The Mormon Tabernacle's unique shape is so acoustically sensitive that a pin dropped in the pulpit can be clearly heard at the back of the hall - 170 feet away! The idea for the Tabernacle's egg-like shape, according to legend, came to Mormon leader Brigham Young while contemplating a hollowed-out egg shell cracked lengthwise. Young wanted the Tabernacle roof to be self supporting, without pillars or posts to block audience views. So, the 150-foot-wide domed roof was created by using steam to bend the wood planks, which were then lashed together with rawhide thongs and wooden pegs.

Learn more about the Mormon Tabernacle.