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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

The fountains of the U.S. Navy Memorial are annually salted with water from the Seven Seas as part of a nautical ritual.

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution written entirely from vanity license plates hangs in the Smithsonian museum.

Before Nixon, "watergate" meant canals.

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

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

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

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.

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

This lovely pocket park is one of the most under appreciated in D.C.

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

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.