The Washington Monument was completed in 1884 after nearly 40 years of delays and funding shortages

Go inside the Washington Monument

This video tour of the Washington Monument explores its interior, construction delays, political battles, memorial stones, earthquake damage, and later modernization—showing how symbolism, engineering, and 19th-century politics shaped the nation's tallest monument.

The unbuilt monuments of Washington, DC

The capital city of the United States famously was built in a swampy area, with dozens of memorials, monuments, and more spanning its vast and complex design. This video explores five monuments that were either built or were rejected as alternatives in the sprawling District of Columbia on the banks of the Potomac River.

The Lincoln Memorial was almost never built

The Memorial faced years of opposition from Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon, who blocked it for nearly a decade, arguing that the swampy land west of the Mall was an unfit and undignified site to honor Lincoln.

It took nearly a century to build the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Although Congress first authorized a national memorial to Black achievement in 1929, the National Museum of African American History and Culture did not open until 2016—after decades of stalled efforts, renewed legislation in 2003, and a prolonged fight over funding and location.

Washington, DC, was designed by French-born architect Pierre L'Enfant

Pierre Charles L'Enfant was an engineer who fought in the American Revolution. George Washington chose him to design the capital for his military service, artistic training, and vision of a monumental national city.

The White House reconstruction after its burning took only three years

After the 1814 fire, its original architect, James Hoban, oversaw reconstruction. Hoban reused some original sandstone walls, and timber replaced brick in interior partitions—a time-saving shortcut that weakened the structure, ultimately requiring another near-complete rebuild in 1948.

The National Mall's oldest building is the Lockkeeper's House

Built in 1837, the Lockkeeper's House is the oldest structure on the National Mall. It once served the lockkeeper of the Washington City Canal and of an extension of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, part of early plans to bring commercial waterways into the capital.

A look at the World War I memorial and its artist

Sabin Howard is the sculptor for the National World War I Memorial, soon to be installed in Washington, DC. This Smithsonian Magazine article talks to the artist and details his approach and style in designing the piece. The finished sculpture will tell the story of a young WWI American soldier across five scenes featuring 38 larger-than-life figures, stretching out over 60 feet and standing at 10 feet.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

The US finished what the French had started with Panama's canal

For about two decades, Suez Canal-builder and Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps led the project, but financial troubles forced it into the hands of the US, who completed it in 1914. This timeline, made to accompany the definitive PBS American Experience documentary about the canal, highlights major moments in its construction.

The Sears Tower was the world’s tallest building for about 25 years

Originally constructed in 1970, the Sears Tower in Chicago was later renamed the Willis Tower shortly after Sears headquarters moved out of the building.

Washington's whiskey distillery at Mount Vernon was one of the largest in the country

By 1799, Mount Vernon's distillery produced nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey annually, making it one of the largest commercial distilleries in the United States during Washington's lifetime and a significant source of income for the estate.

The Vietnam Women's Memorial was the first monument to American military women on the Mall

Dedicated in 1993, the Vietnam Women's Memorial became the first monument on the National Mall honoring American military women and recognizing the estimated 11,000 women who served in Vietnam.

The 2017 Women's March was one of the largest protests in the Mall's history

Held the day after Donald Trump's inauguration, the 2017 Women's March drew an estimated 470,000 to 500,000 people to Washington, DC, and 3 million to 5 million nationwide. It is widely regarded as the largest single-day protest in US history.

A history of the White House fence

Since it was occupied in 1800 by Thomas Jefferson, the White House has had a fence. From the original wooden post-and-rail fence to today's 13-foot high steel barrier, check out this brief timeline of the White House fence from the the building's...

Long after his death, Washington was made the highest-ranking military figure in US history

Only three Americans have held the rank of General of the Armies: John J. Pershing, Ulysses S. Grant, and Washington. However, Washington still outranks the others because Congress passed a 1976 law stating that he outranks all officers "past or present."

How the Golden Gate Bridge was constructed

San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is one of America's most iconic structures and is considered to be an engineering marvel. Built in 1930's, before the advent of modern construction technology, the structure was considered impossible by contemporary standards.

The Manhattan Project was one of the most expensive undertakings of World War II

Building the first atomic weapons required hundreds of thousands of workers, vast secret facilities, and enormous spending. This 1998 study details the full cost of the Manhattan Project and compares it to other major US wartime expenditures.

Before Alex Honnold completed his free solo climb of Taipei 101, 'French Spider-Man' scaled the building

Alain Robert completed his climb of the massive skyscraper in 2004, 22 years before Honnold. The crucial difference, though, was that Robert used safety ropes for his ascent. Honnold, on the other hand, completed it "free solo," meaning he climbed the building without any equipment beyond some shoes and a pouch of chalk for his hands.

Why only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still exists

Greek writers recorded lists of great structures that were later codified by Renaissance writers. The definitive list includes the Colossus of Rhodes, the Giza Pyramid (the only existing one today), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Scientists are still confused how Machu Picchu was built

Machu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca city high in the Andes, continues to fascinate experts with its mysteries. The methods used to transport and carve its massive stones—some weighing 15 tons—remain unclear. Theories range from hundreds of men dragging the stones to innovative techniques like using expanding wet wooden wedges for precision carving.

Key moments that shaped the national debt include the Civil War, both World Wars, the 2008 recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic

The US national debt has grown alongside wars, recessions, and policy shifts—from $75M after the Revolutionary War to over $34T today. This visual timeline walks through key moments that shaped the debt.

Eleven architects collaborated to create the UN building in NYC

Renowned leaders in the field, accustomed to control over their projects, had to work together to complete the building. This quick article explores the tensions and cooperation of the architects to complete the UN building.

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

Mary Cassatt's mural from the 1893 World's Fair mysteriously disappeared

The massive mural was called "Modern Woman" and was displayed in the Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, better known as the Chicago World's Fair. When the fair closed in October of that year, the mural was put into storage, but it later went missing. It hasn't been located since. All that remains are black and white photos of it, like the one below.

Hosting the World Cup requires massive investments in infrastructure

Since the 1990s, those costs have crept into the billions. Cities are able to sell the high price tag with promises of jobs and tourism dollars, but long-term studies showed the promises were often overstated.

Saudi Arabia eyes a 75-mile-long skyscraper

The Mirror Line will consist of two mirrored buildings, crossing mountain and desert terrain. It’s part of a development called Neom, which will be roughly the same size as Massachusetts.

The US Constitution is widely regarded as the longest-standing written national constitution still in force—see how it has influenced rights worldwide.

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

The Mona Lisa's celebrity status and repeated restorations have obscured what made the painting so revolutionary for its time

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

The US first hosted the World Cup in 1994, a tournament that lives in soccer infamy for its poor planning and the murder of Colombian player Andres Escobar, who'd accidentally scored on his own net.

Abraham Lincoln was almost assassinated weeks before his inauguration as he traveled from Illinois to DC through Baltimore in 1861; it took two independent claims for Lincoln to be convinced the threat was real

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.

Roughly 43 million US borrowers owe roughly $1.7T in student debt, the second-largest source of consumer debt behind mortgages.

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

Learn more about the history of fireworks, which dates back to an accidental invention during an alchemist's quest for information about immortality.

In 1945, Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and legendary animator Walt Disney began collaborating on a short film that was not completed until 2003, years after both men had died.

The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with Cuba since its 1959 revolution, highlighted by a nuclear crisis and a decades-long trade embargo.

See a 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was home to an estimated population of 200,000 to 400,000.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

The identity of the Tank Man in the iconic photo from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests remains unknown and was possibly killed.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak is hampered by a lack of vaccine against the species of the virus, heightening the need for rapid tests to aid in disease control.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

See photos of Meteora, a mountainous site in central Greece, home to 14th-century monasteries perched atop soaring outcroppings.

The first image of a black hole was captured by creating an Earth-sized virtual observatory from a network of eight radio telescopes.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.