Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.

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

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

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

A tiny monument to the unsuccessful attempt by Thomas Jefferson to place the prime meridian in Washington.

Daredevil repair workers can worm their way out the access hatch, loop ropes over the apex and rappel down the monument.

The monument's pointy aluminum tip has been melted down by repeated lightning strikes.

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

A computer bug so primitive it was an actual insect.

The National Park Service’s best-kept secret with views that rival any in D.C.

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

A monument in Washington D.C. marks the spot from which all other roads were supposed to stem.

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.

A rotating cast of guys and dolls in front of a Washington, D.C. building.

This imposing Masonic temple a mile from the White House was the first public library in Washington, D.C.

This unacceptably tall building was the real reason for Washington, D.C.'s skyscraper ban.

The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.

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.

There’s a hidden military meme engraved on the World War II Memorial.

An overlooked memorial honoring the local Washington residents who died in World War I.

On the Fourth of July this area will transform into a Pompeii-like storm of falling embers and ash.