
Signs warn visitors not to play when court is in session because squeaky sneakers can really blow your concentration when deciding the legal fate of millions. As it sits just above the courtroom on the fourth floor, there are strict rules in place. Unfortunately, this court is off-limits to the public. A weight-lifting area even caters to justices looking to strengthen their cores. Sandra Day O’Connor used it to host women-only yoga classes. Rehnquist have shot hoops there to blow off steam. In recent years, justices such as Byron White and William H. At some point, the focus shifted to basketball and a slightly smaller-than-regulation basketball court was constructed. Once used as a storage area for journals and other legal documents, the fifth floor of the Washington, DC, Supreme Court building was converted into an all-purpose workout area for off-duty employees in the 1940s. A more literal example would be the secret basketball court which sits just above the courtroom. It is well-deserved, albeit in a metaphorical sense. The “Highest Court of the Land” is a title that has long been held by the US Supreme Court. Tempted by the relatively low price tag, the city of San Francisco came bafflingly close to accepting this design before settling on their now world-famous suspension bridge. In addition, the fact that most of the bridge was freely floating was a recipe for maritime disaster. The narrow spiral ramps within the bridge-ships would create nightmarish traffic jams. Īside from the fever-dream design, the problems introduced by the plan were many. A tunnel would run between the ships, which would be raised and lowered to allow sea traffic in and out of the city. His eccentric concept called for two bridges to be built-one from each shore-which would each connect to its own ship floating stationary in the bay.
#Secret neighbor inventor how to
When shopping around for ideas about how to span San Francisco Bay in the early 1930s, city officials were delivered an unusual proposal by local inventor Cleve F. Stranger still, they almost built a tunnel designed by a man who had presumably no idea what a tunnel actually was. San Francisco almost built a tunnel instead. However, this bright orange engineering marvel came dangerously close to not existing. While it isn’t a really a national monument, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is still a world-famous symbol of American ingenuity. Ĩ The Golden Gate Bridge-Boat-Tunnel Thing Security cameras have even been installed to prevent workers from flying the flags for a disgustingly disrespectful 29 seconds. Three unremarkable flagpoles, complete with a small service elevator and crew of workers, are used to fly as many flags for the state-mandated 30 seconds as possible each day. Rather than continue to sell the prominently displayed flags above the Capitol’s entrances, they just installed a bizarre “flag factory” on the roof. However, when demand eventually outgrew supply, the CFP had to get creative. Since its inception in 1937, the Capitol Flag Program (CFP) has supplied patriotic citizens with genuine “Capitol-flown” flags.

The flag you receive will indeed have been flown over the Capitol, but only on one of three tiny, hidden flagpoles for 30 seconds. So, if you wish to own a flag that is slightly more America-y than your neighbor’s, you’re welcome.īut before you reach for your wallet, there’s just one thing. It continues to sink about 0.5 millimeters (0.02 in) each year.Īside from being your typical stately government building, the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, offers a special service: For a small fee, you can own an American flag that has been flown over the Capitol.

It was entombed in a brick chimney and sealed off from the world. Unfortunately, the miniature monument has sunk into DC’s marshy soil over the years. However, due to its proximity to the monument, the NGS employees decided to dress it up a bit rather than use the standard plain metal rods. Officially named “Bench Mark A,” it was basically used as an exceptionally accurate starting point when making maps and planning railroad routes. Placed there in the 1880s, around the same time that the Washington Monument was finished, this shrunken clone served as a “Geodetic Control Point” for the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). What you may not have known is that the monument has a forgotten baby brother.īuried beneath an unassuming manhole right beside the famous landmark is a 3.7-meter-tall (12 ft) replica.


The Washington Monument, the giant white obelisk in Washington, DC, was built in honor of the first US president, George Washington.
