The Taj Mahal, built to commemorate a Mughal emperor’s favorite wife, isn’t the only architectural marvel with a romantic (if tragic) backstory. Throughout history, people have expressed their love with large-scale construction projects—because sometimes flowers and a box of chocolates don’t quite cut it. Here are eight monuments to love in its various forms.

1. BOLDT CASTLE // NEW YORK

Boldt Castle, located on Heart Island in Alexandria Bay, New York, is a beautiful building with a tragic story. In 1900 George Boldt, proprietor of New York City’s famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, commissioned a team of over 300 workers to build a 120-room castle as a gift to his wife, Louise. George’s love for his wife was so great that he spared no expense in the design, which included tunnel systems, Italian gardens, and a drawbridge.

In 1904, Louise Boldt died of “apparent heart failure” (although there are rumors of a drug overdose) and George ordered that construction stop immediately. Unable to imagine living in the meticulously planned house without the love of his life, Boldt abandoned the project. He never returned to Heart Island.

For 73 years the castle sat as an unfinished memorial to his lost love, falling into disrepair. In 1977 the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the site and opened the castle to the public, using funds earned from tours to restore the building to its intended glory.

2. MYSTERY CASTLE // ARIZONA

In the foothills of South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona, sits the Mystery Castle, built in the 1930s by a man named Boyce Luther Gully. Originally from Seattle, Gully had a daughter, Mary Lou, whom he often entertained with tales of castles and dragons. He’d even promised to one day build her a castle. But when Mary Lou was 5, Gully received a diagnosis of tuberculosis, a fatal disease back then. Gully dealt with the news by setting off for Arizona without telling his daughter—or the rest of his family—where he was going.

But in 1945, when Mary Lou was 22, she received a letter from her father. He wrote from his deathbed to tell her he’d built her a castle. Despite everything, he’d kept his word: Employed part-time as a shoe salesman to afford building materials, Boyce had labored alone to build an assortment of towers and rooms out of stone, cement, car parts, and other salvaged materials. He also made frequent trips over the border to Mexico to shop for decorations.

Shortly after receiving the letter, Mary Lou and her mother relocated from Seattle to Arizona to take up residence in the amazing architectural curiosity—an 18-room multi-level stone mansion full of secret compartments stuffed with coins, jewelry, and even gold nuggets. The Mystery Castle had no electricity or running water when they moved in, so Mary Lou and her mother had to shower at a nearby gas station.

Boyce also installed a trap door that he instructed was not to be opened until 1948. When the day arrived, Mary Lou found a time capsule of sorts—complete with a picture of her father, a note he’d written to Mary Lou, two $500 bills, and a Valentine’s Day card that she’d given to him as a child.

Mary Lou lived in the Mystery Castle until her death in 2010, and often gave guided tours. Today, the castle is open for tours Thursday through Sunday.

3. DOBROYD CASTLE // ENGLAND

The couple behind Dobroyd Castle in Todmorden, England, may have been doomed from the start.

John Fielden was the son of a wealthy mill owner who fell in love with a working-class weaver named Ruth Stansfield. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, but reportedly only on the stipulation that he build her a castle.

Most men would probably have taken the hint, but Fielden called her bluff and agreed. They married in 1857, and in 1866 Fielden hired architect John Gibson to design and built the castle. With 66 rooms, stables for 17 horses, and the monogram “JFR” carved in a dozen locations around the building, you could hardly say it was a subtle gesture of love.

However, it wasn’t exactly an enduring love. John soon decided that in order to climb the social ladder, he ought to send his wife to a finishing school in Switzerland. That evidently didn’t sit well with Ruth, since upon her return she became more and more alienated from her husband until her death in 1877. John, who had been crippled by a horse in 1873, remarried soon thereafter (this time to a lady of higher social standing) and remained in the castle until his death in 1893.

Since then, Dobroyd Castle has served as a boys’ school, a Buddhist centre, and most recently an activity center for school groups.

4. CORAL CASTLE // FLORIDA

A sign carved in stone at the entrance to Coral Castle reads “You Will Be Seeing Unusual Accomplishment.” It’s an accurate statement, but it certainly doesn’t tell you the whole story.

Edward Leedskalnin was 26 years old in 1913 and living in Riga, Latvia, when he got engaged to the love of his life, Agnes Scuffs, who was then 16. One day before their wedding, however, Agnes called the whole thing off. A heartbroken Edward spent a few years moving between Canada, California, and Texas before settling in Florida in 1918. There he decided to start building a monument to his unrequited love—something that would become a lifelong project.

He began building huge coral rock sculptures in his Florida City home, but in 1936 bought 10 acres of land in nearby Homestead and relocated the entire project himself. By 1940, he had single-handedly created an incredible structure complete with towers, fountains, ornate furniture, and sculptures. In all, it’s estimated he sculpted around 1100 tons of coral rock using only rudimentary tools and a series of pulleys and levers. The feat is particularly impressive considering he was only a little over 5 feet tall and weighed around 100 pounds—and reportedly worked only at night to maintain his privacy.

5. SWALLOW’S NEST CASTLE // CRIMEA

Like something from a gothic horror, the castle known as Swallow’s Nest looms over a cliff edge overlooking the Crimean Sea. The original building on the site was a wooden structure, constructed in 1895 and named “The Castle of Love.” But it’s unclear whether it was built for the love of a woman, love of country, or simply as a place for romantic escapades.

The Castle of Love’s second owner was A.K. Tobin, the doctor to the tsar, who gifted the castle to his wife. She sold it in 1903 and the property changed hands a few more times until 1911, when German oil man Baron von Steinhel became the owner. The homesick Baron had the wooden structure demolished and a new stone structure built in its stead. Evoking his love of the Neo-Gothic architecture of his homeland, the impressive building still hangs over the edge of the cliff today, having even survived an earthquake in 1927. Its striking aesthetic even made appearances in several Soviet films.

Since the ’70s though, it’s been operated as an Italian restaurant—surely the setting for many a romantic evening.

6. THE PETIT TRIANON // FRANCE

You may have noticed a pattern with many of these romantic structures: they rarely turn out according to plan. The Petit Trianon is no exception.

Designed in 1762 by Ange-Jacques Gabriel at the request of Louis XV, the Petit Trianon was originally built for the king’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour. Destined for Versailles park, it was meant to mirror the pre-existing Marble Trianon (subsequently renamed The Grand Trianon) building already on the estate, and was greatly influenced by the “Greek Style” then sweeping Europe.

Sadly, Madame de Pompadour died four years before the building was finished, and upon its completion in 1768 it was given to her successor, Madame du Barry. She occupied and decorated the home until Louis XV’s death in 1774.

Louis XVI then took the throne and gifted the Petit Trianon to his young wife—and arguably the most famous inhabitant of the palace—Marie-Antoinette. During the French Revolution, the Trianon became a hostel, before none other than Napoleon Bonaparte had the palace restored for his sister, Pauline.

In 1867, Empress Eugénie (wife of Napoleon III and a Marie-Antoinette fanatic) converted the Petit Trianon into a museum dedicated to the life and memory of Marie-Antoinette. It continues to serve that function to this day.

7. ASHTON MEMORIAL // ENGLAND

Known locally as the “Taj Mahal of the North,” the Ashton Memorial sits on top of a hill in Williamson Park in Lancaster, England. Local millionaire and industrialist Lord Ashton (sometimes called “the Lino King of Lancaster”) had the 150-foot structure built in memory of his second wife Jessie, who died in 1904.

Designed by Sir John Belcher and built using Portland stone with a copper dome, the memorial has been open to the public since 1909 and provides incredible panoramic views of the nearby bays. The memorial also hosts occasional art exhibitions, concerts, and, of course, weddings.

It’s perhaps worth noting that despite spending the equivalent of about $9 million in today’s money on the memorial, Lord Ashton remarried a few months before the building was opened to the public.

8. KODAI-JI TEMPLE // JAPAN

The oldest structure on this list—Kodai-Ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan—is also the only one masterminded by a woman.

Built in 1606 and officially named Kodaiji-jushozenji Temple, the ornate structure was established by Kita-no-Mandokoro in memory of her husband, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who died in 1598. Kita-no-Mandokoro later became a priestess at the temple and assumed the name Kodaiin Kogetsuni. She stayed at the temple until her death in 1624.

The temple today consists of an ornate garden (said to have been designed by the legendary landscape artist Kobori Enshū), a main building that was rebuilt in 1912 after extensive fire damage, and the Otama-ya—a sanctuary with shrines dedicated to both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Kita-no-Mandokoro. The temple also houses a Jinbaori (a coat worn over armor) that once belonged to Hideyoshi, woven with gold and silver thread.

The temple gardens are a nationally designated historic site and many of the items in the shrine are considered by Japan to be important cultural assets. Fittingly, both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Kita-no-Mandokoro are also buried onsite.

Whether your literary tastes lean more toward Pride and Prejudice or Fifty Shades of Grey, books can have a powerful effect on one’s own set of romantic ideals. Which is why the New York Public Library is a fan of February 14th and has created a unique way for you to share your love—of literature and that special someone in your life—this Valentine’s Day.

The NYPL wants you to “Send Some Library Love” via a conversation heart e-card, each one emblazoned with a library-themed message like “Check Me Out,” “Talk Wordy to Me,” or “You’re On Hold.” To send your own e-card, log onto the NYPL’s website, choose your preferred sentiment, personalize it with a message, hit send, and hope for your own storybook ending.

You may remember recreating the planets from Styrofoam spheres in your elementary school science class, but Adam Makarenko takes that concept to the next level by branching outside our solar system to create hyper-realistic exoplanet models.

According to Vocativ, the Toronto-based photographer uses Styrofoam or plaster to craft each miniature world by hand. His exoplanet series evolved from an earlier project in which he built models of deep-space probes. He started building planets to hang in the backgrounds of those pictures, and soon enough his celestial creations became the focus of the work.

Because Makarenko is drawing inspiration from planets at least a few light years from our own, he takes a few artistic liberties with the landscapes he recreates. That being said, he does make an effort to incorporate the available information, Vocativ reports.

After constructing an exoplanet in stunning detail, his final step is taking a photograph that envisions the body in space. His images, showcased on Instagram, include details like rings, moons, stars, and volcanic eruptions on the surfaces of his planets. Makarenko plans to release a book highlighting some of his most impressive pieces in the future. He also hopes to build models of 1000 exoplanets—and with the number of known exoplanets growing each year, he won’t have worry about running out of material if he wishes to keep going.

[h/t Vocativ]

Header/banner images: iStock.

Looking for a way to spice up your love language? Snuggle up with these 14 idioms, slang terms, and sayings from the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) on how to get it on all over the United States.

1. HOTTER THAN DUTCH LOVE

Used in the North to mean hot weather or a hot relationship. Also used, according to quotes in DARE, in regards to coffee or “when somebody can’t figure out what is going on at a neighbor’s house, for a gathering that looks hotter’n Dutchlove.” Why Dutch love is particularly passionate isn’t clear. There’s also the inexplicable Dutch kiss, which involves holding onto either both ears or an ear and the nose of the kissee.

2. CUPID’S CRAMP

A term that means amorous infatuation. According to a 1961 book called The Old-Time Cowhand, “If there was a pretty daughter the whole range would soon be sufferin’ with Cupid’s cramp.”

3. BETWATTLED

Yet another way to say infatuated. Betwattled also means “confused, distressed, bewildered, stupid.” A 1927 quote describes it as an “excellent and common term” that refers to when a person is so in love he or she is “unable to use good judgment.” Still more terms for “infatuated” include beany, cranky about, struck on, and case, as in “to have a case on someone.”

4. DROP ONE’S WING

This saying meaning to make affectionate advances or to flirt with may be heard in Georgia. Comparable is to wing down, which is British English dialect and means to court or pay attention to.

5. FEIST

In the south Appalachians, flirting might be called feisting, which also involves strutting and moving “so as to draw attention to oneself.” Feist may be related to the energetic and excitable feisty, which comes from the American English feist, a small dog.

6. GALLANT

To gallant in the South and South Midland means to court or flirt, or to escort (someone). According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), an earlier adjectival sense of gallant is gorgeous or showy, and comes from the Old French galant, meaning “courteous.”

7. HONEYFUGGLE

Engaging in some public display of affection? You’re honeyfuggling. Some might say it means to make “too much of a show of affection in a public place.” Honeyfuggle has a slew of other meanings as well, including to swindle or dupe; to flatter; to “snuggle up to”; and to lure or entice. The term might be a variance of connyfogle, an English dialectal that means to hoodwink or coax with flattery.

8. LOLLYGAG (AROUND)

Another term for out-in-the-open hanky-panky, as well as to neck, flirt, or gush. To lollygag around can also mean to loiter or chatter idly. As a noun, lollygag can refer to nonsense or idle talk, and can also be used as a term of disparagement. The plural, lollygags, means “airs, affections, love-making.”

9., 10., AND 11. QUAKER FIP, DUTCH NICKEL, AND YANKEE DIME

All terms for kisses, and all based on old-timey stereotypical beliefs about thriftiness. It was believed Quakers, the Dutch, and Yankees (that is, northerners) were so frugal, they’d rather drop a peck on the cheek than respectively, a fip (which is a small thing or trifle), nickel, or dime.

Fip, by the way, is a shortening of fippenny bit, a six-cent coin “that circulated in the eastern U.S. before 1857,” according to DARE. For Quaker fip (also called Quaker nickel) DARE has quotes from Illinois and Ohio, and for Dutch nickel, Texas, Kentucky, and Missouri. Meanwhile, Yankee dime is primarily used in the South and South Midland, especially Alabama.

12. BUSS

This kissing word is chiefly used as a noun in the Midland states and as a verb in the South Midland. The OED describes a buss as “a loud or vigorous” kiss, and says it might be imitative in origin.

13. SCHMUTZ

While schmutz might be more known for its Yiddish or German meaning (dirt or filth), in the Pennsylvania-German area it means to kiss. According to a book called Ferhoodled English: Curious and Amusing Pennsylvania Dutch Talk, while “‘Knoatching und Schmutzing’ may not sound very romantic to us,” to the “young folks in the Pennsylvania Dutch country it means hugging and kissing.” Schmutz meaning to kiss comes from the Pennsylvania-German schmutze, “to kiss,” while schmutz meaning dirt comes from the German schmutzen, “to make dirty.” It’s not clear if the two are related.

14. GUMSUCK

This rather old-fashioned—and revolting—idiom for kissing might have been heard back in the day in Kentucky, Tennessee (“coupled with neck-sawing,” whatever neck-sawing is), and Georgia. In John Bartlett’s Dictionary of Americanisms (1877), “a friend” informs the editor that “he first heard it at Princeton College, in 1854, and thinks it may be a Jersey word.”

This May, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be ending their 146-year run with one final show at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island. As the famous circus company shutters its traveling doors (a result of high costs and dipping ticket sales), Illinois State University’s Milner Library is working to preserve the industry’s unique culture. The library has spent years protecting circus history by digitizing thousands of posters, photographs, and Kodachrome slides. After receiving a $268,000 grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources, the library can now expand their online collection by digitizing over 300 circus route books spanning from 1842 to 1969. The project, which will take about three years, will help preserve the legacy of the circus for generations to come.

Circus route books are usually written at the end of a season and give a detailed summary of the circus’s goings-on. They chronicle everything from the crowd sizes to the names of performers and crew. Being able to read these extensive works gives readers a good sense of what happened at the shows, even if they weren’t able to attend themselves. “It seeps into your soul, holding that letter,” Maureen Brunsdale, Milner Library’s head of special collections and rare books told Smithsonian. “[The route books] gives us a real snapshot of what the circus looked like.”

In order to get these books online for the circus-curious public, the library is teaming up with two other big-time circus history collections: Circus World in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. Together, the trio will work to digitize 315 route books so that readers can peruse the collection by specific names, circus shows, and towns.

Milner Library’s Circus and Allied Arts Collection was founded in 1955 as a means to document the relationship between Bloomington-Normal (twin cities in Central Illinois) and the circus. In the 1870s, trapeze artists set up a community and would practice in barns in the Bloomington area. Today, the library has over 8000 books, making it possibly the largest circus collection on Earth.

While the route books are slowly being uploaded, you can take some time and enjoy the library’s Passion of the Circus digital collection, which is filled with Sverre O. Braathen’s Kodachromes and black and white photographs from the 1930s through 1960s. The images can be sorted by performer names, circuses, locations, stage names, and subjects. The highly addicting collection is perfect for nostalgic circus lovers who need a fix before their next Big Top show. 

[h/t Smithsonian.com]

Used with permission from Illinois State University’s Special Collections, Milner Library.

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Hacking into the Pentagon usually leads to dire consequences, but the 80 tech experts who tried to do so this past month weren’t just encouraged to do so—they were paid. As Bloomberg reports, the pilot project was part of an investigation from the Pentagon’s Defense Digital Service (DDS) into the safety of their internal systems.

Given the importance of the undertaking, the Pentagon took every precaution possible. The “file transfer mechanism” the hackers were given permission to access wasn’t the real system, but a convincing simulation. The real version is what the department uses to send sensitive and sometimes classified emails, documents, and images to different networks. They also secured each hacker’s laptop to prevent unauthorized users from entering the simulation that way.

When the initiative launched on January 11, DDS “bureaucracy hacker” Lisa Wiswell expected at least a week to pass before the team found any vulnerabilities. She told Bloomberg that it only took a few hours for a hacker to identify the first gap in the system.

The Pentagon first invited tech experts to test their cybersecurity last year when they announced the Hack the Pentagon program. For that initiative, any U.S. citizen could apply for authorization to dig for weaknesses in the Department of Defense’s public websites. More than 1400 hackers took part in that “bug bounty” contest, with 138 of them reporting legitimate vulnerabilities.

This latest project differs in a major way: Instead of sifting through public websites, anonymous hackers looked for flaws in one of the Pentagon’s internal systems. The anonymous hackers are prohibited from revealing any details about their findings, but the DDS says they’re currently resolving any problems that were discovered.

[h/t Bloomberg]