Travelling in D.C. Trivia Quiz

Answer: Washington

Standing at 555 feet, 5(1/8) inches high, the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world in 1884.

Construction started in 1848 as a privately funded project. It halted in 1854. After more than two decades of inactivity, the project was funded by the government from 1876-84 when it was finally completed.

The source of stone changed between the two phases, so up close viewers can clearly see which of each phase the building was completed in, as it has different shades of white.

Answer: Freeing slaves during the Civil War

The three false answers here never happened.

Lincoln served as the 16th president of the United States. He was a wartime president, leading the country through the Civil War. His Emancipation Proclamation officially freed all the slaves in the North and South.

He served as a lawyer, state Representative and U.S. Representative before becoming president.

He was assassinated in office on April 15, 1865 when he was shot in the head and later died.

Answer: 1814

The original White House was finished in 1800, and in 1801 John Adams became the first president to live there.

During the War of 1812, British soldiers stormed Washington D.C., and set fire to the White House (in 1814). The entire interior of the house was destroyed, along with damage to much of the exterior. The residence re-opened in 1817 when James Madison moved back in before leaving office.

In all the White House complex includes the Executive Residence, West Wing, East Wing, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building-the the former State Department, which now houses offices for the president's staff and the vice president, and Blair House, a guest residence.

Answer: U.S. Capitol

When it was originally built, the U.S. Capitol Building was the geographic center of the city, as such, the city planners used it as the start of street numbering for the four quadrants the city is broken into.

Then-president George Washington along with eight other Free Masons laid the cornerstone of the building on September 18, 1793. It was completed in 1811, but was able to be used as early as 1800 for some functions.

Answer: Albert Einstein

I can find no actual reference to the legend of "sharing of Einstein's knowledge" claim, but while touring Washington D.C., two different tour guides mentioned it as local folklore.

The memorial is on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences.

To a person who stands in the middle of the memorial, Einstein's statue appears to be looking at them directly in the eyes.

Answer: False

Madame Tussauds has several locations in the U.S. and across the world. The unique part of the Washington D.C. location is the "Hall of Presidents" which has a wax figure of each president in the history of the country.

The museum also includes wax figures of many famous movie and TV stars, athletes and more.

Answer: The Magna Carta

The National Archives was founded by Harry S. Truman and opened in 1934. Prior to the National Archives, each branch of the government kept its own records, which allowed for inconsistent policies and the destruction of some records.

The Records Administration Act of 1984 made the National Archives its own division of the government, with no oversight from the General Services Administration like it had been previously.

The Magna Carta (originally known as the Magna Carta Libertatum) is a document that called peace between a group of Barons and King John of England in the year 1215. Only four exemplifications of the original 1215 Charter exist, all of which are in the UK.

Answer: Navy

The U.S. Navy Memorial Plaza officially opened on October 13, 1987. It is located at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue. It was built as a tribute to all Americans past and present who have served in the Navy.

The memorial includes a statue called, The Lone Sailor, along with several other monuments, a fountain and more.

Answer: True

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) produces all of the paper money but is not responsible for coins. Coinage is produced by the United States Mint, which has three separate facilities across the country.

The BEP also produces other government security documents, and as such is the largest producer of such documents in the United States.

In July 1861, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to issue paper currency in lieu of coins, which was done in order to help with the Civil War efforts in the North.

Answer: Henry Bacon

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was built between 1922-23, and is only 18 inches deep. It has just enough water in it to reflect either Lincoln or the Washington Monument depending on which direction the viewer is looking.

Henry Bacon designed dozens of monuments and memorials across the country, including the Lincoln Memorial and the attached Reflecting Pool, the American Revolutionary War Memorial, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Monument, Dupont Circle Fountain and many more.