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10 incredible things you didn't know about Mount Rushmore

Borglum had a grand vision for Mount Rushmore that went far beyond just the heads of the four presidents. He wanted to build a room behind Lincoln's head that would store some of America's most important documents. The room would be 80 feet tall and 100 feet long. He imagined brass cabinets that would hold the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 

His plan never came to fruition even though workers started a 70-foot-long cavern behind Lincoln's head for the Hall of Records. Borglum died mid-project and the money ran out, so the project was abandoned.

In 1998, however, 16 porcelain panels explaining the history of the United States and of Mount Rushmore were placed inside the 70-foot hall. The hall is not open to the public and is only meant as a time capsule. 

Carving Mount Rushmore

The Sioux in their native Black Hills, Library of Congress

1868
A treaty between the U.S. government and the native Sioux gives the Sioux property rights in perpetuity over a territory that includes the Black Hills.

1876
After gold is discovered in the Black Hills (1874), prospectors move in and displace the Sioux.

1885
Charles Rushmore goes to the Black Hills to inspect mining claims; Mount Rushmore is named in his honor.

1923
South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson writes to eminent Chicago sculptor Lorado Taft proposing that one of the "Needles" -- spiky rock formations -- of the Black Hills be carved in the likenesses of a "notable Sioux such as Red Cloud" and other Western figures. Taft responds by stating that he is in poor health.

My favourite film: Rushmore

I remember going into the cinema to watch Rushmore with no expectations. I hadn't read any reviews, nor had I seen Bottle Rocket, director Wes Anderson's first film. But as soon as the opening scene started rolling, and we settled down to watch Max Fischer completing "probably the hardest geometry equation in the world" (before having that whipped from under our feet as we realise he's only dreaming), I knew I was going to love it.

For starters, there's the cast. Bill Murray. Here he's on magisterial form as self-made millionaire industrialist Herman Bloom ("Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down"). That's enough right there to know that this is a great film. He's mean, selfish and bullying, but also kind, warm and generous with his time and money. His comic timing is as brilliant as always – watch him fall over a fence, and you would think he had invented slapstick.

Jason Schwartzman – who has gone on to have a distinctly underwhelming career – had never appeared on screen before, but as Max he's perfect: a young boy we come to simultaneously adore and pity…