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Landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, Munch’s The Scream, and the Sphinx of Egypt are universally recognized as monumental art. However, there are some fascinating details about them that have remained largely overlooked by mainstream culture. From forgotten elements to hidden secrets, these masterpieces hold mysteries that often go unnoticed.
10. The Secret Room in the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower conceals a private apartment at its top level. This hidden space belongs to Gustave Eiffel, the very engineer responsible for the tower’s creation. In 1890, just a year after the tower's completion, French author Henri Girard referred to Gustave Eiffel as an “object of general envy” to the people of Paris.
According to Girard, the envy surrounding Gustave Eiffel wasn’t rooted in his fame as the creator of the tower, nor the wealth the structure brought him, but rather in the exclusive apartment he possessed at the tower’s summit. This private space, available only to Eiffel, hosted many notable figures, including Thomas Edison. Eiffel is said to have received several lucrative offers for just one night in the apartment.
After being closed off for many years, the apartment was recently opened for public viewing. Inside, you can find wax models of Eiffel and Edison, capturing the moment when Eiffel and his daughter Claire greeted Edison. Additionally, the names of the 72 scientists and engineers who contributed to the tower’s design are engraved on the structure.
9. The Story Behind The Scream
Edvard Munch’s The Scream is widely regarded as one of the most emblematic works of art from the 20th century—so much so that it was elaborately stolen on more than one occasion.
Munch explained that the inspiration for The Scream came one day while walking with friends when he witnessed “the sky turned as red as blood,” followed by an overwhelming sense of fatigue and the hearing of an “enormous infinite scream of nature.” For many years, it was believed that Munch’s experience was purely imaginary. However, recent evidence suggests that the sky might indeed have been red that day, likely due to the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia.
The eruption’s effects reached as far as New York, where the sky was described as “crimsoned.” Two days later, this phenomenon reached Munch’s town, with the local newspaper reporting that “People believed it was a fire: but it was actually a red refraction in the hazy atmosphere after sunset.”
While the terrifying scream depicted in Munch’s painting was imagined, it’s now believed that the sky he witnessed was most likely real.
8. The Mystery Behind The Leaning Tower Of Pisa’s Architect
Also known as Torre Pendente di Pisa, the Leaning Tower of Pisa serves as both a historic landmark and an unsolved enigma. While its famous tilt is often attributed to its unstable foundation, the identity of its designer remains a mystery.
Originally, the tower was intended to be a freestanding bell tower (or campanile) for the city’s cathedral. Bell towers like these were common in 10th-century Italy, as they were seen as symbols of a town’s wealth and power. However, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was built with the purpose of drawing people to the Pisa cathedral.
The reason why the tower’s designer remains unknown is due to the nearly 200 years it took to complete. While historians once credited Bonanno Pisano as the designer, this claim is contested. It is now thought that an architect named Diotisalvi is a more likely candidate, as he was also responsible for designing the city’s baptistery and the San Nicola Bell Tower.
7. The Chain At The Foot Of The Statue Of Liberty
In 2011, Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, was asked what the Statue of Liberty stood for. She responded by saying, 'It is, of course, the symbol for Americans to be reminded of other countries because this was gifted us, of course, by the French—other countries warning us to never make the mistakes that some of them had made.' Unfortunately, Palin's interpretation was completely incorrect, as it contradicted what Lady Liberty truly represents. Sadly, this misconception about the statue's significance is common, with many people unaware of its ties to slavery.
The Statue of Liberty was created by Edouard de Laboulaye, a well-known French politician and abolitionist who strongly supported President Lincoln's efforts to abolish slavery. Contrary to Palin’s claims, the statue wasn’t meant as a warning to the United States. Rather, it was a gesture of honor, celebrating freedom, democracy, and the end of all forms of servitude. Lady Liberty’s broken chain at her foot symbolizes the triumph over oppression, although it’s often hidden beneath her robe on the left side, making it hard for most tourists to notice unless viewed from above.
6. The Sphinx’s Missing Beard
We’ve already discussed the near loss of the Sphinx and the mystery behind its missing nose. However, the story of its beard remains largely unknown to most people.
The Sphinx was not originally designed with a beard. It was added sometime later, likely to connect the monument with Horemakhet, one of the Egyptian gods. Additionally, it may have been intended to make the Sphinx resemble the Egyptian pharaohs, who were often depicted with artificial beards as a symbol of authority, further linking the statue to the god Osiris.
One-thirtieth of the Sphinx’s beard is currently housed in the British Museum. It was given to the museum by Giovanni Caviglia, an Italian Egyptologist who uncovered parts of the Sphinx in 1817, at a time when the statue was almost entirely buried in sand. Additional fragments of the beard were discovered during excavations in 1925-1926 when the Sphinx was again uncovered from the sand.
5. Da Vinci’s Hidden Music
In 2007, Giovanni Maria Pala, an Italian computer technician and musician, claimed that he had discovered musical notes hidden within Da Vinci’s renowned painting The Last Supper. Pala explained that if one were to draw five lines of a musical staff across the painting, the positioning of Jesus Christ's hands, the hands of his apostles, and the loaves of bread on the table would form musical notes that make sense when read from right to left.
Da Vinci, known for his passion for music, often included musical riddles in his writings, which also had to be interpreted from right to left. Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of a museum in Tuscany dedicated to Da Vinci, found Pala’s theory 'plausible.' Vezzosi also noted that Da Vinci not only played the lyre but also sketched several different musical instruments.
'There’s always a risk of seeing something that isn’t there, but it’s clear that the spaces (in the painting) are divided harmonically,' Vezzosi commented. 'Where you have harmonic proportions, you can find music.'
4. The Golden Gate Bridge Color Crisis
The Golden Gate Bridge is the most photographed bridge in the world. Interestingly, the US Navy initially opposed its construction, fearing that if the bridge were destroyed in a bombing, it would trap Navy ships in the San Francisco Bay. Despite this, the Navy eventually agreed to the bridge’s construction. However, they strongly disliked the planned color. Both the Navy and the Army wanted the bridge to be painted in black and yellow stripes for better visibility in the fog.
The architect of the bridge, Irving Morrow, had another vision. When the steel for the bridge arrived in San Francisco, it was already coated with a base color to prepare it for further painting. While most bridges were painted in grey, brown, or black, Morrow decided on a color called 'international orange,' which was similar to the color of the base coat. This shade not only stands out in fog but also complements and contrasts beautifully with the blue sky and bay.
3. Michelangelo’s Last Judgment
Shortly before his death, Pope Clement VII commissioned Michelangelo to paint a depiction of the Last Judgment on the walls of the Sistine Chapel. This painting was intended to represent Judgment Day, the moment when Jesus Christ would return to the Earth. However, the artwork sparked controversy when Michelangelo depicted several characters naked, including Jesus Christ and his mother, Mary, showing their private parts.
This caused an uproar with a cardinal, who launched the 'Fig Leaf Campaign' in an attempt to have the painting either completely removed or heavily censored. Biagio da Cesena, the Pope's Master of Ceremony, also demanded the removal or censorship of the image, stating that it was more appropriate for a public bathhouse or tavern than a church. In response, Michelangelo used Cesena's face as the model for Minos, the god of the underworld, and added donkey ears to the figure to mock Cesena’s 'foolishness.'
The nude figures remained in the Sistine Chapel until A.D. 1564, when the Council of Trent decreed that they should be covered with 'braghes' (meaning 'pants'), such as fig leaves or draped cloths. During restoration work in 1993, many of these coverings were removed, revealing that Michelangelo had actually painted Minos with a snake wrapped around his waist, biting him in the groin.
2. Mount Rushmore Time Capsule
Although it’s widely known that Mount Rushmore remains incomplete, few people are aware of its time capsule. During its construction, the monument’s chief architect, Gutzon Borglum, envisioned creating a massive hall to house significant American historical documents. He hoped to include vital texts such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, believing that this would elevate the monument’s importance. However, due to financial and spatial constraints, Borglum’s vision remained unfinished when he passed away in 1941, leaving the project incomplete.
In 1998, a collection of important documents, including the Constitution, 16 porcelain enamel panels inscribed with the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, as well as a memoir of Borglum and stories about the presidents depicted on the mountain, were placed inside a titanium vault. This vault was then sealed within the unfinished hall, with instructions to leave it sealed and untouched for thousands of years.
1. The Madame X Scandal
The Portrait of Madame X is a famous painting by John Singer Sargent, a young American immigrant and rising star, of Virginie Avegno Gautreau. Sargent had hoped this portrait would cement his reputation. While it did make him famous, it also made him infamous due to what some considered its indecency.
When the portrait was displayed at the Salon, it was met with harsh criticism and mockery. The main source of the controversy was the right strap in the painting. In the original version, the strap falls off her right shoulder, revealing more of the model’s skin than was deemed appropriate. The resulting scandal was so severe that Sargent was forced to relocate to Britain.
The Gautreau family was embarrassed by the uproar and urged Sargent to remove the painting. In response, Sargent repainted the strap, adjusting it to its present position in the portrait, in an attempt to placate both the public and the critics.
