230 Items Tagged

Government

Contractors help unearth a coffin at the 218 Arch Street construction site in Philadelphia.

What Do You Do With Hundreds of Unearthed Human Bones?

When a Philadelphia construction company dug up an old cemetery, local archaeologists stepped in to help—because there was no one else.

Cara Giaimo April 12, 2017

You'll never unsee it now.

Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Marble Stripe

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

Yellow dashes mark the old tunnel

Washington, D.C.

FDR's Bomb Shelter

The first presidential bomb shelter was located in an old vault under the Treasury, connected to the White House via tunnel.

A woman smoking outside a cafe in Paris.

The French Government Is About to Destroy $106,000,000 Worth of Cigarettes

Now we know who to bum a smoke from.

Cara Giaimo April 4, 2017

Permanently Closed

A woman feeds bills into the laundry.

Washington, D.C.

Treasury Department Laundry

Literal "money laundering."

Washington, D.C.

Inaugural Parade Center Line

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

Simi Valley, California

Ronald Reagan’s Situation Room

The White House Situation Room was taken apart in 2006 and shipped to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

A border marker in Germany.

The Case for Making European Boundary Stones Into a World Heritage Site

Could surveying be recognized as one of the world's wonders?

Sarah Laskow March 21, 2017

The tunnels all look slightly differiently

Washington, D.C.

Capitol Building Tunnel System

Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.

An Architect of the Capitol employee laughs next to the flag elevator.

Washington, D.C.

Flag Office Elevator

The elevator that makes it possible to fly American flags in bulk over the U.S. Capitol

A 1936 poster about the Federal Art Project.

The American Government Is Searching For Its Own Lost Art

Murals and sculptures created during the New Deal have ended up in unexpected places. And one by one, they're being tracked down.

Matthew Blitz March 8, 2017

Secretary Kerry Thanks Pope Francis for Presenting Him with a Gift

Washington, D.C.

State Department Protocol Gift Office

They sort through millions of dollars worth of diplomatic gifts on behalf of the government.

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.

An exorcism (artist's rendering).

A Small-Town Spanish Mayor is Being Asked to Exorcise a Government Building

Mayor Leandro Martín's office is being flooded with calls after a council member spotted a possible ghost in the town hall.

Cara Giaimo February 23, 2017

The Chemical Treatment Tower

Washington, D.C.

Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower

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

Library of Congress Card Catalog

Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress Card Catalog

A nostalgic bibliographic gem.

The Rogers Vault

Washington, D.C.

Treasury Department Cash Vault

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

Pharmaceutical drug paraphernalia.

Arlington, Virginia

DEA Museum

An extensive, if one-sided, history of U.S. law enforcement's war on drugs.