Do You Recognize These Famous Historic Landmarks?

Built in 1896, Glasgow’s subway system is the third-oldest underground public transit system in the world, after the systems in London and Budapest. In the 1970s, Glasgow introduced bright orange cars along this circular route, which led to the “Clockwork Orange” nickname — a nod to the iconic novel by Anthony Burgess (adapted to film in 1971 by director Stanley Kubrick).

Shoshone Falls is even taller than the famous waterfall that inspired its nickname. Reaching heights of 212 feet (compared to the 167 feet of Niagara Falls), these impressive falls are fed by Idaho’s Snake River. Shoshone Falls is among the country’s largest natural waterfalls, and it first became a popular tourist attraction as travelers passed by it on the Oregon Trail in the mid-19th century.

In 2012, the famed London landmark colloquially known as Big Ben was given a new name: Elizabeth Tower, honoring Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee. The new moniker was an upgrade from the 19th-century tower’s nondescript previous title, which was simply the Clock Tower. The origins of the "Big Ben" nickname (which specifically refers to the tower’s bell) are not known, but many historians believe it was named for a civil engineer.

Just over one square mile in size, Angel Island off the coast of San Francisco is often referred to as the “Ellis Island of the West.” Between 1910 and 1940, millions of immigrants from more than 80 countries passed through the immigration station, which served as the primary Pacific Coast gateway to the United States. Today it is a National Historic Landmark and part of a state park.

Pikes Peak isn’t the tallest mountain in the country, but it has earned the nickname “America’s Mountain” for good reason. The origins of the moniker go back to 1893, when Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley College, visited the mountain. Her brief, 30-minute stay at the summit inspired her to put pen to paper, and she composed the now-famous poem “America the Beautiful.”

If you visit the Tower of London, you’ll come face-to-face with the oldest military corps in Britain: the Yeoman Warders, who are lovingly called "Beefeaters." Known for their distinctive fuzzy hats and red uniforms, the guards were introduced in 1485 by King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch. They were tasked with protecting the British crown jewels and guarding the Tower of London when it was a prison.

Winding its way through the national capital, the Potomac is aptly nicknamed "the Nation’s River.” The Potomac forms the southern headwaters of Chesapeake Bay, one of the East Coast’s most significant estuaries. The river flows for 380 miles through Virginia and Maryland. Not only does the Potomac represent the nation’s cultural heritage, but it also provides a critical habitat for wildlife.

Nicknamed the “Crookedest Street in the World,” Lombard Street in San Francisco is a stomach-churning journey down one of the city’s characteristically steep hills. Paved in red brick and lined with pretty flowers, this single block in the Russian Hill district zig-zags the 27% grade slope with eight hairpin turns. It was designed in 1922 so that cars — which were becoming increasingly popular — could manage the hill’s steep slope.

John Steinbeck’s book “The Grapes of Wrath” coined the nickname for America’s most iconic highway: Route 66. As his migratory characters traveled across the country during the Dust Bowl, Steinbeck deemed Route 66 "the mother road” for migrants traveling west. Although the author himself was never a migrant, he did drive Route 66 in 1937.

The iconic wrought-iron Eiffel Tower — measuring 1,063 feet to its top — was the tallest structure in the world when it was completed in 1889, designed by French engineer Gustave Eiffel. At first, many Parisians deemed it ugly, a potentially dangerous eyesore to the city’s skyline, but later it earned the nickname “La dame de fer” ("Iron Lady"). Today, it attracts more visitors than any other paid monument in the world.