As our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. is filled with numerous historically significant landmarks, from the White House to the Washington Monument (once the tallest building in the world) and the Smithsonian museums of the National Mall. These buildings, monuments, and memorials are surely all familiar sights, but how much do you really know about them? Here are seven fascinating facts about D.C. landmarks you may not have known.

Look Closely and You’ll See the Washington Monument Has Two Types of Stone

Opened in 1888, the 555-foot-tall monument dedicated to President George Washington is the capital’s tallest concrete structure. But look closely at its stone, and you might notice something askew. Due to funding issues, the initial work on the obelisk had to be paused in 1856. After considerable discussion, Congress deemed the project sufficiently important to use public money, and the build kicked off again in 1876. But there was one problem: The original stone from a quarry in Texas, Maryland, was no longer available. Fortunately, a substitute called Cockeysville marble was found from another Maryland quarry. While the two types of stone initially appeared identical, over time, they haven’t weathered evenly, so visitors can clearly see where one kind ends and the other begins.    

An 1829 Inauguration Party at the White House Got Way Out of Hand

When Andrew Jackson was elected to be the seventh President of the United States, he was considered an outsider, as a military hero from Nashville with limited experience in politics. And Jackson’s first term in office certainly kicked off in an unusual way. After his inauguration in March 1829, he hosted an open house at the White House, as was the tradition at the time, with around 20,000 people in attendance. However, some of the attendees had scant regard for the fixtures and fittings, clambering onto the furniture and leaving muddy footprints over the carpets. Despite the raucous nature of the party, the police weren’t called. Instead, bathtubs filled with orange juice and whiskey were hauled out onto the lawn to entice revelers to follow, while Jackson waited it out in a nearby hotel until it was safe to come back.

There’s a Legendary Demon Cat of the U.S. Capitol

Some believe that the U.S. Capitol is haunted. According to legend, several ghosts reportedly hang out here, including a wounded Civil War soldier who wanders around Statuary Hall and a former Kentucky congressman who’s allegedly been seen in a stairwell. But the most famous legend is that of the grimalkin, a demon cat, sightings of which have been reported since the 1890s. Believers note that the facinorous feline has an uncanny tendency to appear just before something bad happens, such as the stock market crash of 1929 or JFK’s assassination in 1963. There is even a set of paw prints visible in the floor of the Small Senate Rotunda outside the Old Supreme Court Chamber. Of course, there’s a more logical explanation for all of it — perhaps simply a regular cat and some overly impressionable witnesses.

The Lincoln Memorial’s Design Has a Symbolic Meaning

The design of the Lincoln Memorial was a carefully considered one. The Parthenon in Greece inspired Henry Bacon’s vision, as the architect wanted to emphasize the importance of democracy. He also submitted sketches based around Mayan or Egyptian pyramids as an alternative. The final design features Abraham Lincoln’s statue within a building supported by 36 Doric columns, which represent the number of states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. Engraved into the marble above the columns are the names of the 48 contiguous states. You won’t find Alaska or Hawaii, however, as they attained statehood after the building was completed in 1922. Instead, their names feature on a plaque on the front steps.

You Can See the Original (Damaged) Flag From Lincoln’s Box at Ford’s Theatre

Ford’s Theatre was the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s tragic assassination on April 15, 1865. Actor John Wilkes Booth fatally wounded the President as he watched a performance of Our American Cousin, sneaking into his box and shooting him from behind. In an attempt to flee the scene via the stage, Booth leapt from the box — but in doing so, he snagged his spur on the Treasury Guards’ flag that decorated the box for the President’s visit. The fabric tore and was never mended. Instead, the flag was flown, with the rip clearly visible, as Lincoln’s funeral procession passed the Treasury Building. At the Petersen House across the street from Ford’s Theatre, visitors can still see the original flag. A nylon copy is held at the Office of the Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, and it, too, has a tear.

Darth Vader Makes an Appearance in the Capital in an Unusual Place

Fans of the Star Wars movie franchise should have the Washington National Cathedral at the top of their D.C. to-do list. Why? This important landmark boasts a surprising bust of Darth Vader high up on the corner of its northwest tower. It’s an example of a grotesque, which differs from a gargoyle in that it deflects rather than drains water. Darth Vader’s position is no accident, nor is it a publicity stunt or the result of a prank. In the 1980s, teenager Christopher Rader entered a national competition for schoolchildren to add a sculpture to a portion of the cathedral under construction. His Star Wars-inspired design was chosen, and stonemason Patrick J. Plunkett turned Rader’s sketch into reality. Some of the cathedral’s other gargoyles are just as quirky, such as one that depicts the Missouri bear holding a miniature Gateway Arch in its paws.

An Extinct Dolphin Was Discovered in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Many of the world’s top museums have collections that comprise millions of artifacts, often too many to be displayed to the public at any one time. However, one would like to think that museum curators have a handle on what’s in storage. In 2016, two employees at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History uncovered a specimen that proved to be quite unusual: a 25-million-year-old skull of a river dolphin that had been found in Alaska. When researcher Alexandra Boersma and curator Nicholas Pyenson took a closer look, they realized no one had actually formally identified the creature before storing it for safekeeping in 1951. Their discovery was classified as Arktocara yakataga, a distant relative of the South Asian river dolphin.

Fancy a stroll through history? The 19 trails covering 36,000 miles in the National Historic Trail System allow you to, quite literally, walk in the footsteps of our nation’s past. These fascinating trails retrace travel routes of historic significance, whether due to migration, exploration, trade, or social issues. From westward expansion to the civil rights movement and Indigenous history, these six U.S. national historic trails are perfect for history buffs on the go.

Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

The 54-mile Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail retraces the steps of one of the most famous protests in the civil rights movement. Following the path of the 1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama, the trail begins at the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, the same spot where the historic march began. The route eventually crosses the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, where the nonviolent marchers were violently accosted by police officers on Bloody Sunday. From there, it continues along Route 80 and ends at the Montgomery Capitol Building, where 25,000 marchers listened to a famous speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

Crossing 16 states and the homelands of 60 tribal nations, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail covers an astounding 4,900 miles. Named after the intrepid explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the historic trail begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ends at the Pacific Ocean in Astoria, Oregon. Along the way, travelers can stop at numerous historical points of interest, such as the Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site in North Dakota, where Lewis and Clark set up a council with local tribes. Trekkers can also witness the impressive headwaters of the Missouri River in Three Forks, Montana, at the trail’s 2,500-mile marker. The trail ends at Lewis and Clark’s final destination, Astoria’s Lewis and Clark National Historic Park — home to a network of paths that wind through the temperate rainforest.

Santa Fe National Historic Trail

Established in 1821, the Santa Fe National Historic Trail is a former trade route that runs from Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. As the first commercial highway in the United States, the 869-mile corridor was traveled by tradesmen, military personnel, and pioneers who forged the trail to carry goods during the country’s westward expansion. Although the invention of the railroad eventually led to the trail’s demise, visitors can still partake in its history at sites such as Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico and Bent’s Fort in Colorado. Near the end of the trail, Pecos National Historic Park not only contains the remnants of an old Spanish mission but also features underground ceremonial kivas built by the Ancestral Pueblo people.

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

Commemorating the forcible removal of 16,000 members of the Cherokee tribe, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail passes through nine states and extends for 5,043 miles. The Trail of Tears documents the harrowing journey of tribal members who were forced from their homelands in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee and relocated to Oklahoma after the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Although the Trail of Tears is not a continuous hiking trail, visitors do have opportunities to walk along portions of the passageway. Historic hiking routes include the Mountain Goat Trail in Tennessee, Mantle Rock in Kentucky, and Trail of Tears Greenway in Missouri. The National Park Service also provides suggested routes, such as this Georgia itinerary which includes historic stops at former Cherokee settlements, removal camps, and military posts.

Oregon National Historic Trail

Forging a 2,000-mile path through the western half of the country, the Oregon National Historic Trail was traveled by settlers heading west in covered wagons in the mid-1800s. Emigrants began the arduous journey in Independence, Kansas, and crossed through Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho before landing in western Oregon. Along the way, the settlers could expect a multitude of dangers, including inclement weather, illness, and river crossings. Today, travelers can still spy the wagon wheel ruts made by the 500,000 emigrants who made the journey, while also spotting important landmarks that kept travelers oriented, such as Chimney Rock, Devil’s Gate, and Mount Hood.

Iditarod National Historic Trail

Although the Iditarod National Historic Trail came to fame through the annual dog sled race, the trail dates back to Alaska’s frontier days. Between 1880 and 1920, the 2,300-mile network of trails connected settlements, mining camps, and trading posts during Alaska’s Gold Rush. The longest continuous section of the trail ran for 938 miles from Seward to Nome, an alternate version of which is used by dogsled racers today.

Visitors can spot the musher’s statue at Mile 0 in Seward or visit the Seward Museum to learn more about the trail’s origins. Although the Iditarod is primarily a winter trail, navigable by either dog sled or snowmobile, there are a few hiking trails available when the snow is thawed, including Johnson Pass Trail, Winner Creek Trail, and Crow Pass Trail.

With vast collections of ancient artifacts, history museums offer us a fascinating glimpse into the past. There is perhaps no better opportunity to learn about the storied histories of bygone civilizations than by experiencing these meticulously curated exhibits firsthand. From the Americas to Europe and Asia, explore six of the largest history museums around the world.

National Museum of Anthropology – Mexico City, Mexico

Known locally as the Museo Nacional de Antropología, this Mexico City institution showcases the vast anthropological and archeological history of Mexico, including the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican art. Located in the Bosque de Chapultepec park — the oldest and largest urban park in Latin America — the museum spans an area of nearly 20 acres, with over 80,000 square feet of interior space spread over 23 exhibition halls. The National Museum of Anthropology was founded in 1825 and acquired its current name in 1939. In 1964, the museum moved to its current building, which is renowned for its striking architecture — including a massive concrete water feature in the center courtyard known as El  Paraguas (“The Umbrella”).

Some of the highlights among the museum’s approximately 600,000 exhibits include a 22-ton Aztec “Sun Stone,” as well as a “Group of Figures,” which are human-like relics from the indigenous Olmec peoples. The museum also features a replica of the tomb of famous Maya leader K’inich Janaab Pakal I, who reigned over the empire from 615 to 683 CE.

The British Museum – London, England

The British Museum, located a few blocks north of the River Thames in downtown London, occupies 990,000 square feet of exhibition space, which contains upwards of 100 individual galleries. Founded in 1753 and opened six years later, the museum has since increased its collection to such a vast size that it has since opened two other museums to house its wide array of artifacts: the Natural History Museum and the British Library.

Approximately 6.5 million annual visitors come to the British Museum to gaze upon its expansive collection of over 8 million objects. (About 80,000 individual items — representing just 1% of the collection — are on display at any given time.) The museum not only highlights British history, but also world history, showcasing historic objects from ancient Sumeria, Assyria, Egypt, and Greece, among other civilizations. Highlights include the Rosetta Stone — the famous slab dating to 196 BCE that helped to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs — a collection of 2,500-year-old sculptures from the Greek Parthenon, and a 7.5-ton bust of Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II.

The Smithsonian Institution – Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian Institution is the umbrella organization that operates and oversees 19 history museums and galleries, plus nine research facilities throughout the D.C. area. Popular Smithsonian exhibitions include the National Air and Space Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum of American History. All told, the Smithsonian’s facilities encompass a total area of over 2.87 million square feet — making it the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. The Smithsonian Institution Building — aptly nicknamed “The Castle” — is the organization’s signature building. Made of red sandstone, it opened in 1855, once served as an archive, and now houses the organization’s administrative offices.

Some of the Smithsonian’s highlights include the many animal-themed exhibits at the National Museum of Natural History, where visitors can learn about the ecology of African elephants, gaze upon dinosaur fossils, and walk through a hall of mammals from around the world. The Smithsonian also houses historic artifacts from the world of television and film at its National Museum of American History, including the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, an original Kermit the Frog puppet, the Lone Ranger’s felt mask, and around 50,000 archival sound recordings dating to 1903.

National Palace Museum – Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwan’s National Palace Museum features one of the world’s greatest collections of ancient Chinese sculpture and art, chronicling centuries of history that span the course of many bygone dynasties. The museum contains an estimated 538,000 square feet of interior space, as well as more than 170,000 square feet of surrounding gardens and foot paths. This Taipei-based museum was formed in 1965, combining the collections of Taiwan’s previous National Palace Museum with several other collections, including ancient artworks previously housed in Beijing.

The museum showcases approximately 6,000 pieces of the 650,000 objects that make up the entire collection at any given time, meaning it takes 12 years to display every artifact (they are regularly changed every three months). Some of the National Palace Museum’s exhibits date back 5,000 years; among those many treasures, visitors can gaze upon sculptures and artifacts from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing imperial collections. 

National Museum of Natural History – Paris, France

Founded in 1793, France’s Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (National Museum of Natural History) is located in Paris’s 5th arrondissement and consists of four main spaces: a rose and vegetable garden (the Jardin des Plantes), a gallery dedicated to evolution (the Grande Galérie de l’Évolution), an outdoor zoo area with over 1,000 species of animals (the Ménagerie), and a series of greenhouses (the Grandes Serres) that highlight plants from different climates. In total, the museum covers just over 56 acres. 

Visitors are also drawn to the stunning architecture found throughout the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, such as the 10,700-square-foot glass ceiling that tops the Grande Galérie de l’Évolution. This massive ceiling illuminates the many fossils and taxidermied creatures that are exhibited throughout the gallery’s 65,000 square feet of space.

American Museum of Natural History – New York, New York

Located at the western end of Central Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the American Museum of Natural History was founded in 1869. Today, the museum is made up of 25 interconnected buildings that encompass four entire city blocks and 2 million square feet of exhibition space, enough to house the institution’s incredible collection of over 33 million specimens.

One of the most popular exhibits is the collection of dinosaur bones located on the main building’s top floor. The centerpiece of these ancient relics is a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil that was discovered in Montana in 1908 before making its way to New York City; its massive skeleton featuresa four-foot-long jaw and six-inch-long teeth. The T. Rex isn’t the biggest exhibit in the museum’s collection, however — that honor lies with a realistic blue whale model suspended over one of the exhibition halls. Based on photographs from 1925, the model was constructed in the mid 1960s. The final result is a 94-foot-long whale composed of foam and fiberglass that weighs 21,000 pounds.

The right to protest is a vital element of any democracy. Non-violent actions such as marches, rallies, and sit-ins can have far reaching consequences, spotlighting important issues and becoming a catalyst for change. From the storming of the Bastille to the March on Washington, visit the locations of seven famous marches throughout history.

The Mud March – London, England

In the early 20th century, the creation of suffrage societies was instrumental in women gaining the right to vote. Their activities highlighted the injustice and need for change. One of the early catalysts in the movement was the United Procession of Women, organized by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies in the U.K. as the largest pro-suffrage march at the time. 

On February 9, 1907, more than 3,000 women marched from London’s Hyde Park Corner to the Strand, a major thoroughfare in Westminster, carrying placards that demanded women have the right to vote. The day’s heavy rain left the roads in a mucky state, and as a result, the press referred to it as the Mud March. Newspaper coverage was sympathetic to the cause and much-needed publicity was created, but there would be no change to the status quo for more than a decade. A similar large-scale event, organized by the National American Woman Suffrage Association in the United States, took place on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. on March 3, 1913, the eve of Woodrow Wilson’s presidential inauguration. 

The Salt March – Dandi, India

In 1882, the United Kingdom passed the Salt Act, which created a monopoly on the salt trade in colonial India and prohibited Indian citizens from collecting or selling their own salt. This action set in motion a string of events that would eventually lead to the Salt March. On March 12, 1930, pacifist leader Mahatma Gandhi, accompanied by his supporters, set out on a 240-mile march from Sabarmati Ashram, his residence in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. He reached the coastal village of Dandi in the state Gujarat on April 5 and began collecting water from the Arabian Sea, evaporating the liquid to create salt.

In doing so, Gandhi broke the law, but he inspired many others to join in similar acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. Gandhi was jailed — as were approximately 60,000 others — and although the law wasn’t repealed, the publicity from the march bolstered anti-colonial sentiment and brought India’s independence a step closer. The National Salt Satyagraha Memorial opened in Dandi in 2019 to mark the 90th anniversary of the Salt March.

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – Washington, D.C.

The March on Washington took place a century after President Abraham Lincoln administered the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in the United States, but at a time when Black unemployment rates remained disproportionately high. Those who did have a job were often forced to accept low wages. Voter registration was suppressed, and many Black Americans could not exercise their constitutional right to vote. In 1963, leaders of a number of civil rights organizations notified President John F. Kennedy that they would march to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to draw attention to the inequalities Black Americans faced. 

On August 28 of that year, more than 200,000 people took part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Upon reaching the Lincoln memorial, the marchers fell silent to listen to Martin Luther King Jr. deliver what would later be dubbed his “I Have a Dream” speech. The Civil Rights Act was passed the following year, though the fight for racial equality and justice was far from over. 

The Selma to Montgomery March – Alabama

In 1965, Alabama was the setting for a series of landmark civil rights protests — including the pivotal Selma to Montgomery March. Around 25,000 people joined Martin Luther King Jr. at the end of a 54-mile, five-day journey that would lead to the passing of the Voting Rights Act. Prior to the march, there were huge inequalities in voter registration — in the city of Selma, just 2% of the Black community were eligible to vote. 

Previous peaceful action had failed to achieve a result, and on March 7, 1965 — a day which would become known as “Bloody Sunday” — police stopped marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma with tear gas and violent, deadly beatings. The tragic event spurred King to call on religious leaders from around the country to join a nonviolent march for freedom. Waiting until President Lyndon B. Johnson could guarantee federal protection for the marchers, the march left Selma on March 21 and concluded in Montgomery on March 25.   

The Storming of the Bastille – Paris, France

In 18th-century France, regressive taxation, costly foreign policy decisions, and a poor harvest at home created a significant burden on the working class. Meanwhile, lavish spending by King Louis XVI rubbed salt into the wounds. Protesting against the old regime and its abuse of power, an angry mob marched through Paris on July 14, 1789, and stormed the Bastille — a medieval armory, fortress, and political prison — demanding arms and ammunition. The target had particular significance, as the French king could send people to this hated prison without trial or right of appeal. The storming would prove to be a defining event of the French Revolution. Each July 14, France celebrates Bastille Day with a military parade down the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris..

The Soweto Uprising – Soweto, South Africa

Under South Africa’s apartheid system, a law was introduced in 1974 requiring students to be taught some classes in Afrikaans, seen by the Black community as the language of the oppressor. In response, the Soweto Students’ Representative Council organized a protest at nearby Orlando Stadium on June 16, 1976, to highlight the unfair practice. More than 10,000 students attempted to march peacefully through the streets of Soweto, a township in Johannesburg, but found instead that police roadblocks hindered their progress along their planned route.

Undeterred, the peaceful march took a different route, but as it neared Orlando High School, the police began firing tear gas and shooting at the students, and around 600 people tragically lost their lives (though only two of them were white). Today, a museum and memorial to 12-year-old Hector Pieterson, whose death became emblematic of the struggle, is a reminder of those tragic events.

The Jarrow Crusade – Jarrow, England

Jarrow is a town on the River Tyne in northern England, located a few miles east of the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was famously the starting point for the Jarrow Crusade, also known as the Jarrow March, which took place from October 5 to October 31, 1936, and saw around 200 people journey on foot for 280 miles to London. 

The protestors were Jarrow residents impacted by the closure of Palmer’s Shipyard two years earlier. Many of those laid off had not been able to find work, and poverty in the town was rife. The marchers carried with them a petition that called for the British government to create an alternative source of employment. It was received by Parliament, but the matter was not formally debated, and the marchers returned to Jarrow disheartened by what they perceived as failure. However, their ability to highlight the need for social reform was instrumental in paving the way for future initiatives. A memorial statue called the Spirit of Jarrow was unveiled in Jarrow’s town center to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the march.