Landmarks: Historic Monuments

Emily Roebling Saves the Brooklyn Bridge

American history author David McCullough shines a light on Emily Roebling—the driving force behind construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

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1:01 minTV-PG

How Devil’s Tower Got its Name

Devil’s Tower is one of the most recognizable features of the American landscape, but not everyone agrees on what it should be named.

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1:02 minTV-PG

The Nazis Plot to Blow Up Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam, one of America’s greatest engineering achievements, was almost destroyed by the Nazis during WWII.

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1:01 minTV-PG

The Washington Monument Was Almost Never Finished

The Washington Monument is one of the most iconic structures in the United States, but its construction wasn’t always a sure thing.

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1:01 minTV-PG

Why Prisoners Preferred Alcatraz

Alcatraz is one of the most notorious prisons in American history, but did it really live up to its feared reputation?

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1:01 minTV-PG

How the Statue of Liberty Got Across the Atlantic

You might know that the Statue of Liberty was built in France, but how exactly did they move the 225-ton icon to the United States?

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Erie Canal

Jesse Hawley Beginning in 1807, Jesse Hawley—a flour merchant from western New York who went broke trying to get his product to market in the Atlantic coastal cities—published a series of essays from debtor’s prison. In them, Hawley advocated for a canal system that would span nearly 400 miles from Buffalo, New York, on the […]

Alhambra

UNESCO World Heritage Site In 1984, the Alhambra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with two other related sites: the Albaicín (or Albayzín) and the Generalife Garden. The Alhambra is located west of the city of Granada on the Sabika hill—a strategic vantage point that provides views of the whole city of Granada […]

Angkor Wat

Where Is Angkor Wat? Angkor Wat is located roughly five miles north of the modern Cambodian city of Siem Reap, which has a population of more than 200,000 people. However, when it was built, it served as the capital of the Khmer empire, which ruled the region at the time. The word “Angkor” means “capital […]

Montezuma Castle

Sinagua Indians The Sinagua—peaceful, pre-Colombian Native Americans—were hunter gatherers and farmers who grew mainly corn, squash and beans. Their exact origin is unclear. Recovered Sinagua artifacts have shown they were simple people yet gifted craftsmen who used their natural resources to create practical tools and ornamental items. They were also master spinners and weavers who […]

George Washington's House at Mount Vernon, Virginia, USA, c1820-1839. Plate 39 from Le Costume Ancien et Moderne, by Jules Ferrario. Artist Paolo Fumagalli.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Where Is Mount Vernon? Mount Vernon is located in Mt. Vernon, Virginia, overlooking the Potomac River about eight miles south of Alexandria. It’s unclear who designed the original estate home on the site, but George Washington oversaw its many expansions and renovations until it became the iconic structure that still stands today. Little Hunting Creek […]

Library of Congress

Library of Congress Founded The story of the Library of Congress began in 1800, when President John Adams approved a congressional act that moved the national capital from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. As part of that bill, a sum of $5,000 was earmarked for books intended for use by the U.S. Congress. Under Adams’ immediate […]