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Time Capsule Tales

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Feb 25

10 things you didn't know about Fort Knox

(a thread 🧵)

1. Fort Knox Was Named For The First US Secretary Of War

The first fortifications at the future location of Fort Knox were established during the American Civil War. Located in Kentucky, the site served as a military outpost from the late 19th century until the first World War.

In 1918, the government set up an artillery training facility on 40,000 acres of land in Kentucky and named it Camp Henry Knox, after the first Secretary of War.

After World War I ended, the number of troops at the camp was reduced, with part of the land briefly becoming a national forest.

In 1931, Camp Knox became permanent home to the Mechanized Cavalry, and in 1932, the name changed to Fort Knox.

2. Very Few People Have Seen The Gold At Fort Knox

In August 2017, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin visited the gold vault at Fort Knox and, along with a few other politicians, surveyed the site. Kentucky congressman Brett Guthrie also made the trip, and issued the following statement:

"It was an honor to join Secretary Mnuchin, Governor Bevin, and Senator McConnell to visit the depository yesterday - the first time visitors have been allowed at the facility since members of Congress inspected the depository in 1974... I am glad to report that everything at the depository looked to be secure and in order."

The last Congressional visit prior to this occurred in 1974. To date, only one US president has been inside the vault - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who served as president when the US Bullion Depository within Fort Knox was established.

3. The Gold Vault Has A Door That Weighs 22 Tons

The gold vault at Fort Knox is "encased in 16,000 cubic feet of granite and 4,200 cubic yards of cement." The door weighs 22 tons and is 21 inches thick, and the roof is bomb proof.

The vault can withstand guns, blowtorches, and other incendiary devices.

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Time Capsule Tales

@timecaptales

Feb 14

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thread of U.S. presidents on their wedding day

1. John F. & Jackie Kennedy, 1953.

2. Rutherford B. & Lucy Hayes in Chillicothe, OH, on December 30, 1852.

3. Herbert & Lou Hoover, 1899.

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Time Capsule Tales

@timecaptales

Feb 8

Living in the White House might seem glamorous, but it comes with some strange quirks.

From secret rooms to bizarre rules, life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is weirder than you know

Here are some of the strangest things about living in the White House... (thread 🧵)

1. There Is No Private Entrance Or Exit To The Residence

It makes sense the first family can't just come and go as they please, but did you know, according to 'The Obamas' by Jodi Kantor, they do not have any private entrances or exits where they live?

It's one of the downsides to living in a combination fortress/museum.

Staff & tourists have access to the Diplomatic Reception Room - close to where the entrance to the White House bedrooms is located - during regular operating hours, so the first family has to crouch behind brown screens to avoid detection.

2. The West Wing Is Reportedly Full Of Roaches And Mice

In 2017, White House officials allegedly submitted numerous requests for repairs and new equipment.

But, as reported by NBC Washington's News4 I-Team, the most eye-opening one was for pest control to eradicate the mice getting into the Situation Room and the Navy's mess hall in the White House.

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Time Capsule Tales

@timecaptales

Feb 5

Fort Knox is the most secure vault in the world.

It holds 147 million ounces of gold, worth over $300 billion - or so they say.

Few have ever seen inside. Some claim it's empty. Others believe it hides something far more valuable than gold.

Here's the truth... (thread 🧵)

1. By the 1930s, the U.S. was stockpiling gold to stabilize the economy during the Great Depression. But where do you store thousands of tons of gold?

In 1936, Fort Knox was built in Kentucky, chosen for its central location & distance from coastal threats.

It was designed to be impenetrable - and it still is.

2. At its peak in 1941, Fort Knox held 649.6 million ounces of gold - about 75% of the world’s supply.

Today, it still contains 147.3 million ounces, worth over $300 billion.

The gold is stored in bars that weigh 27.5 pounds each - stacked in vaults behind a 20-ton blast-proof door.

At least, that’s what the U.S. government claims.

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Time Capsule Tales

@timecaptales

Jan 27

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day as well as the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

Millions of innocent lives were taken - but their stories must never be lost.

We remember, so history is never repeated - some of these images are difficult to view, but it is necessary that they are seen

1. Survivors of the Dachau concentration camp demonstrate the operation of the crematorium by dragging a corpse towards one of the ovens in a crematorium, 1945.

2. The bodies of former prisoners stacked outside the crematorium in the newly-liberated Buchenwald concentration camp, April 23, 1945.

3. The charred corpse of a prisoner killed by the SS in a barn just outside of Galdelegen, Germany, 1945.

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Time Capsule Tales

@timecaptales

Jan 26

Do you remember high school history or did you sleep during class?

Here are ten questions from a 10th-grade level U.S. history quiz to test your knowledge!

7/10 correct to pass

Key at the end

1. Which English colony was the first permanent settlement in North America?

2. What was the significance of the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison (1803)?

3. Which event marked the end of Reconstruction in 1877?

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