The top-floor apartment of the Eiffel Tower
The man who designed France's most famous monument, Gustave Eiffel, built an apartment for himself on the topmost floor. It was most used as a place for him to rest or to receive guests - one of which was Thomas Edison. The apartment contains a kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and a living room. It also boasts spectacular views. Today it serves as a museum, complete with waxworks of Eiffel and Edison.
The broken chain at the feet of the Statue of Liberty
Given to the USA by the people of France in honor of the 100th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom, democracy and the repeal of slavery. But what most tourists who visit the statue fail to see is the broken chain that lies at the feet of the statue.
The Isleworth Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa has been reproduced by many artists. But it is believed that there is one other portrait painted by da Vinci himself, and this one is no copy. The second version is painted from a slightly different perspective. Though it is possible that it was made by a different artist, or maybe several of them, experts agree that it is more likely an earlier version of da Vinci's masterpiece.
The time capsule in Mount Rushmore
Architect Gutzon Borglum wanted to create a Hall of Chronicles inside the cliff face, while construction of this famous monument was taking place. He wanted to create a secret room where future generations would find the fundamental records of and information about the USA's history. So, he excavated a cave behind the head of Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately he died soon after and was not able to complete his plan. Today, the secret room serves as a time capsule whereby one can find copies of important documents and the memoirs of various presidents.
The Matterhorn at Disneyland
Modeled and named after a mountain in the Alps, on the border with Switzerland and Italy, the Matterhorn at Disneyland is the first tubular steel continuous track roller coaster. But inside, at the very top there is a small attic-like structure used as a staging and break area for climbers. It features a basketball hoop, complete with backboard and net which has been attached to a flight of wooden stairs. Climbers and cast members used the basketball court and staging area to prepare for scheduled climbs or to pass time when there was bad weather.
The Sphinx’s original appearance
The Sphinx of Giza is the oldest statue in the world. But originally, it was decorated with bright paint, only fragments of which remain today behind one of its ears. It also had a nose and a ceremonial beard - the remains of these can be seen in British and Egyptian museums. In addition, some experts believe that the Sphinx may have actually had the head of a lion or a dog, with a human face having been carved on much later. This theory may explain the large difference between the proportions of the gigantic body and the small head.
The creation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Many secrets center around the leaning tower of Pisa. One such secret is who actually built the bell tower for Pisa's cathedral. One of the reasons for this mystery is that it was built over the course of nearly 200 years. While most historians believe that it was developed by Bonanno Pizano, a more likely candidate was Diotisalvi who designed the baptistery located next to the tower which is built in the same style.
The face of Rembrandt’s Danaë
Rembrandt created this painting two years after his marriage to Saskia van Uylenburgh. The artist depicted his wife in many of his paintings, but it was unclear why the similarity with Saskia was not so clean in this image, as it was in the rest of his works in the 1630s. Furthermore, the style of this particular painting was closer to many of his later works. Recently, though, this mystery has been revealed. When examined using x-rays, the similarity of the figure in the painting with Rembrandt's wife is much clearer. This implies that the painting was redone after his spouse's death, during a time when he was infatuated with another woman, Geertje Dircx. The facial features were changed in such a way that they combined both of his lovers' features.
The name of the most famous tourist attraction in Britain
Big Ben doesn't actually refer to the whole tower in the British Houses of Parliament, but only to the large bell within it. Until September 2012, the official name for the structure was 'The Bell Tower of the Palace of Westminster', now it's official name is 'The Elizabeth Tower'. We still do not yet know in whose honor the bell was named Big Ben. One theory suggests that it was the nickname of a powerfully built man who managed the bell foundry where it was made. Another suggests that it was named after Benjamin Count, a heavyweight boxing champion.
The color of the Golden Gate Bridge
This is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world. Despite the attention it gets today, it actually took a long time to agree its construction with the United States Navy, and when permission was finally obtained, the Navy wanted it to be painted in black and yellow stripes so that it would be visible in fog. But the architect of the bridge, Irving Morrow, convinced the military to paint it a dark orange color. This made sure that it was visible in all weather conditions but gave it an attractive appearance.
The sky in the painting The Scream
Initially, this legendary painting by Edvard Munch was entitled The Scream of Nature. In his diary he wrote: "...suddenly the sky became blood-red; I stopped, feeling exhausted, and leaning against a fence, saw blood and tongues of flame over bluish-black fjord and a city..." In 2003, a group of astronomers put forth the theory that the bright scarlet color of the sky that astounded the artist was caused by the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in 1883. A large amount of volcanic dust was thrown up into the atmosphere creating an extremely bright flame-like sunset, observed all around the world over the following few years.
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