sdakss2's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Washington, D.C.

Owney the Postal Dog

A traveling postal dog covered 48 states and more than 140,000 miles, and he lives on as taxidermy, patched up with a rabbit's foot and a pig's ear.
Washington, D.C.

Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon

The remains of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, serve as a tool to educate about conservation.
Washington, D.C.

Grace Hopper's Bug

A computer bug so primitive it was an actual insect.
Washington, D.C.

Smithsonian Sushi Collection

Seemingly unremarkable items like empty sushi trays, chef hats, and freshness stickers are being preserved so future generations can look back on this beloved cultural import.
Dayton, Ohio

"Stumpy" John Silver

This stuffed pigeon of war had the very serious name "John Silver" until he lost a leg in battle.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Grip the Raven

The taxidermied remains of Charles Dickens' pet raven, which helped inspire one of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poems.
London, England

Athena the Owl

The Florence Nightingale Museum is home to the famous nurse's most treasured possession: her beloved pet owl.
Washington, D.C.

Cher Ami

A heroic pigeon that, through a barrage of gunfire, delivered a message that saved over 100 lives in World War I.
Washington, D.C.

Site of the Knickerbocker Disaster

You could be standing at the site of one of D.C.'s most fatal tragedies and not even know it.
Sandown, England

Dinosaur Isle

This purpose-built dinosaur museum is shaped like a pterodactyl and holds fossils that were found in its very village.
Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Dinosaur State Park

The ancient past meets the retro-future at these dinosaur tracks that are protected by a geodesic dome.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Dippy the Dinosaur

A model of a dinosaur that was named for Andrew Carnegie stands outside the museum that also bears his name.
Canton, Ohio

McKinley Presidential Library & Museum

Mausoleums, astronomy, and animatronic dinosaurs at this memorial to an assassinated American president.
Washington, D.C.

Uncle Beazley the Triceratops

A celebrity from the late Cretaceous period.
Washington, D.C.

Willard Hotel

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
Washington, D.C.

Treasury Department Cash Vault

Where the U.S. government kept its actual treasure, before Fort Knox.
Washington, D.C.

Historic Elevator at Potbelly

This sandwich shop has a century-old elevator behind a sheet of plexiglass.
Washington, D.C.

Treasury Department Laundry

Literal "money laundering."
Washington, D.C.

State Department Protocol Gift Office

They sort through millions of dollars worth of diplomatic gifts on behalf of the government.
Washington, D.C.

Federal Reserve Tennis Court

The only tennis court that falls under the jurisdiction of the central bank.
Delta, Colorado

Ute Council Tree

The giant stump of the once towering cottonwood where Ute people held tribal meetings.
Los Angeles, California

Biddy Mason Memorial Park

A beautiful memorial tells the story of a formerly enslaved woman whose kindness shaped a burgeoning city.
Los Angeles, California

Historic Orange Grove

The last orange grove of the San Fernando Valley is owned and protected by CSU Northridge.
Washington, D.C.

FDR's Bomb Shelter

The first presidential bomb shelter was located in an old vault under the Treasury, connected to the White House via tunnel.