Symbols & Monuments

Near the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. sits the National Museum of African American History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian Institution, and the largest museum for African American culture in the country. Fun Facts Leaders began discussing the idea for a national museum on African American culture in 1915,…

Ellis Island sits in New York Harbor and was one of the busiest immigration processing centers from 1892 to 1954. During this time, more than 12 million immigrants came through Ellis Island in search of a better life. Not all of them were allowed to enter the country though. Fun…

On December 7, 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched a surprise military attack by air on a U.S. naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii. The damage was terrible and the U.S. declared war on Japan the next day, launching the country into World War II. Fun Facts The United…

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States. Fun Facts Situated in the French Quarters of New Orleans, this cathedral was built in 1718 when New Orleans belonged to France. It was named for Louis IX of France. The original…

Sacajawea was a Shoshone Indian woman who was abducted from her family when she was 12 by the Mandan people and later sold to a fur trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau, who took her as his wife. She and Charbonneau accompanied Merriweather Lewis and William Clark on their Corps of Discovery adventure…

Maybe you think of Egypt when you think of buildings shaped like pyramids. But a more modern pyramid can be found in San Francisco. Fun Facts John R. Beckett, CEO of Transamerica, wanted a building that would not block light to the street. He hired architect William Pereira to design…

On February 19, 1942, little more than two months after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the United States’ entrance into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order # 9066, which called for Japanese American citizens living in the western states and Hawaii to be moved…

After Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, many people felt a memorial should be made in his honor. Getting it built took more than 50 years. Fun Facts The first memorial was built in 1868, three years after Lincoln’s death. Later, Clark Mills proposed a design for a larger memorial but it was…

Abraham Lincoln is one of our most beloved Presidents, known for leading the country through the Civil War and reuniting the North and South. The country and the world were shocked and saddened when he was assassinated five days after the war ended. After Lincoln’s death, leaders wanted to build…

When you think of Washington D.C., what do you think of? Chances are, the White House, official home to the President, is near the top of the list. George Washington is the only U.S. President who never lived in the White House, although he helped choose the land and the…