Pillars of Human Effort

The five moments in this challenge

The scenes are shown below — tap a card to reveal its place and year.

1. 

   Round 1 · 2500 BC

   Raising the Sarsen Stones at Stonehenge

   Wiltshire, England

   Utilizing immense timber frames and sheer physical labor, Neolithic builders maneuvered massive sarsen stones—weighing up to 25 tons—into precise astronomical alignments marking the summer and winter solstices.

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2. 

   Round 2 · 1884

   Scaffolding Covers the Neuschwanstein Castle

   Bavaria, Germany

   King Ludwig II's romanticized vision of the Middle Ages was realized using modern technology, including steam engines and steel frameworks, though he barely lived in the uncompleted palace.

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3. 

   Round 3 · 1200

   Construction of the Cliff Palace Dwelling

   Mesa Verde, United States

   The Ancestral Puebloans built an elaborate, multi-story village of sandstone and timber tucked securely beneath a massive sandstone overhang to protect against the elements.

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4. 

   Round 4 · 1930

   Gandhi Concludes the Salt March

   Dandi, India

   After a 240-mile march, Mahatma Gandhi defied the British imperial salt monopoly by illegally harvesting salt from the Arabian Sea, sparking nationwide civil disobedience.

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5. 

   Round 5 · 1886

   Eruption Destroying the Pink and White Terraces

   Lake Rotomahana, New Zealand

   The violent eruption of Mount Tarawera obliterated the famed silica sinter terraces, which were considered the eighth wonder of the natural world and New Zealand's foremost tourist attraction.

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