The bank that helped fund the Mexican-American War and the purchase of Alaska met its downfall after helping Augusto Pinochet launder money.

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

One critic described it as "middle Mussolini, early Ramses, and late Neiman-Marcus." Another called it an architectural "natural disaster."

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.

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

A hidden passageway now marks the site of an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan that some say broke a 140-year-old curse.

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

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

One of the most influential presidents in U.S. history wanted only this plain, elegant monument as his lasting memorial.

Was there a small "backpack nuke" hidden in the attic? JFK apparently thought so.

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

Before Metro, Washington had a robust streetcar network—and you see the remains of this infrastructure if you know where to look.

Before Nixon, "watergate" meant canals.

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

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

The oldest building in the District of Columbia was preserved because of a mistaken connection to George Washington.

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.

Art deco landmark on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.

A small triangle of DC grass is the final resting place of one of Sonny and Cher's songs.

An easily overlooked memorial to a Ukrainian famine-genocide that killed over 4 million people.

A brass plaque dedicated to a convicted cannibal hangs in the National Press Club, and that's not even the craziest part of the story.

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