Today in History–December 6–the Library of Congress features the Washington Monument, completed on this day in 1884. Construction began on July 4, 1848 but stopped for 20 years owing to a lack of funds. Construction was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under order from President Ulysses S. Grant. The 555-foot, 5-1/8" marble obelisk honors founding father George Washington and is the tallest structure in Washington D.C. and the tallest masonry structure in the world. On August 22, … [Read more...]