Why This Manhole Cover In Idaho Is Dubbed The ‘Center Of The Universe’ | Sunday TODAY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2019
- In this week’s Sunday Closer, NBC’s Harry Smith travels to Wallace, Idaho, to find out why a manhole cover in an intersection is the self-proclaimed “Center of the Universe.”
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Why This Manhole Cover In Idaho Is Dubbed The ‘Center Of The Universe’ | Sunday TODAY
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Our family moved to Wallace about a month ago from Seattle -- which, incidentally, has a neighborhood that also claims to be the Center of the Universe. Wallace is a terrific little town where the people are friendly, our kiddo can wander around without a worry, and we can leave our doors unlocked at night. It's pure Americana here.
The re-dedication event was a lot of fun. I got to talk to Harry Smith before the festivities started and got my picture taken with him. He, too, seemed like a very friendly, down-to-earth kind of guy.
What the story left out was that the Center of the Universe designation came about as a way for the town to thumb its nose at the EPA. When the EPA expanded a Superfund site that threatened local property values, the agency couldn't say whether the pollution they came to clean up was from old mining activity or naturally occurring. Wallace's mayor at the time rounded up every TV station he could and declared that, likewise, since it couldn't be disproven that Wallace is the Center of the Universe, it therefore must be the Center of the Universe.
Thing is, the locals don't trust the feds all that much. Not only did the federal government try to demolish downtown Wallace to make way for I-90, but raids and threats of raids ended the town's long-running gambling businesses and red-light district. Wallace lost those battles, but it did manage to get I-90 routed around town, by getting the entire downtown placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Where there's a will, there's a way, and not only are the folks in Wallace pretty ingenious, tough, and resilient, but things like the Center of the Universe proclamation prove they have a pretty good sense of humor too.
To the guy a few posts down who thinks the whole thing is dumb, trust me, it's all in good fun. Maybe you can come visit one day, get some locally brewed beer, eat at one of our restaurants, stay overnight in a historic hotel, and maybe even grab some souvenirs on your way out. Just watch for the folks running out into the street to take their picture at the Center of the Universe. We tend to stop and let them take their time posing.
Still digging Wallace? It’s my favorite place to visit on the way to MT from Seattle.
Thanks for sharing this piece of history and information. Sounds like a terrific place to live and the type if folks I would get along with very well.
I always wondered where the “Centre of the Universe” was. My congratulations to the residents of Wallace....you ought to be proud. One more place on my bucket list to visit. Thank you for letting us know ...guaranteed you’ll see lots of tourists in town.
Apparently the novelty of being the "Dante's Peak" town has worn off.
Want proof we were there? The guy with the top of the head moving the cone at :56 to :59...yep, that's me. I had actually moved the cones to the side for a second to get a better picture of the manhole cover LOL.
Congratulations, your famous XD
Wow, I now know someone famous.
Want to see more of Wallace? Watch the hit movie "Dantes Peak". A great deal of it was filmed in Wallace. Sadly, the volcano blows Wallace away!
Haha that was fun! We were just there and did a video on Wallace but somehow we missed that awesome manhole cover! Now we gotta go back! 🤣
And not to mention, Wallace was the filming location of the 1997 disaster movie Dante's Peak starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton.
I see my old social studies teacher in it and some people that I go to school with
My second home! My Mom grew up there.
What a cool town!
That's actually called the argument from ignorance
yo this is my town
Back in 2012 I stumbled upon the center of the universe while on a road trip, they have great pulled pork at the restaurant at that corner
Wait no WAY!!!! The Center of the Universe is Ashland, VA. We even have COTU brewery to prove it! :-)
Just one problem. The place is flying through the solar system at 67,000mph. It's not even a stationary point.
I suppose this is a rather grandiose exercise in the power of belief? Curious. Nice place, Wallace. And decent people.
i love this WAY TO GO WALLACE WOOOT
Of course it is
The center of the universe is in Tulsa, Oklahoma! Don't believe me? Look it up.
google the history of prostitution in Wallace, interesting story.
All you have to do is find 0 latitude and 0 longitude on the globe, then multiply that times .360 degrees x whatever angle of the nearest black hole.. - away the angle of nearest sun from the earth.
that will tell you the center of the universe. Sorry to sound so nerdy, but it’s the way to find the true center..
very American
dont you mean idahoan
🥃
And the center of the Universe is Mar-a-Lago.
Yeah. No, and it's stupid for you to even write that.
#IRAQ