.
522
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,965
And it would have
a colonnade surrounding
523
00:28:08,034 --> 00:28:11,724
the Washington Monument's
central shaft of statuary
524
00:28:11,758 --> 00:28:15,137
of the founding fathers
that supported George Washington
525
00:28:15,172 --> 00:28:17,172
in the building of the nation.
526
00:28:17,206 --> 00:28:19,965
SHATNER:
ON July 4, 1848,
527
00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:22,275
thousands of people
gathered on the hillside
528
00:28:22,344 --> 00:28:24,620
just south of the White House
to commemorate
529
00:28:24,655 --> 00:28:27,482
the long-awaited start
of construction
530
00:28:27,551 --> 00:28:29,448
on the Washington Monument.
531
00:28:29,482 --> 00:28:32,413
What they witnessed wasn't
merely the laying
532
00:28:32,448 --> 00:28:34,620
of the ceremonial cornerstone
533
00:28:34,655 --> 00:28:38,379
but an elaborate
Freemason ritual.
534
00:28:38,413 --> 00:28:40,758
BERGER:
The Freemasons were very instrumental
535
00:28:40,827 --> 00:28:42,241
in the building
of the Washington Monument
536
00:28:42,310 --> 00:28:43,896
because, of course,
the subject matter
537
00:28:43,931 --> 00:28:46,482
that the monument honors--
George Washington himself--
538
00:28:46,517 --> 00:28:49,758
being a very prominent
Freemason.
539
00:28:49,793 --> 00:28:54,241
They wore
George Washington's sash.
540
00:28:54,275 --> 00:28:56,965
They wore his apron.
541
00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,068
- And they had his gavel.
- [gavel bangs]
542
00:29:00,137 --> 00:29:05,448
You were identifying with
the father of our country.
543
00:29:05,517 --> 00:29:06,827
And then, of course,
a few years later,
544
00:29:06,862 --> 00:29:08,896
the Civil War intervened,
and that led to
545
00:29:08,931 --> 00:29:11,241
enormous delays in
constructing the monument.
546
00:29:11,310 --> 00:29:13,551
After a lot of delay,
547
00:29:13,620 --> 00:29:15,586
the construction
of the Washington Monument
548
00:29:15,620 --> 00:29:17,551
is jump-started again.
549
00:29:18,620 --> 00:29:20,310
SHATNER:
When construction resumes,
550
00:29:20,379 --> 00:29:22,068
the stones used to
complete the monument
551
00:29:22,103 --> 00:29:23,758
came from a different quarry.
552
00:29:23,827 --> 00:29:26,551
This explains why
there is a visible difference
553
00:29:26,586 --> 00:29:28,793
in the color
of the stones today.
554
00:29:28,827 --> 00:29:32,137
Also different is
the final design.
555
00:29:32,206 --> 00:29:35,172
Mills's grandiose vision
for the Washington Monument
556
00:29:35,206 --> 00:29:36,827
was replaced by a simpler
557
00:29:36,896 --> 00:29:39,758
and perhaps
even more striking design--
558
00:29:39,793 --> 00:29:43,758
a single, towering obelisk.
559
00:29:43,827 --> 00:29:46,379
But what could have inspired
the use of a symbol
560
00:29:46,413 --> 00:29:51,034
from ancient Egypt to honor
the most venerated
561
00:29:51,068 --> 00:29:53,586
of American presidents?
562
00:29:53,620 --> 00:29:57,068
ELIAS:
It is no coincidence that obelisks are used
563
00:29:57,103 --> 00:29:59,793
as symbols in the rituals
of freemasonry.
564
00:29:59,862 --> 00:30:02,344
The Egyptians were
great builders.
565
00:30:02,413 --> 00:30:04,379
And here, we're not talking
anymore only about
566
00:30:04,413 --> 00:30:05,896
building structures,
physical structures.
567
00:30:05,931 --> 00:30:08,827
We're talking about
creating, also, a link
568
00:30:08,862 --> 00:30:11,620
between the physical Earth,
where we live,
569
00:30:11,689 --> 00:30:15,034
and what is happening
in the universe around us.
570
00:30:15,103 --> 00:30:19,310
The language of freemasonry
is a language of symbols.
571
00:30:19,379 --> 00:30:21,000
And there is
a fundamental reason for that.
572
00:30:21,034 --> 00:30:25,689
By using a language of symbols,
you can talk about ideas
573
00:30:25,758 --> 00:30:30,275
that free the mind
with some form of safety.
574
00:30:30,344 --> 00:30:33,482
HIERONIMUS:
There are important symbols
575
00:30:33,517 --> 00:30:36,103
within the Washington Monument.
576
00:30:36,137 --> 00:30:38,413
When you get in the elevator
and you go up,
577
00:30:38,482 --> 00:30:41,379
above one of the elevator doors
578
00:30:41,413 --> 00:30:46,172
is a winged disc
with a six-pointed star
579
00:30:46,241 --> 00:30:49,000
in that disc.
580
00:30:49,068 --> 00:30:52,931
That winged disc goes back
to Egyptian mythologies
581
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:57,586
and indicated elevation
of consciousness.
582
00:30:57,620 --> 00:30:59,793
We're getting in this elevator,
moving into
583
00:30:59,862 --> 00:31:03,000
the higher spiritual dimensions,
584
00:31:03,034 --> 00:31:05,655
with the six-pointed star
in the middle!
585
00:31:07,413 --> 00:31:10,827
BERGER:
The aluminum tip on top of the Washington Monument
586
00:31:10,862 --> 00:31:14,103
was placed there
December 6, 1884
587
00:31:14,172 --> 00:31:17,241
upon the completion of this
structure as a crowning act.
588
00:31:17,275 --> 00:31:20,000
Engraved upon it, two words:
589
00:31:20,034 --> 00:31:23,172
"laus Deo,"
or "Praise be to God,"
590
00:31:23,241 --> 00:31:24,793
facing to the east.
591
00:31:24,862 --> 00:31:27,448
And as those two words
face to the east,
592
00:31:27,482 --> 00:31:31,517
the sun rises but never sets
upon those words.
593
00:31:33,482 --> 00:31:35,448
Is the Washington Monument
594
00:31:35,482 --> 00:31:38,586
a glorious memorial
to a great man?
595
00:31:38,655 --> 00:31:42,517
Or is it also a tribute
to the role Freemasonry played
596
00:31:42,586 --> 00:31:45,862
in the founding
of the United States?
597
00:31:45,896 --> 00:31:49,413
There are many who believe
that both things are true,
598
00:31:49,448 --> 00:31:51,448
and that the mystery
of America's obsession
599
00:31:51,482 --> 00:31:53,448
with tall buildings
can best be answered
600
00:31:53,482 --> 00:31:55,655
by examining the story
of a building
601
00:31:55,724 --> 00:31:58,275
that, while no longer
the world's tallest,
602
00:31:58,310 --> 00:32:01,344
is still one of its most famous,
603
00:32:01,379 --> 00:32:04,586
the Empire State Building.
604
00:32:12,620 --> 00:32:14,448
DONALD TRUMP: The Empire State BuildSHATNER:
After four years of construction,
605
00:32:14,482 --> 00:32:16,310
the Empire State Building's
remodeled
606
00:32:16,344 --> 00:32:21,241
102nd floor observatory is
finally revealed to the public.
607
00:32:21,310 --> 00:32:25,172
Costing a staggering
$165 million,
608
00:32:25,206 --> 00:32:29,344
the renovation also includes
a 10,000-square-foot museum
609
00:32:29,413 --> 00:32:32,103
and an all-new observation deck,
610
00:32:32,137 --> 00:32:36,724
offering visitors a 360-degree
view from atop the building,
611
00:32:36,793 --> 00:32:41,517
one that has often been called
the Eighth Wonder of the World.
612
00:32:42,482 --> 00:32:44,137
The Empire State Building,
613
00:32:44,172 --> 00:32:47,551
almost more than any other
building, represents New York.
614
00:32:47,586 --> 00:32:51,448
Great look, a great presence.
615
00:32:51,482 --> 00:32:53,344
It's called the "it factor."
616
00:32:53,413 --> 00:32:56,482
People have it,
buildings have it,
617
00:32:56,517 --> 00:32:58,965
and the Empire State Building
has the it factor.
618
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:05,310
SHATNER:
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986,
619
00:33:05,379 --> 00:33:07,758
many consider the Empire State
Building to be not only
620
00:33:07,827 --> 00:33:10,413
the most recognizable
building in New York City
621
00:33:10,448 --> 00:33:13,000
but also the entire world.
622
00:33:13,068 --> 00:33:17,103
Over 20,000 people arrive
to work here every day,
623
00:33:17,172 --> 00:33:20,241
taking one of the 73 elevators
to offices
624
00:33:20,310 --> 00:33:23,896
located across 103 floors,
625
00:33:23,931 --> 00:33:28,689
nearly 2.7 million square feet
of office space in all.
626
00:33:28,724 --> 00:33:32,655
In fact, the 1,454-foot
building is so large,
627
00:33:32,689 --> 00:33:36,068
it was even given
its own zip code.
628
00:33:37,896 --> 00:33:39,965
Originally designed
to be a symbol
629
00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:43,724
of America's indomitable
spirit and ingenuity,
630
00:33:43,758 --> 00:33:46,068
until 1972
the Empire State Building
631
00:33:46,137 --> 00:33:51,448
enjoyed its unique status
as the world's tallest building.
632
00:33:51,482 --> 00:33:54,724
The Empire State Building was
scheduled to be a thousand feet.
633
00:33:54,758 --> 00:33:57,827
The Chrysler Building was 1,046.
634
00:33:57,862 --> 00:33:59,724
So they determined
that they would ensure
635
00:33:59,758 --> 00:34:03,000
that they would be
the world's tallest building
636
00:34:03,034 --> 00:34:08,413
by adding a 200-foot-high mast
atop the building.
637
00:34:08,448 --> 00:34:12,344
You could almost call it
the race of the titans.
638
00:34:12,379 --> 00:34:16,655
The idea for the world's tallest
tower always gains attention.
639
00:34:16,724 --> 00:34:19,793
And there is a certain kind
of status that's given
640
00:34:19,827 --> 00:34:22,655
to any building
that's going to break a record,
641
00:34:22,689 --> 00:34:24,655
because it certainly
is a signal achievement.
642
00:34:25,655 --> 00:34:27,068
SHATNER:
As anticipated,
643
00:34:27,137 --> 00:34:28,965
when the Empire State Building
finally opened
644
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:33,448
on May 1, 1931,
its coveted status
645
00:34:33,482 --> 00:34:35,275
as the tallest building
in the world
646
00:34:35,310 --> 00:34:38,034
brought it international renown.
647
00:34:38,103 --> 00:34:41,758
But why construct
a building to tower
648
00:34:41,827 --> 00:34:44,448
more than a thousand feet
above the Earth?
649
00:34:44,482 --> 00:34:47,034
If monuments
like the Capitol Building
650
00:34:47,068 --> 00:34:49,655
and the Washington Monument
are meant to symbolize
651
00:34:49,689 --> 00:34:52,344
a connection to something
greater than ourselves,
652
00:34:52,413 --> 00:34:55,206
could the Empire State Building
be an attempt
653
00:34:55,241 --> 00:35:00,241
to literally ascend from
the Earth and touch the heavens?
654
00:35:01,896 --> 00:35:03,517
WILLIS:
The thrill of being at the top
655
00:35:03,551 --> 00:35:05,034
of the Empire State Building
656
00:35:05,068 --> 00:35:08,482
is, is really to-to be
above it all.
657
00:35:08,517 --> 00:35:10,241
To look out to the harbor
658
00:35:10,275 --> 00:35:15,724
and have the, the thrill
of nearly infinite vision.
659
00:35:15,793 --> 00:35:18,206
There are many
historical paradigms
660
00:35:18,241 --> 00:35:21,586
to summarize the achievements
through the ages.
661
00:35:21,655 --> 00:35:24,551
For the Romans
it might be the Pantheon,
662
00:35:24,586 --> 00:35:27,517
for the Greeks
it might be the Parthenon,
663
00:35:27,551 --> 00:35:30,862
but the Empire State Building
summarizes the idea
664
00:35:30,896 --> 00:35:35,931
about what America wanted
to be in the 20th century.
665
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,275
SHATNER:
According to historians,
666
00:35:38,310 --> 00:35:41,379
the romantic notion
of being above it all
667
00:35:41,448 --> 00:35:43,379
was taken to the extreme
668
00:35:43,413 --> 00:35:46,482
when the Empire State Building
first opened.
669
00:35:47,724 --> 00:35:49,068
WILLIS:
The stock market was going up,
670
00:35:49,103 --> 00:35:52,103
real estate investment
was rampant.
671
00:35:52,137 --> 00:35:55,172
They needed to have some
extra measure of modernity
672
00:35:55,206 --> 00:35:59,896
that signaled that this building
not just stood above the rest
673
00:35:59,931 --> 00:36:03,413
but participated
in this upper stratum
674
00:36:03,448 --> 00:36:05,310
of the-the world of business.
675
00:36:05,344 --> 00:36:08,862
So they imagined that they would
add a docking station
676
00:36:08,931 --> 00:36:12,448
for dirigibles,
for the zeppelins.
677
00:36:14,620 --> 00:36:16,896
SHATNER:
A dirigible docking station?
678
00:36:16,931 --> 00:36:19,965
Is it possible
that the Empire State Building,
679
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,000
hailed as a symbol of America's
680
00:36:22,034 --> 00:36:23,620
can-do attitude
and industrial might,
681
00:36:23,655 --> 00:36:28,517
was actually envisioned to be
the world's tallest airport?
682
00:36:30,586 --> 00:36:33,827
TAURANAC:
They said, "We will drag it into the building,
683
00:36:33,862 --> 00:36:35,517
crank it down."
684
00:36:35,551 --> 00:36:40,862
The dirigible can be moored
to the top of the mooring mast.
685
00:36:40,931 --> 00:36:43,862
A gangplank can be dropped
to the 103rd floor
686
00:36:43,896 --> 00:36:48,758
where there was a platform
that ringed to the building.
687
00:36:48,793 --> 00:36:53,241
And the passengers
can de-dirigible
688
00:36:53,275 --> 00:36:59,724
down the gangplank
1,250 feet in the air.
689
00:36:59,758 --> 00:37:03,448
It was the looniest building
scheme since the Tower of Babel.
690
00:37:04,655 --> 00:37:06,068
SHATNER:
The first test
691
00:37:06,103 --> 00:37:08,758
of the Empire State Building's
docking station
692
00:37:08,827 --> 00:37:10,448
was a massive failure.
693
00:37:10,482 --> 00:37:13,586
Although workers managed
to pass a mailbag
694
00:37:13,620 --> 00:37:16,827
over from the top of the tower,
the tethered airship was rocked
695
00:37:16,896 --> 00:37:21,275
by high winds
while attempting to dock.
696
00:37:21,344 --> 00:37:24,931
After the Hindenburgdisaster
in 1937,
697
00:37:24,965 --> 00:37:27,551
the notion
of commercial dirigible travel
698
00:37:27,586 --> 00:37:29,965
was abandoned altogether.
699
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,068
A fate that fortunately
would not befall
700
00:37:33,137 --> 00:37:35,310
another great American monument,
701
00:37:35,344 --> 00:37:38,103
one that thousands of people
travel across every day,
702
00:37:38,137 --> 00:37:40,655
despite the possibility
703
00:37:40,689 --> 00:37:43,000
of catastrophic
structural collapse.
704
00:37:53,827 --> 00:37:57,724
In celebration
of its 50th anniversary,
705
00:37:57,758 --> 00:37:59,758
hundreds of thousands
of people gather
706
00:37:59,793 --> 00:38:03,655
to walk across one
of America's greatest monuments,
707
00:38:03,689 --> 00:38:06,620
the Golden Gate Bridge.
708
00:38:06,655 --> 00:38:09,931
Designed by engineer
Leon Moisseiff,
709
00:38:09,965 --> 00:38:14,862
the 887,000-ton bridge
measures 1.7 miles across
710
00:38:14,896 --> 00:38:16,965
and is suspended
by two main cables,
711
00:38:17,034 --> 00:38:23,034
each 7,659 feet long
and over three feet in diameter.
712
00:38:23,068 --> 00:38:26,000
And although more than
100,000 vehicles
713
00:38:26,034 --> 00:38:29,000
commute across
the bridge every day,
714
00:38:29,034 --> 00:38:33,758
on this day
it begins to groan and sag
715
00:38:33,793 --> 00:38:38,827
under the load of 300,000 people
on it at once.
716
00:38:39,758 --> 00:38:41,724
There was a weeklong fiesta.
717
00:38:41,758 --> 00:38:45,620
Schools closed, parades, bands.
718
00:38:45,655 --> 00:38:47,827
It was just everyone
in San Francisco,
719
00:38:47,862 --> 00:38:49,482
Marin County,
and the counties to the north
720
00:38:49,517 --> 00:38:52,586
came to celebrate
the opening of this bridge.
721
00:38:52,620 --> 00:38:55,172
Two crowds, one from the north
and one to the south
722
00:38:55,206 --> 00:38:57,206
came together in the middle
of the bridge
723
00:38:57,241 --> 00:39:00,137
with no place to go and it got
to be a crush loading.
724
00:39:00,172 --> 00:39:02,241
There were so many people
on the bridge
725
00:39:02,275 --> 00:39:03,724
that that vertical curve
of the bridge
726
00:39:03,758 --> 00:39:05,275
was flattened, straight out,
727
00:39:05,310 --> 00:39:08,103
deflected something
on the order of 20 feet.
728
00:39:08,172 --> 00:39:09,896
The bridge
was swarmed with people,
729
00:39:09,931 --> 00:39:13,206
and it was probably the biggest
load the bridge has ever seen.
730
00:39:15,172 --> 00:39:18,620
SHATNER:
As sudden winds cause the bridge to sway,
731
00:39:18,655 --> 00:39:22,689
the pedestrians begin to panic,
fearing the span will collapse.
732
00:39:22,724 --> 00:39:24,896
Their fears
are heightened by the fact
733
00:39:24,931 --> 00:39:28,103
that a similar
Leon Moisseiff-designed bridge
734
00:39:28,172 --> 00:39:32,827
collapsed in Tacoma, Washington
nearly 50 years earlier.
735
00:39:32,862 --> 00:39:35,482
Moisseiff's ambition
was to make bridges
736
00:39:35,517 --> 00:39:39,137
higher, longer and lighter.
737
00:39:39,206 --> 00:39:41,724
But in the case
of the Tacoma Bridge,
738
00:39:41,758 --> 00:39:43,827
he made it too aerodynamic.
739
00:39:43,862 --> 00:39:45,448
[wind blowing]
740
00:39:45,517 --> 00:39:49,137
So the bridge began
to move with the winds,
741
00:39:49,172 --> 00:39:53,551
and it set up a process in which
the, the bridge collapsed.
742
00:40:00,551 --> 00:40:02,827
SHATNER:
Fortunately, the Golden Gate Bridge
743
00:40:02,862 --> 00:40:05,103
did not share the fate
of the Tacoma Bridge,
744
00:40:05,137 --> 00:40:09,068
and the massive crowd
escaped unscathed,
745
00:40:09,103 --> 00:40:11,103
although authorities
no longer permit
746
00:40:11,172 --> 00:40:13,931
mass gatherings on the bridge.
747
00:40:13,965 --> 00:40:16,034
It was a rather
frightening moment
748
00:40:16,068 --> 00:40:17,793
with what could have been
749
00:40:17,827 --> 00:40:20,827
the greatest
civil engineering disaster
750
00:40:20,862 --> 00:40:23,758
in the history
of the human race.
751
00:40:23,793 --> 00:40:27,379
Fortunately, retrofitting that
had been recently accomplished
752
00:40:27,413 --> 00:40:30,413
enabled the bridge
to go through that difficulty.
753
00:40:31,448 --> 00:40:33,517
SHATNER:
But if the Tacoma Bridge suffered
754
00:40:33,551 --> 00:40:36,931
a catastrophic collapse,
what made the builders
755
00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:38,379
of the Golden Gate Bridge
think they could build
756
00:40:38,413 --> 00:40:40,931
an even longer
and more ambitious bridge
757
00:40:40,965 --> 00:40:44,931
and yet not suffer
a similar fate?
758
00:40:44,965 --> 00:40:47,758
Particularly when no one
at the time
759
00:40:47,827 --> 00:40:54,206
had ever built a suspension
bridge anywhere near its size?
760
00:40:54,241 --> 00:40:56,827
Moisseiff's key contribution
was the towers.
761
00:40:56,862 --> 00:40:59,241
He took the towers
higher and higher
762
00:40:59,275 --> 00:41:01,793
than previously anybody thought
could be done.
763
00:41:01,827 --> 00:41:05,448
And that allowed the bridge
to spin suspension cables
764
00:41:05,482 --> 00:41:07,379
over a greater distance,
765
00:41:07,413 --> 00:41:10,344
which allowed the Golden Gate
strait to be spanned.
766
00:41:11,620 --> 00:41:13,896
When we look at the success
of the Golden Gate Bridge,
767
00:41:13,965 --> 00:41:16,551
the beauty of it suggests to us
768
00:41:16,586 --> 00:41:18,965
the whole sort
of mystery of the cosmos,
769
00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:22,068
or creation, of time,
770
00:41:22,137 --> 00:41:24,758
of human enterprise,
human ingenuity,
771
00:41:24,793 --> 00:41:26,724
and, really,
engineering as a pursuit
772
00:41:26,758 --> 00:41:29,137
of human beings across time.
773
00:41:31,482 --> 00:41:34,862
It's hard to look
at America's monuments
774
00:41:34,896 --> 00:41:37,103
and not feel a sense of wonder.
775
00:41:37,172 --> 00:41:40,241
They serve to remind us
that while they may last
776
00:41:40,275 --> 00:41:45,172
for centuries, we only serve
as their temporary caretakers.
777
00:41:45,206 --> 00:41:47,827
And despite their
groundbreaking engineering
778
00:41:47,862 --> 00:41:50,137
and fascinating histories,
779
00:41:50,172 --> 00:41:53,931
there is much about them
that is a mystery.
780
00:41:53,965 --> 00:41:58,275
A mystery that guarantees
that they will remain
781
00:41:58,344 --> 00:42:01,172
unexplained.
782
00:42:01,206 --> 00:42:03,689
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