1

If it’s not in use, turn it off

Image: Chris Haws

We start the list with this well-known advice: turn off the lights when nobody is in the room .

Additionally, switch off appliances completely rather than leaving them on standby, as standby mode continues to consume electricity. Most computers have energy-saving settings that automatically turn off the computer and screen after a period of inactivity.

2

Keep the temperature where you need it

Image: Natalia Y.

Whenever you are heating or cooling a room, remember to close the doors and windows that connect to other unoccupied parts of the building . This way, the heating or cooling equipment you are using will not require more energy than is necessary to maintain the desired temperature where you are.

During cooler months, ensure your curtains or blinds are properly sealed to keep the cold out. In warmer months, keep your curtains closed during the day to prevent heat from entering.

3

Wash and dry clothes once the basket is full

Image: engin akyurt

Avoid using your washing machine when your laundry basket is only half full; instead, use it when you have accumulated a full charge. Also, remember to select the appropriate washing cycle to optimize energy use.

On a related note, clothes dryers consume a significant amount of energy, so consider hanging clothes outside to dry or using a fan to help dry them indoors.

4

Save energy in the kitchen

Image: Jason Briscoe

Your kitchen offers many energy-saving opportunities. The fridge, one of the most energy-intensive appliances, runs 24/7 for obvious reasons but measures can be taken to make it a more efficient device. The ideal fridge temperature for the fridge is between 35° and 38°F. Make sure the door seal is tight, with no gaps or cracks that allow cold air to escape.

As for cooking, always put frozen food in your fridge in the morning to thaw out and reduce cooking time in the evening. Whenever possible, use a microwave, as it consumes significantly less energy than an electric oven. Plan to cook more and have leftover meals for the next day or the week ahead. Keep leftover meals in the freezer for convenience and minimal waste.

5

Smart heating and cooling

Image: Everett Pachmann

It may be tempting to adjust the thermostat a degree or two above or below the recommended settings depending on the season, but there is good reason to avoid doing that. Every degree above 20 can increase your heating bill by up to 10%. In winter, set your thermostat between 18 and 20 degrees. In summer, aim for 26 degrees or higher.

Additionally, some ducted systems allow you to disable heating or cooling in unoccupied rooms, which can help save energy.

6

Use energy-saving LED lights

Image: Anton Belashov

LED lighting has been around for a while and can save up to 80% on lighting costs. LED bulbs consume less power and last longer, which means that users spend less money and time replacing them.

Another perk, LEDs generate very little heat compared to incandescent and halogen bulbs, which convert much of their energy into heat. This can reduce cooling costs, especially in warm climates.

7

Solar energy

Image: Andreas Gücklhorn

The energy given to us by the sun can be harvested in solar panels that reduce the amount of energy we need to buy from the electricity company . Similarly, solar hot water systems can minimize gas usage, reducing reliance on gas-fired water heaters.

Solar panels and solar hot water systems used to be very expensive and had to be replaced much more often but, their costs have dropped significantly in recent years, making them more accessible.

8

TV settings

Image: Jonas Leupe

Today's high-definition televisions use around 60% less energy than earlier models. However, some Internet-ready models consume extra power even when turned off due to a "quick start" feature that enables faster boot-up . You can disable that option in your television's settings .

While perusing through the settings, you can also see if your model has an automatic brightness control, which will adjust the picture brightness to the level of light in the room. This can make a big difference in energy consumption.

9

Efficient appliances

Image: Vlad Zaytsev

Most of today's new appliances use half the energy of those from a couple of decades ago. If you're thinking of buying a new one, look for products with the Energy Star label, as they typically use 10 to 40 percent less energy than other models.

If you are going to buy a new computer, keep in mind that laptops use significantly less energy than desktop versions.

10

Insulate your roof

Image: Erik Mclean

Temperature affects air in different ways: heat rises, while cool air sinks. This means that if a house's roof is not properly insulated, heat will escape in the winter, and the cold from outside will seep in through the roof.

An insulated ceiling can make a big difference to your energy bills . Effective ceiling insulation can save up to 20% on cooling and heating costs.

1

The original plan included full-body figures

Image: Thomas Shockey

Mount Rushmore was supposed to be even more colossal than it already is. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum envisioned the four presidents carved from the waist up .

He even made plaster models showing Abraham Lincoln's coat folds and Teddy Roosevelt’s hand clutching his lapel. But as costs went up, Congress said: "heads only, please."

2

Charles Rushmore was just a curious New Yorker

Image: Maarten van den Heuvel

Back in 1925, when the mount was about to be carved into a monument, Charles Rushmore wrote a letter explaining why the peak bore his name. He recalled that in the 1880s he was a young New Yorker working in the area, and fell fond of that particular granite peak .

When he asked the locals about it, they informed him that it had no name, but that if he wished so, they would just start calling it Rushmore Peak, or Mount Rushmore, or the likes. Years later, that very name had been inscribed in the public domain to designate the peak.

3

Yes, there’s a hidden room behind Lincoln’s head

Image: Laura Nyhuis

Behind Abraham Lincoln’s hairline lies a hidden chamber, part of Borglum’s lofty idea for a "Hall of Records." This room was meant to house foundational American documents like the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence.

Instead of that, in 1998, a titanium box was placed inside, filled with copies of important documents and biographies, as a time capsule to preserve the treasure of knowledge for future generations.

4

Thomas Jefferson was moved

Image: Dave Baraloto

Jefferson was originally supposed to go to Washington’s right, but after 18 months of chiseling , the granite betrayed them. Cracks and flaws made the site unworkable.

Borglum made the painful decision to blast Jefferson’s half-formed face clean off and start anew on Washington’s left.

5

The mountain was almost a monument to western heroes

Image: Timberly Hawkins

Before presidents took over, the mountain was pitched as a giant tribute to the Wild West . South Dakota historian Doane Robinson wanted to see frontier legends like Lewis & Clark carved into the Black Hills.

But when Borglum came aboard, he had a grander (and more politically bankable) idea: four presidents to symbolize national unity and expansion.

6

A woman’s face was almost added

Image: Tom Fournier

In the 1930s, there was serious talk of honoring Susan B. Anthony alongside the Founding Fathers, as a nod to the women’s suffrage movement.

Borglum wasn’t opposed to the idea, but Congress quickly nixed it, stating that only U.S. presidents could be included.

7

The workers were mostly local miners and loggers

Image: Pixabay

They were neither sculptors nor artists. Most of the workforce came from nearby Keystone, South Dakota: miners, loggers, and hard-up laborers looking for work during the Great Depression.

Borglum trained them himself. There were no safety harnesses, and yet, remarkably, no one died on the job.

8

Dynamite did 90% of the work

Image: Alexander Paramonov

To carve the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, workers used carefully timed dynamite blasts to remove over 450,000 tons of rock. They got so precise, they could blast within inches of where the final surface would be.

The last details, like wrinkles, pupils, or Roosevelt’s glasses, were done with jackhammers and chisels.

9

The noses are disproportionate

Image: Dudubangbang Travel

Standing in front of the mountain, the faces seem alright. But that’s a trick of perspective. Each presidential nose is a whopping 20 feet long .

If the sculptures had included full bodies as planned, each figure would have stood 465 feet tall. That’s taller than the Statue of Liberty and most downtown skyscrapers.

10

Teddy Roosevelt was the most controversial pick

Image: Dudubangbang Travel

Washington, of course. Jefferson, made sense. Lincoln, sure. And Teddy? Some critics raised their eyebrows at Borglum’s fourth choice. Roosevelt had only recently passed away in 1919, and many questioned whether he'd stood the test of time.

But Borglum defended the decision Roosevelt’s role in breaking up monopolies, conserving national parks, and engineering the Panama Canal. Plus, Borglum had met him personally and was a fan.

11

It was supposed to have inscriptions

Image: Dan Pick

Borglum had grander plans than just four giant heads. He wanted to carve a massive inscription next to them, a timeline of America’s most important milestones , chiseled straight into the mountain. In time, the idea was scrapped for practical and aesthetic reasons.

12

The visionary died before completion

Image: Lisa Reichenstein

Gutzon Borglum, the visionary behind it all, didn’t live to see his masterpiece finished. He died in March 1941, just as the construction was reaching its end. His son, Lincoln Borglum (yes, named after that Lincoln), took over the project.

Still, with WWII drawing resources elsewhere, funding was slashed, and Lincoln had to wrap things up quickly . Some features, like Lincoln’s ear, were never fully detailed.

1

A Presidential curse

For almost 140 years, U.S. presidents elected in years ending in zero died while in office. It happened to William Henry Harrison (1840), Abraham Lincoln (1860), James A. Garfield (1880), William McKinley (1900), Warren G. Harding (1920), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1940), and John F. Kennedy in 1960 . Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980 , broke the curse by surviving an assassination attempt.

2

Mark Twain and Halley’s Comet

In the year Mark Twain was born, 1835, Halley’s Comet passed by Earth. The great writer famously predicted he’d "go out with it" as well . Indeed, he passed away in 1910, the next time the comet appeared.

3

Jefferson and Adams

A patriotic yet somber coincidence, indeed. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third U.S. presidents, both died on July 4, 1826 —exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

4

Hoover Dam’s first and last casualties

The construction of the Hoover Dam was a long and difficult process, claiming over 100 lives. The first person to die was J.G. Tierney , and the last recorded death was his son , Patrick Tierney.

5

Lincoln and Kennedy

Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were elected 100 years apart (1860 and 1960). Both suffered fatal head wounds and were succeeded by presidents named Johnson. Their assassins each had three names: John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. Both were assassinated on a Friday while sitting next to their wives at the time that it happened.

6

Charles Francis Coghlan’s last journey

Actor Charles Francis Coghlan died in Texas in 1899. But his casket was lost at sea during a hurricane. Eight years later, his coffin washed ashore near his birthplace in Prince Edward Island, Canada, more than 3,000 miles away.

7

The Titanic coincidence

A few years before the Titanic sank, Morgan Robertson wrote a short book called Futility , about a massive "unsinkable" ship called the Titan that hit an iceberg and sank. The tale describes a ship with a similar size and a similar lack of lifeboats to the famous vessel.

8

Dennis the Menace

Two comic strips featuring a character named Dennis the Menace debuted in British and American outlets, respectively, on March 12, 1961—only a few hours apart. However, the two creators did not know each other and had no idea of the other’s work.

9

Jim Lewis and Jim Springer

Identical twin brothers separated at birth , Jim Lewis and Jim Springer, were reunited at age 39 and discovered many coincidences: both married women named Linda , divorced, and then remarried women named Betty. Both had dogs named Toy and drove the same model of car. Both grew up with an adopted brother named Larry and had sons whom they named James Allan.

10

Disney magic

A soon-to-be-married couple, Alex and Donna , were looking through old photos to include in their wedding video. They found one photo of Donna posing on a childhood trip to Disney World in 1980. And in the background, they spotted Alex being pushed in a stroller by his father.

11

Moped meets taxi, twice

In 1975, 17-year-old Erskine Lawrence Ebbin was struck by a taxi in Bermuda while riding his moped. A year later, his brother Neville , also 17 at the time, was riding the same moped when he was struck by the same taxi —with the same passenger—on the same street.

12

Lightning strike survivor

Being hit by lightning is an extremely rare occurrence. Park ranger Roy Sullivan was struck not once, but seven times between 1942 and 1977 —and survived them all. The strikes hit him in a fire tower, in his truck, in his yard, while patrolling, and more. His unusual record earned him the nickname "Human Lightning Rod."