When was washington monument finished

Made of some 36, blocks of marble and granite stacked feet in the air, the monument was the tallest structure in the world at the time of its completion in December In the six months following the dedication ceremony, over 10, people climbed the nearly steps to the top of the Washington Monument. Today, an elevator makes the trip far easier, and more than , people visit the monument each year. A city law passed in restricted the height of new buildings to ensure that the monument will remain the tallest structure in Washington, D.

But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The Irish Free State, comprising four-fifths of Ireland, is declared, ending a five-year Irish struggle for independence from Britain.

Like other autonomous nations of the former British Empire, Ireland was to remain part of the British Commonwealth, symbolically subject to the On December 6, , the 13th Amendment to the U. Constitution, officially ending the institution of slavery, is ratified. It was the worst mining disaster in American history. In , the creation of the Norfolk and Western Railway opened a gateway to the At a. The first stone was laid in , but the monument was not completed until 40 years later.

What took so long? Money and war, what else? The first phase of construction was privately funded, and bureaucratic issues and mishandling of finances led to disaster. Mills died in ; the nation then erupted in Civil War, and construction ceased.

Finally, in , Congress assumed control of the project and allocated public funds. The second phase reached peak efficiency, and the monument was finalized eight years later. The two phases left it with slightly different colors, because the stones were sourced from different quarries. The Washington Monument was officially dedicated on a chilly February morning in Quakes are a rarity on the eastern seaboard of the United States, and very few structures are earthquake proof.

The foundation shook, and the marble cracked. Congress authorized an extensive renovation plan, and the monument was encased in scaffolding for three years during construction. The repairs were completed in May , and the inside was reopened to an anxiously awaiting public. Construction wrapped up in , and the project was dedicated the following year. On December 8, , a year-old Navy veteran, Norman Mayer, drove his van to the base of the monument and threatened to blow up the structure with 1, pounds of dynamite he claimed to have inside his vehicle.

A group of tourists was trapped inside the monument for several hours before Mayer, who was trying to draw attention to his stance against nuclear weapons, let them leave. Meanwhile, thousands of workers from nearby buildings were evacuated, streets were shut down and air traffic in the area was diverted. After an approximately hour standoff with law enforcement officials, Mayer attempted to drive away, but was shot and killed by police. When authorities later searched his van, no explosives were found.

On August 23, , the monument was rocked by a rare, 5. Although people were inside the monument when the quake hit, no one was seriously hurt. While the repairs are being made, the landmark has been enveloped in a ton scaffolding system wrapped in a blue, semi-transparent mesh.