HERE ARE 15 SECRETS HIDDEN IN NATIONAL MONUMENTS

You may pass one of these buildings or monuments every day, but you may not realise there's more to it than meets the eye. Here are 15 secrets hidden in national monuments.

There are buildings and monuments around the world, built for a variety of reasons. Many of them are recognisable to most of us, and we may even know quite a bit about them. But, many of them hold secrets that most of us don't know about.

For instance, did you know that the public viewing deck isn't the highest floor of the Empire State Building? That honour goes to the 103rd floor and, unless you're a celebrity or someone of importance, access is denied. Originally, the 103rd floor was built as a platform for travellers. 

Hmm? Yes, travellers! You probably don't know this, but the top of the Empire State Building was originally built as a docking station for airships, like the Zeppelin's. These enormous gas-filled dirigibles would carry passengers between Germany and North America, and the Art Deco spire of the building was to be used as a mooring mast. 

However, it was determined that the strong winds at the 103rd floor would make docking extremely difficult and dangerous, and only once did airship dock there. In 1931, the Times reported; "Traffic was tied up in the streets below for more than a half-hour as the pilot, Lieutenant William McCraken jockeyed for position in the half gale about the tower 1,200 feet above the ground".

According to the same article, Dr Hugo Eckener, the commander of the Graf Zeppelin said, “The notion that passengers would be able to descend an airport-style ramp from a moving airship to the tip of the tallest building in the world, even in excellent conditions, beggars belief”.

The privately-owned airship remained tethered to the Empire State Building for a mere three minutes in 40-mile-per-hour winds. And with that, the platform was closed before it ever saw travellers from distant lands.

Can you imagine the sight though? The tallest building in the world, which the Empire State Building was at the time, with a 237m (778 ft), passenger-carrying rigid airship attached to its mast, offloading passengers from Germany. Wow!

This is but one of the 15 buildings and monuments on this list that carry hidden secrets. Others include Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil; the Grand Ballroom in Flinders Street Station in Melbourn, Australia; and the smallest police station in the world in London, England. 

There's also a host of other famous landmarks in the US, including Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, the Niagra Falls, the Lincoln Memorial and more.

So, what are you waiting for? Smash the play button on the video by Top Fives on YouTube below to find out all about them!