A tribute to the pop culture icon overlooks this Washington D.C. intersection.

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

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.

Through the decades, Black music stars have performed at this historic hub for music and the arts.

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

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

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

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

The first memorial dedicated solely to the Black troops who fought for the Union.

This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.

A gorgeous mural outside a beloved D.C. restaurant pays homage to famous Black Americans.

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

While most wind tunnels test scale models, the "Cave of Winds" was large enough for actual airplanes.

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

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

A tiny monument to the unsuccessful attempt by Thomas Jefferson to place the prime meridian in Washington.

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.

Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.

The unique traffic pattern named for an influential urban planner is also known as the Pedestrian Scramble.

Those with a sharp eye can find the hidden image of a German Shepherd on the memorial's Mural Wall.

Four bald cypress trees in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, mark the southern edge of a 100,000 year old cypress swamp.

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

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

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.