Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.

The most decorated dog of World War I is preserved in the Smithsonian.

This taxidermy horse was a Civil War hero.

A heroic pigeon that, through a barrage of gunfire, delivered a message that saved over 100 lives in World War I.

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.

For 60 years, the academy had no permanent location until members voted Washington D.C. as its forever home.

The story behind this beloved toy—named for Theodore Roosevelt and owned by his grandson—is more complicated than you might guess.

This mysterious structure by the Washington Monument is a flood barrier designed to protect the White House against rising waters.

A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.

The grand marble structure next to the White House is Andrew Carnegie's temple to Pan-American diplomacy.

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution written entirely from vanity license plates hangs in the Smithsonian museum.

A three-story tower of books about Abraham Lincoln is one of the more unusual monuments to the president.

The hippo that stands on this university campus was once a drunken flea market purchase.

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”

The first presidential bomb shelter was located in an old vault under the Treasury, connected to the White House via tunnel.

D.C. once had its own tiny rival to the New York Stock Exchange.

This restaurant has been a haven for D.C.'s LGBTQ community since the 1950s.

Was there a small "backpack nuke" hidden in the attic? JFK apparently thought so.

The sculptor was instructed to add “stallion attributes” to the general's bronze mare.

The word "Watergate" will forever be associated with the infamous scandal in 1972, but this fountain is famous in its own right.

When it opened during the final years of the embargo, all the drinks and cigars were free.

Also known as the Founding Church of Scientology.

An amazing example of early-20th-century architecture, this church features marble transported from Utah.

Behind an abandoned storefront is an example of pioneering 1930s gas station architecture.