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.

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

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

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

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.

A museum dedicated to exhibiting remarkable outsider art.

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.

According to folklore, Vermont's slanted windows were installed to keep witches from flying into the house.

Infamous marsh filled with toxic waste, World War II-era London rubble, and dead mobsters galore.

A bronze plaque at an intersection in Hoboken marks the place where the game of baseball first took shape.

This unassuming retro burger joint was billed as “diner of the future” at the 1939 World's Fair.

This old-fashioned candy shop, ice cream parlor, and diner served as the setting for one of TV's most controversial series finales.

A tribute to the beloved, kind-hearted "homeless mayor" of Silver Spring.

Live data is transmitted from the Atlantic coast to instantly recreate the ocean waves in this fountain at the NOAA headquarters.

An astounding collection of medical specimens, including bits of President Lincoln.

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

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

This nine-story building is the oldest standing skyscraper in D.C.

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

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.

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

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

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.