Over 120,000 curious objects that have shaped our modern world.

The walls of America's oldest masonry fort famously "swallowed" cannonballs.

This spiny beast guards an artist's village while vying for the title of largest lobster in the world.

A luxurious 1880s hotel with its fair share of Tiffany stained glass, Edison electricity, and of course, ghosts.

The former home of the Nobel Prize-winning American writer is now home to dozens of six-toed cats.

A mysterious castle built as a monument to lost love.

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.

It was once the base for a series of domestic terror attacks.

An amazing example of early-20th-century architecture, this church features marble transported from Utah.

The only tennis court that falls under the jurisdiction of the central bank.

Disks are rolled out onto the south lawn to absorb the impact of Marine One's wheels like giant coffee coasters.

A muscular Art Deco monument represents the struggle between regulators and unbridled markets.

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

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

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.

This poor little statue is the most vandalized memorial in Washington.

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

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

A haunting tribute to pioneering photographer Clover Adams.

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

When it opened during the final years of the embargo, all the drinks and cigars were free.

The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.

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