The top picture is of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, in 1917. You can see that what is now the National Mall was indeed a swamp at the time. The memorial’s construction was part of a grander plan, and the reflecting pool that now lies between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument was completed by 1923. A series of photographs at the Atlantic shows more of the construction, the dedication ceremony, and recent pictures as well. You’ll enjoy the photos of kids sledding down the memorial’s steps in 1935 and 2016, and the one of a worker cleaning Lincoln’s ear. Also, did you know the Lincoln Memorial has a basement? It’s set to be developed as a museum space when the monument undergoes a renovation. -via reddit
(Image credit: Library of Congress/ButtercupColfax)