1

Extra cheese

Image: Ivan Torres

Let's start with a wild card: extra cheese pizza. It's no surprise it's one of the most popular choices, with its unbeatable trio of classic ingredients: dough, a lot of mozzarella cheese, and a simple tomato sauce. And who doesn't like cheese?

However, its simplicity doesn't make it any less delicious; it can be one of the best pizzas you'll ever taste! And if you want to try something new, some suggest swapping mozzarella for provolone.

2

Pepperoni

Image: Alan Hardman

A total winner of all rankings, pepperoni pizza is undoubtedly one of Americans' favorites. And that's no surprise at all. The combination of delicious melted cheese with a tasty tomato sauce and spicy, smoky pepperoni slices makes it an irresistible variety for most palates. Is it your favorite, too?

3

Sausage

Image: Nadya Spetnitskaya

Thanks to pizza's unlimited variety of toppings, you don't have to pick between protein and carbohydrates; you can enjoy both!

Sausage pizza is now a staple on the menus of many restaurants and pizza chains. And it's no wonder, given that it's one of the most popular choices among Americans. Traditionally, pizza-makers opt for Italian sausage, but you can always choose your favorite type!

4

Mushrooms

Image: Lavi Perchik

Along with pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese, mushrooms are also one of the most popular pizza toppings in America.

Because of their versatility, mushrooms are a great choice to complement any pizza, whether it's a vegetarian or a meat pizza. In addition, they are a recommended topping for their flavor, nutritional value, and low-calorie content.

5

Green Peppers

Image: engin akyurt

Green peppers also make the top 5. If sausage isn't your choice or you follow a vegetarian diet, green pepper pizza is likely one of your favorites.

The crunchy texture and slightly sweet flavor of green peppers make a fantastic team with pizza crust and tomato sauce, making it one of the most popular.

6

Onions

Image: Adonyi Gábor

There is an alternative that's a must-have on any menu: onion pizza. Although it may not have as many staunch and expressive fans as other varieties, onion pizza is actually one of the most requested options across the country.

Onion, like tomato and cheese, is a widely used ingredient in Italian cuisine, making it a classic that's also included in other varieties and sauces.

7

Black olives

Image: Carissa Gan

Black olives have earned a spot in this ranking, as it is a very appreciated option for those who demand a briny touch on their pizza.

Some people hate them, others love them, but if you've never tried black olives on your pizza, we recommend giving it a shot. Many people have tried them and come back for more!

8

Fresh garlic

Image: Sébastien Marchand

Hand in hand with onion, garlic is a must when it comes to giving a punch of flavor to food. And pizza is no exception. In fact, fresh garlic pizza is also one of the most widely eaten pizzas in America.

While it may not have as large a fan base as other toppings, those who choose garlic as their favorite are incredibly loyal! This variety offers an exquisite combination: Often paired with mozzarella cheese and olive oil, garlic gives a unique touch.

9

Margherita

Image: Aldward Castillo

If we talk about perfect combinations, we can't leave out the legendary Margherita, a fabulous Italian pizza. Created in the 19th century in Naples, Italy, this pizza was invented especially for the Queen Margherita of Savoy, with flavors that represent the Italian flag: the green of the basil, the red of the tomato, and the white of the mozzarella cheese. Irresistible!

10

BBQ Chicken

Image: serjan midili

Chain restaurants and pizzerias wouldn't be the same without the delicious BBQ chicken pizza, a blend of flavor, heartiness, and creativity.

If the more traditional varieties have bored you, this is the perfect option for you. With a combination of sweet and smoky, this variety is undoubtedly a top choice for those who appreciate audacious tastes.

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."