3899 Items Tagged

History

Cutaway watercolors of the present day dome

Washington, D.C.

Inside the Capitol Dome

The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.

Permanently Closed

Typical intersection.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Freight Tunnels

A century-old network of freight tunnels underneath the city's historic business district.

OAS building in February, 2017

Washington, D.C.

Organization of American States Building

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

Plaque commemorating the fake altercation.

Lowell, Massachusetts

Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs Fight Plaque

The two writers famously didn't come to blows over the Oxford comma.

The Chemical Treatment Tower

Washington, D.C.

Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower

Every drop of D.C. tap water flows through this old waterworks.

Main entrance

Washington, D.C.

Carnegie Library of Washington, D.C.

D.C.'s first central library was born out of a chance encounter with the philanthropist whose name it bears.

Rota the lion at the Lightner Museum.

St. Augustine, Florida

Sir Winston Churchill's Lion 'Rota'

A lion given to the prime minister somehow got stuffed and sent to Florida.

Union Arch Bridge, today.

Cabin John, Maryland

Union Arch Bridge

The bridge's highly-contested plaque (once again) honors Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Library of Congress Card Catalog

Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress Card Catalog

A nostalgic bibliographic gem.

Permanently Closed

Liberty Bell Shrine, with a replica of the Liberty Bell, in the basement of Zion's Memorial Church, 1962

Allentown, Pennsylvania

The Liberty Bell Hiding Place

The famous bell was secreted away and hidden in a church in Allentown during the British occupation of Philadelphia.

When Beethoven was writing, was he listening to his heart?

The Surprisingly Stubborn Theory That Beethoven's Heartbeat Influenced His Music

For decades, doctors have been trying to use a few sonatas to diagnose the composer with cardiac arrhythmia.

Cara Giaimo February 16, 2017

Abandoned Hydroelectric Plant from Early 1900's

Richmond, Virginia

Ruins of Belle Isle

A small Richmond island dotted with the remnants of hundreds of years of history.

Concealed in the creases of this fan are the details of the race on February 20, 1892 at Ellerslie.

objects of intrigue

Between the Folds of This Silk Fan Is a 19th-Century Horse Racing Program

Stop sweating, start betting.

Lauren Young February 14, 2017

A cartographic mystery.

The Enduring Mystery of the 'Fool's Cap Map of the World'

The full meaning of this 16th-century illustration may never be understood.

Lauren Young February 13, 2017

The Rogers Vault

Washington, D.C.

Treasury Department Cash Vault

Where the U.S. government kept its actual treasure, before Fort Knox.

A modern-day silphium plant, named after its ancient analogue.

The Original Seed Pod That May Have Inspired the Heart Shape

This historical botanical theory has its roots in ancient contraceptive practices.

Cara Giaimo February 13, 2017

Permanently Closed

Brickyard structures

Washington, D.C.

United Brick Corporation Ruins

Once the supplier for noteworthy projects like the National Cathedral, this old brickworks now lies abandoned.

A 1921 valentine.

The Rude, Cruel, and Insulting 'Vinegar Valentines' of the Victorian Era

Nothing like getting surprise hate mail from a would-be lover on February 14.

Natalie Zarrelli February 6, 2023