A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.

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

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

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

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

The little-known, 300-year history of the area includes former lives as a bustling tobacco port, parking lot, and industrial dump.

"Congress may voluntarily remain in session throughout the summer, in order that our Congressmen may be protected from the intolerable discomforts and dangers of the ordinary outdoor weather!”

A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

This forgotten boat elevator was an engineering marvel in its heyday.

Senators used to relax in the nearly forgotten marble tubs now hidden in the U.S. Capitol Building's basement.

This robust fence in front of a historic Georgetown home is likely made from hundreds of recycled Revolutionary War firearms.

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.

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

Go take a picture with the inventor of the daguerreotype photographic process.

This poor little statue is the most vandalized memorial in Washington.

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.

The remains of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, serve as a tool to educate about conservation.

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

Light bulbs, scrap wood, and tinfoil comprise this homemade throne of the gods.

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.

Obscure Freemasons still live in D.C.’s largest private residence.

Decades before the scandal, this staircase on the river was a literal "water gate."

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

Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman president.