Discover the Top 6 Fun Facts About the Iwo Jima Memorial: Unveiling Hidden Secrets & Fascinating Insights

1. Flag-tastic Flashback

Ready for a flag-tastic flash from the past? The Iwo Jima Memorial is so much more than just a "fly by the seat of your pants" attraction: Towering at 110-feet tall, the bronze statue in Arlington, Virginia, is inspired by Joe Rosenthal's famous WWII photograph and magnificently captures six soldiers hoisting the stars and stripes on a colossal 78-foot high flagpole.
Source => iphf.org

2. The OG Internet Breakers

Before the Kardashians broke the internet, a group of Marines and a flag did it first: The iconic US Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, was inspired by Joe Rosenthal's famous photograph from February 23, 1945, and was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, who used real life models for three of the six flag-raisers. To honor the fallen heroes, he sculpted the remaining three from photographs, and the memorial was completed in 1954, now residing in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Discover the sweet connection between Japan's gift of 3,000 cherry trees, the Jefferson Memorial, and the birth of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. 🌸🇯🇵🏛️

=> Fun Facts about The-Jefferson-Memorial

3. Pool Party-Ready Canteen

Hey, did you hear about that jumbo-sized tribute to the Marines that could technically hold a pool party in the soldier's canteen? It's not a tall tale, but a towering testament to bravery: the Iwo Jima Memorial boasts 3 bronze figures that stand 32 feet tall with a 60-foot high raised flag, M1 rifles measuring 16 feet, and a canteen that could hold a whopping 32 gallons of water! Made from Swedish granite, the cost of this mammoth monument was $850,000 and entirely funded by U.S. Marines and friends.
Source => bensguide.gpo.gov

4. Freezing History in Bronze

Did someone say "freeze!"? Well, that's precisely what the iconic Iwo Jima Memorial did when it captured a single moment in time right out of World War II and turned it into a 100-ton bronze statue: This striking 32-feet tall sculpture shows six men in the act of raising the flag atop Mount Suribachi, and was inaugurated on November 10, 1954, coinciding with the Marine Corps' 179th birthday. Attending this star-studded event were then-President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, along with three of the real-life heroes depicted and the mothers of the other three who died during the battle.
Source => dcphotoguide.com

5. Heavier than 22 Grand Pianos

With the weight equivalent to 22 grand pianos delicately perched atop a mountain, the Iwo Jima Memorial might just be the heaviest tribute to an ear-piercing performance of patriotic duty: This 32-foot-tall, 100,000-pound bronze statue, dedicated in 1954, depicts six Marines raising the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during World War II and honors the fallen Marines since 1775. Inspired by Joe Rosenthal's iconic 1945 photo, it stands on diabase granite from Sweden, and was entirely funded through donations from active Marines, Marine Reservists, former Marines, friends of the Marine Corps, and members of the Naval Service.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. G.I. Joe-approved Funding

When the Marines want something done, they do it the G.I. Joe way, a true-real American hero: The Iwo Jima Memorial, officially called the Marine Corps War Memorial, was built without a single dime of public money – that's right, the entire $850,000 construction cost was funded by donations from active and former Marines, Marine Reservists, their friends, and other members of the Naval Service.
Source => en.wikipedia.org