The Washington Monument is a 555-foot (169 m) tall obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Father of the United States and the nation's first president. Standing east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, the monument is made of bluestone gneiss for the foundation and of granite for the construction. The outside facing consists of three different kinds of white marble, as the building process was repeatedly interrupted. The monument stands 554 feet 7+11⁄32 inches (169.046 m) tall, according to U.S. National Geodetic Survey measurements in 2013 and 2014. It is the third tallest monumental column in the world, trailing only the Juche Tower in Pyongyang, and the San Jacinto Monument in Houston, Texas.
Washington Monument dedicated in Washington, D.C.
The Washington Monument is a 555-foot (169 m) tall obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Father of the United States and the nation's...
Historical Significance
The Washington Monument is a 555-foot (169 m) tall obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.
Events Before
American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in
American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until his death in 1916
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts
First volume of the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, is published
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house.
Siege of Khartoum, Sudan, begins by Mahdist forces and lasts ten months
The siege of Khartoum (also known as the battle of Khartoum or fall of Khartoum) took place from 13 March 1884 to 26 January 1885.
American mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor (28) weds Louise M. Spooner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
American mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor (28) weds Louise M. Spooner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Events After
Karl Benz patents the "Benz Patent-Motorwagen" in Karlsruhe, Germany, the world's first automobile with an internal comb
Karl Benz patents the "Benz Patent-Motorwagen" in Karlsruhe, Germany, the world's first automobile with an internal combustion engine [1]
Inventor Thomas Edison (38) marries 2nd wife Mina Miller (20) in Akron, Ohio
Inventor Thomas Edison (38) marries 2nd wife Mina Miller (20) in Akron, Ohio
William Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill in the British House of Commons
The Home Rule movement (Irish: Rialtas Dúchais) was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Painter Paul Cézanne (47) weds Marie-Hortense Fiquet (36)
Painter Paul Cézanne (47) weds Marie-Hortense Fiquet (36)
Nationwide demonstrations and strikes demanding an 8-hour workday begin in the US
Socialism in the United States has encompassed various types of tendencies, including utopian socialists, anarchists, democratic socialists, social democrats, Marxist–Leninists, and Trotskyists.
More from the 1880s
The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic kno
The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge" [1]
The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jers
The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey
American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in
American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until his death in 1916
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on February 21, 1885?
- The Washington Monument is a 555-foot (169 m) tall obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Father of the United States and the nation's first president. Standing east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, the monument is made of bluestone gneiss for the foundation and of granite for the construction. The outside facing consists of three different kinds of white marble, as the building process was repeatedly interrupted.
- Why is Washington Monument dedicated in Washington, D.C. significant?
- The Washington Monument is a 555-foot (169 m) tall obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.