New York may be the USA’s Big Apple,
but Washington, DC is the country’s
capital. On the surface the city may
appear stately and sombre – a place
of grand ministerial buildings including
the domed Capitol, the columned
Treasury and the President’s White
House residence. Don’t be fooled
however, the streets also buzz with
busy students, smart professionals
and crowds of excited tourists.
MONEY, HOT
OFF THE PRESS
Ker-ching! At the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing you
can watch real money being
printed. If you had time to stand
there all day you’d witness over
$500 million roll off the presses.
Before this new money goes
into circulation, an equal amount
of old money is removed. The
average $1 bill lasts for 5.8 years
before it gets too tattered for
general use.
THE TWO-TONE
MONUMENT
The Washington Monument
is the tallest structure in DC.
It took so many years to
build that the marble used
to construct it had to come
from different quarries.
If you look closely, you
can see the difference
in colour where the old
and new stone meet.
The column honours the
USA’s first president and
founding father George
Washington. No building
is allowed to be higher,
by order of federal law.
CITY OF
COUNTRIES
Washington, DC is home
to more than 170 embassies from
all around the world. If you step into
one you are technically entering
a foreign country, as the grounds
are part of the embassy nation’s
territory. Visitors to DC can visit
India, Kenya, Laos, Luxembourg,
Malawi, Morocco and Zambia
within an hour’s walk!
WHITE HOUSE’S
WEIRDEST RESIDENTS
Many presidents bring their pets with
them when they move into the White House,
but Theodore Roosevelt’s family takes the prize.
They arrived with a small bear, a lizard, five
guinea pigs, a badger, a blue macaw, a hyena,
a one-legged rooster, a barn owl, a
pig, a rabbit, a hen and a pony,
in addition to several dogs.
SMITHSONIAN TREASURES
Many people think the Smithsonian Institution is one place,
but it’s actually a group of 19 museums. The National Museum of American
History shows Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz
, while the Air
and Space National Museum displays the Wright Brothers’ first plane. The
National Museum of Natural History is home to the big,
blue Hope Diamond. The gem is a beauty, but is said
to bring tragedy to those who wear it. France’s Marie
Antoinette inherited the diamond in the 18th century,
only to be beheaded by guillotine.
WORLD’S BIGGEST LIBRARY
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. A staggering 160 million books,
photographs and maps are stored on 1,349km (838mi) of bookshelves. Imagine a
bookcase that extends from Washington, DC to Chicago, and then another that
stretches from Washington, DC to Philadelphia – the library’s titles would barely
fit on them! President Thomas Jefferson helped increase the library’s collection
when he offered 6,000 of his own books, several of which are still on display.
THE REAL
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
More people visit the Lincoln Memorial than any other memorial in Washington, DC.
Everyone wants to take a snap of the USA’s most beloved president, and this statue is
as good as it gets. Sculptors used 28 blocks of marble to make the likeness. Lincoln’s
face and hands are particularly realistic because they are based on castings made
shortly before he died. Some people think that Abe looks sad, some think he looks
thoughtful, and others believe that his expression changes
depending on the angle you look from.
