Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US, is a memorial that represents sculptures of four U.S. Presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The sculptures are 18 m (60-foot) high, and the entire carving covers 5.17 sq. km (1,278 acres).

According to National Park Service, the memorial attracts around 2 million people annually.

The mount was named after Charles E. Rushmore, a prominent New York lawyer, in 1885. The purpose of carving project that started in 1927 and cost $989,992.32 was to attract tourists to the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Nearly 400 workers were involved in this project. 90% of the mountain was carved using dynamite.

Originally, it was planned that the sculptures would be carved from head to waist but the plan was never implemented due to insufficient funding.

Work began on Mount Rushmore with George Washington. The Washington head was formally dedicated in 1930, followed by Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937 and Roosevelt in 1939. Then details and finishing touches were made on the monument during next two years.

Thomas Jefferson was originally started on Washington's right, however, after about two years the granite cracked, and the sculpture was blasted off the mountain. It was moved then to Washington’s left.