washington monument

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…