History Book: Constructing Mount Rushmore

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Monday, October 28th. So glad you’ve joined us today! Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Next up on The World and Everything in It: the WORLD Radio History Book. 

Today, a gunman fires on the White House trying to assassinate President Bill Clinton. 

Plus, the 45th anniversary of “The Rumble in the Jungle.”

EICHER: But first, construction comes to a close for one of America’s most recognizable monuments. Here’s Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER, REPORTER: We begin today in the Black Hills of South Dakota on October 31st, 1941. After 14 years of surveying, blasting, and rock carving, sculptors complete their work on Mount Rushmore.

The exposed granite mountain face features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The monument honors each for their role in creating, expanding, protecting, or unifying the United States.

In 1936, Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited the project when workers unveiled the second completed figure—that of Thomas Jefferson:

FDR: And when we get through there will be something for the American people that will last through, not just generations, but thousands and thousands of years…

Over more than a decade, some 400 workers used drills, dynamite and jack hammers to excavate 450,000 tons of rock. 

The original design of sculptor Gutzon Borglum included Thomas Jefferson to Washington’s right, but unstable rock there forced him to move the third president to the other side. 

Before funding dried up, Borglum’s plan also included torsos of each of the presidents. 

Despite the relative difficulty in getting to Mount Rushmore, it consistently scores as one of the most visited monuments in America. Last year, more than 2 million people made the trip to gaze upon the “Shrine of Democracy.”

ANNOUNCER: Round 1, Ali bouncing around…

Next, “The Rumble In The Jungle” in Zaire, Africa.

ALI: It’s befitting that I go out of boxing like I came in. Meeting a big, strong bully that knocks everybody out…

A confident Muhammed Ali from a BBC interview the night before his October 30th, 1974, fight with George Foreman. 

ALI: The matador beats the bull. The bull hits the hardest, but the matador is the smartest. 

Promoted as the last fight of his career, the 32-year old Ali is a 4-to-1 underdog. 

ANNOUNCER: Round 1, Ali bouncing around…

Foreman is the reigning heavyweight champion with one of the sport’s highest knockout percentages. 

Ali, on the other hand, has been officially out of the ring for seven years due to his suspension over refusing the draft.

The fight began at 4 a.m. local time so it could be broadcast at 10 p.m. Eastern Time in the U.S.

SOUND OF FIGHT: Foreman’s idea is to back him off into the corner and when they get tight to wail away…

Muhammed Ali employed a “rope-a-dope” strategy against his younger opponent. Ali landed a number of hard blows in the early rounds, but purposely left himself open to unscored body shots from Foreman. Ali tangled with him when he could—pressing and leaning against him at every turn. He figured he could simply wear him out. The harder Foreman hit, the more Ali scoffed. 

SOUND OF FIGHT: Foreman throwing more punches now, maybe this could be the tactic of Ali…

The strategy worked. In the eighth round, Foreman was worn down and Ali landed a five-punch combination. It ended with a hard right straight to the face that sent Foreman to the canvas—for the first time in his professional boxing career. 

SOUND OF FIGHT: Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight…

Foreman claimed later that the referee counted too fast and called the bout before the agreed-upon eight seconds.

CLIP: Well now I’m hoping with all my might that I’ll get a chance to fight the man again…

Foreman sought a rematch, but Ali refused. A couple of  years later, Foreman announced he had become a Christian after a near-death experience in another fight. He became an ordained minister. Soon after, the two bitter opponents became life-long friends. 

Sports Illustrated ranks “The Rumble in the Jungle” at number 14 on its Top 100 Greatest Moments in Sports History. 

SONG: IN ZAIRE | JOHNNY WAKELIN 

And finally, October 29th, 1994—25 years ago this week:

CLIP: At 3 p.m. today a white male, age 26, opened fire at the White House from outside the north fence…

The man is Francisco Martin Duran from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dressed in an overcoat, he fires nearly 30 shots at the White House—hoping to assassinate the President. While attempting to change magazines, a tourist jumps him and wrestles him to the ground. Clinton is unharmed.

CLINTON: I was upstairs listening to a football game and the shots were sort of intermittent with the cheers…

During his trial, Duran pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors called more than 50 witnesses that successfully convinced the jury he was faking mental illness. The judge sentenced Duran to 40 years in prison without parole. Today he is serving out his sentence in a Federal Prison in Colorado.

That’s this week’s WORLD Radio History Book. I’m Paul Butler.

(Photo/Travel South Dakota) 

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