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

Need a hardcopy of the 50-title Code of Federal Regulations? This is the place.

When it comes to handsignals (and colonialism) rock always beats scissors.

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

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

Architecture lovers won’t stop touching the National Gallery's 19.5 degree marble prow.

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

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

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

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.

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

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.

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

You could be standing at the site of one of D.C.'s most fatal tragedies and not even know it.

This sandwich shop has a century-old elevator behind a sheet of plexiglass.

There’s a hidden military meme engraved on the World War II Memorial.

Seemingly unremarkable items like empty sushi trays, chef hats, and freshness stickers are being preserved so future generations can look back on this beloved cultural import.

The only Civil War battle in Washington D.C. took place near this highest natural point in the city.

Light bulbs, scrap wood, and tinfoil comprise this homemade throne of the gods.

The winding route passes through an enclosed alleyway, two tunnels, and leads to the White House basement.

A historic estate packed with George Washington's heirlooms, and its own nuclear bunker.

A haunting tribute to pioneering photographer Clover Adams.

The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.

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