Washington Monument for Kids | Learn the history behind the largest obelisk in the world

Have you ever seen, in person or in photographs, the giant obelisk in Washington, DC? This tall building at the opposite end of the reflection pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial has quite a bit of history behind it. Named after George Washington, the monument was designed by Robert Mills following a competition for designs held in 1836 by the Washington Monument Society.

The construction of the monument took place in two phases due to lack of funds, political turmoil, and uncertainty about the survival of the country. No construction took place between 1856 and 1876. During the first phase between 1848 and 1856, they constructed the first 150 feet of the monument, composed of a pile of bluestone gneiss unfinished rubble stones held together by mortar.

The remainder of the monument was constructed between 1876 and 1884. It was composed of finished marble surface stones and partially backed by finished granite stones. The difference in the shading of the monument can be seen where the construction was halted and later resumed with the marble from a different source.

Surrounding the monument on the outside perimeter are fifty American flags flying 24 hours a day on a large circle of flagpoles centered on the monument. In 2011, an earthquake in the area slightly damaged the monument with over 150 cracks. Most of the damage occurred in the pyramid section at the top. Speaking of the pyramid top, the monument was originally going to have a flat top instead.

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What you will learn in this video:
0:00 Introduction to the monument
0:21 Interesting facts about the Washington Monument
1:24 History and construction of the obelisk structure
2:42 Internal and external features
3:30 What you can see from the top
4:06 Review of the facts

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