Lincoln Memorial

Beneath the Lincoln Memorial's gleaming marble columns lies a vast hidden basement — complete with century-old worker graffiti, naturally formed stalactites, and a tiny ecosystem that thrived undisturbed in the dark for decades.

On a chilly Saturday in October of 1967, more than 100,000 people gathered in Washington to protest America's involvement in the Vietnam War. More than half of them would then march to the Pentagon, where photojournalist Bernie Boston snapped one of the Antiwar Movement's most iconic photographs. Later in the evening, though, as demonstrators faced off with soldiers and US Marshals, the protest turned more dangerous.

Activist Hugo Deffner came to Washington in 1957 to accept an award for his work in promoting accessible architecture. However, he discovered a city entirely inaccessible to wheelchair users and other disabled people. Over the following decades, a combination of tireless activism and legislation transformed Washington into one of the most accessible cities in America.

To the average visitor, the Lincoln Memorial appears to be a timeless part of the National Mall. However, this classical commemoration to the sixteenth president was dedicated less than one hundred years ago, in the presence of Civil War veterans, Robert Todd Lincoln, two Presidents and a crowd of thousands. 

In the tense days following the Kent State tragedy, protests erupted all over the Washington region, and a major demonstration was planned on the National Mall. Law enforcement entities went on hair trigger alert, mobilizing all available resources including the entire D.C. police force and 5,000 locally stationed troops. It was in this combustible atmosphere that an idea germinated in Richard Nixon’s muddled mind in the wee hours of May 9, 1970. It would prove to be one of the most bizarre incidents of his presidency, and that’s saying a lot.