Washington Monument
Episode 65 · 2004-12-01
- Documentary
Episode overview
The US capital boasts many memorials, but none with a more bizarre history than the obelisk erected to America's first president. Over 55 stories high and weighing over 90,000 tons, the Washington Monument stands stalwart in the city's center. From concept to completion, it took 100 years–years filled with mystery, ceremony, conflict, government action, and inaction. Proposed in the late 1700s by a group of prominent citizens and finished in the late 1800s by the Army Corps of Engineers, the exterior is mainly Maryland white marble, while the interior is made of granite, iron…and a few surprises. How did it come together and why did it take so long? Historians tell stories of stalling bureaucracy, secret societies, and triumphant engineering. Stark and daunting on the outside, we let viewers know what's inside.
44 minutes
Season 11 episodes
1. Guns of the Russian Military2004-01-16
2. The F-152004-01-17
3. The Submarines2004-01-22
4. Pacific Coast Highway2004-02-04
5. Gangster Guns2004-02-12
6. Ship of Gold2004-02-13
7. Racetrack Tech2004-02-18
8. Oil Fire Fighting2004-03-03
9. Command Central2004-03-17
10. Front Line Reporting2004-03-19
11. Nature's Engineers2004-03-31
12. Bible Tech2004-04-07
13. The Power Grid2004-04-14
14. Bathroom Tech2004-04-21
15. Engineering Disasters 62004-04-28
16. F-18 Hornet2004-04-30
17. Hydraulics2004-05-12
18. The Subs of WWII2004-05-20
19. Plane Crashes2004-05-26
20. D-Day Tech2004-06-03
21. A-10 Tankbuster2004-06-07
22. Rubber2004-06-09
23. City Water2004-06-15
24. Greatest Movies Gadgets2004-06-17
25. Robots2004-07-06
26. Nuclear Tech2004-07-08
27. Apollo 112004-07-21
28. World War I Tech2004-07-30
29. Distilleries2004-08-04
30. Oil Tankers2004-08-11
31. Athens Subway2004-08-18
32. Extreme Aircraft2004-08-25
33. Engineering Disasters 72004-08-31
34. George Washington Bridge2004-09-01
35. Building a Skyscraper: The Skeleton2004-09-07
36. Building a Skyscraper: The Exterior2004-09-06
37. Building a Skyscraper: The Human Environment2004-09-07
38. Building a Skyscraper: The Arteries2004-09-07
39. The Sears Tower2004-09-08
40. St. Lawrence Seaway2004-09-15
41. Guns of WWII2004-09-17
42. St. Lawrence Tech2004-09-22
43. Police Pursuit2004-09-22
44. SOS Tech2004-09-28
45. More of the World's Biggest Machines2004-09-29
46. Firefighting: The Arson Detectives2004-09-30
47. Guns of Israel2004-10-01
48. Engineering Disasters 82004-10-05
49. Harvesting2004-10-06
50. Engineering Disasters 92004-10-12
51. Guns of the Civil War2004-10-15
52. Engineering Disasters 102004-10-19
53. Presidential Movers2004-10-20
54. Gas Tech2004-10-20
55. Engineering Disasters 112004-10-26
56. The World's Longest Bridge2004-10-27
57. Japanese Sub at Pearl Harbor2004-10-28
58. M1 Abrams Supertank!2004-10-29
59. Engineering Disasters 122004-11-09
60. Surveillance Tech2004-11-10
61. Engineering Disasters 132004-11-16
62. Submarine Disasters2004-11-17
63. Engineering Disasters 142004-11-23
64. Movie Theaters2004-11-24
65. Washington Monument2004-12-01
66. Engineering Disasters 152004-12-08
67. Snack Food Tech2004-12-16
68. More Dangerous Cargo!2004-12-21
69. Commercial Fishing2004-12-22
70. Ancient Discoveries (1)2004-12-22
71. Ancient Discoveries (2)2004-12-22
72. Ancient Discoveries (3)2004-12-22
73. Engineering Disasters 162004-12-23
74. Doomsday Tech2004-12-28
75. More Doomsday Tech2004-12-28
76. The Computer2004-12-29
