Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share Which Non-Presidents They Would Add To Mount Rushmore

People Share Which Non-Presidents They Would Add To Mount Rushmore
Photo by Dennis Guten on Unsplash

Mount Rushmore, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, features the carved heads of four of our most famous presidents. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, respectively. Completion of the project finished in 1941 and since then the term, "Mt. Rushmore," can be used in any event to describe the four best people you know. "Who's on your Mt. Rushmore of NBA players?" and the like.

While the construction and occupation of the mountain lives in controversy as the Black Hills are owned by the Lakota people, technically, to this day, a fun game to play would be what honorable non-Presidential American deserves to go on there.


One Reddit user wanted to know who is worth enough to be carved into a mountain when they asked:

"You get to add another American to Mt Rushmore but it can’t be a president. Who do you choose?"

It's the internet, after all. Let's get the "Goofy But Worth A Shot" nominees out of the way first. After all, some of these candidates we can't even see.

Wa Ba Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo

"There is already a non-president on Mt. Rushmore."

"John Cena."

zoqfotpik

"John Cena? Wtf? But I don’t see—"

"Dammit. Take my upvote."

User Deleted

Makes Total Sense, Until You Think About It

"How is Nicholas cage not here yet."

deus_vult_34

"He stole the declaration of independence"

King_DeandDe

"He's buried under the mountain in a treasure vault that collapsed in on him when he discovered it. There was a documentary about the incident that came out in 2007."

Hologram22

Why Be Stingy? Put Both Versions Up.

" Weird Al."

OntarioLakeside

"Seconding Weird Al."

"One question: with or without mustache?"

MsDucky42

"With. And the UHF era tight curl."

"It’s only right."

Eternaltuesday

Thank You For Being A Friend

" BETTY WHITE"

momogirl200

"Redo it, Mt. Golden Girls"

WhoHayes

The thing about Mt. Rushmore, and it's legacy, is we should be transforming it into something positive to help ease the troubled history it has. Make it a true testament to the American who helped shape us or shaped a generation.

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

"Mr Rogers"

PitchforkJoe

"He specifically asked that there not be any statues to honor him. So I doubt he'd appreciate this. It's why I vote Bob Ross instead."

photoguy423

We're So Much More Than War And Death

"Mark Twain. The quintessential American writer."

"We always put up statues of military and politicians across this country. It would be nice to see more of our creative side get honored. Put up Poe on the mountain. Attract goths to the site."

inksmudgedhands

"That’s a damn good point."

"I’m an American who emigrated to France a long time ago."

"Just about every city in France has a street named after De Gaulle but also one named after Victor Hugo, the writer. Before the Euro, French franc notes had authors, scientists, painters, composers, etc in addition of course to war heroes and presidents."

"It would be great if we honored them in the US, too."

amerkanische_Frosch

What Do People Outside Of The Country Think?

"Im European and I would put Conan O'Brien on it. He has made me laugh for 20 years. I dont glorify celebrities usually but damm does he deserve it."

Prixm

And then there's these, people who have done beyond anything we could conceive to help advance the moral fabric of America that maybe we should consider carving another entire "Rushmore."

Somewhere else, obviously.

Yay, Vaccines

"Dr. Jonas Salk. Saved us all from polio"

Barefoot_Alvin

"He would represent American science and innovation. I like it."

WellWellWellthennow

"I do love me some Jonas Salk but then you have to get into the whole Sabin vs. Salk thing so I'd favorite Maurice Hilleman instead. 40 vaccines, this guy developed. 40."

"Late edit to add: Sabin and Salk were rivals who both developed excellent polio vaccines I mean. Salk finished first and ran massive trails in the US but Sabin developed the oral vaccine and run massive trials in the Soviet Union. They both were characters who did good science."

gonegonegoneaway211

The Obvious Choice

"MLK"

carlsquidy

"Not sure if you're aware but there's a pretty cool MLK monument in Washington, DC. If you're ever in the area, it's worth checking out."

GenghisTron17

"I came here to write a smart argument, but you came out of the gate with an ACTUAL amazing choice. I’m gonna go crawl back in my troll hole with my tail between my legs."

Tre_Altrix

Never Doubt Her Contributions

"Sacagawea"

bivalve_connoisseur

"This is the most on-theme suggestion so far. The presidents currently in the monument were selected because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory. Given Sacagawea's role in exploring the Louisiana purchase, I think she belongs."

CrabbyBlueberry

Build Stronger Children And Let Them See This

"I recently heard someone refer to Frederick Douglass as "the Black Founding Father", so I feel like he'd be an appropriate choice."

"(And, yes, we all know he wasn't a contemporary of the Founding Fathers; the point was he's as important to our history and how the country sees itself, and I'd argue that the America that emerged from the Civil War was as different to the one that came before as the America before and after the Revolutionary War.)"

mikevago

It's important to honor people who have done a great service to their people and their community. Just make sure it's on land that you own and are ethically able to use.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ramy Youssef and Elmo
@sesamestreet/Instagram

MAGA Is Predictably Melting Down Over Video Of Elmo Learning New Arabic Words For Arab American Heritage Month

A clip released by Sesame Street on Thursday, April 16, showed Elmo with Egyptian-American actor, comedian, producer, director, and Golden Globe winner Ramy Youssef to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month.

The 41-second video showed Youssef teaching Elmo the Arabic words "salamu alaykum" and "habibi."

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Sinatra; Donald Trump
Jim Spellman/WireImage; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Nancy Sinatra Fires Back At Trump With Four Powerful Words After He Uses Her Father's Song In Cryptic Post

Singer Nancy Sinatra, the daughter of the iconic crooner Frank Sinatra, criticized President Donald Trump after he posted a video featuring her father's version of the song "My Way" to Truth Social amid his ongoing war and negotiations with Iran.

"My Way," a song about an individual looking back on their decision to live life on their own terms, was one of the late Sinatra's signature hits. Trump posted a video of Sinatra singing the song with no comment or explanation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Pete Buttigieg; Donald Trump
@Acyn/X; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg Explains Why Trump's AI Jesus Post Was So Offensive To Christian Conservatives In Viral Video

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg condemned President Donald Trump for posting an AI-generated post depicting himself as Jesus Christ, describing it as "insulting" to both people's faith and their intelligence.

Earlier this month, the Pope criticized Trump's widely unpopular war in Iran and called on the world "to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Dragged After Gushing Over His Own Signature In Ultra-Cringey Viral Clip

President Donald Trump was super proud of himself after he signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions, taking an opportunity to boast about his own signature.

Trump's order approves $50 million in federal funding to expand access to certain therapies and directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast-track its review of drugs like psilocybin and ibogaine. He was joined by the likes of podcaster Joe Rogan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlize Theron (left) responds to Timothée Chalamet’s (right) controversial comments about ballet and opera.
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

Charlize Theron Gives Timothée Chalamet A Blunt Reality Check About His Future After His Comments Insulting Ballet

Timothée Chalamet declaring that “no one cares” about ballet and opera was always going to age poorly. It just happened faster than expected.

Enter Charlize Theron, who didn’t just disagree—she flipped the whole argument, suggesting that while centuries-old art forms will endure, Chalamet’s own career may be far more vulnerable in the age of artificial intelligence.

Keep ReadingShow less