This old abandoned sign flickers to announce a motel that isn't even there.

This statue honors the author's groundbreaking family story.

A total of 14 men held the title of "president" before George Washington—their historical legacies are enshrined in the lobby of a hotel.

The 72-foot giant escaped confinement in a large patch of mulch only to be reburied in the sandy shores of the Potomac River.

These massive concrete balls were used to mine gold in Virginia.

The house that Frank Lloyd Wright "(shook) out of his sleeve at will" at the age of 86.

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

The iconic D.C. restaurant where the Cuban Missile Crisis was negotiated, now a Walgreens.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

A diminutive memorial marks the site of a successful assassination by a right-wing death squad in America's capital.

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

A historic arena where the Beatles played their first concert in the U.S.

This unacceptably tall building was the real reason for Washington, D.C.'s skyscraper ban.

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.”

Obscure Freemasons still live in D.C.’s largest private residence.