Washington D.C. is the seat of our federal government and one of our nation's most beautiful and historic cities. Before the federal city was created, several cities had served as our capital. In 1790, Alexander Hamilton proposed a permanent capital city on federal land rather than in a state. The District of Columbia was created along the Potomac River in 1791, from land given up by Maryland and Virginia.
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Take a virtual 360 degree spin around ten monuments and museums of the National Mall, courtesy of D.C. Pages and the free Zoom viewer plug-in from MGI. For tourists, each monument includes hours of operation and a phone number. For cyber-travelers, the Zoom viewer let you control the vantage point (zoom in, zoom out, spin, and stop) of each picture. Another worthwhile section of the D.C. Pages is History, which traces the city's roots to the Spanish explorers of the sixteenth century. You'll find it by returning to the home page, and selecting History from the directory links.
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Best educational clicks at The District are the eleven Top Attractions listed in the red and yellow box on the front page. Each monument page includes several interesting facts, a few small pictures, and a link to the attraction's official Web site. Beyond the Top Attractions, you'll find even more listings in the yellow left-hand menu under Museums & Galleries, Monuments & Memorials, and Other Attractions.
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Produced by public television station WETA, the visually rich Explore D.C. is my pick of the day. It is more than 450 pages long, with an abundance of audio, video and images. Students of all ages will find more than just monuments covered here, as Washington D.C. past and present is explored as both a city and a symbol of our nation. Teachers will appreciate the twenty-four lesson plans covering topics such as local history, U.S. history, black history, and American presidents and first ladies.
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The Smithsonian is often referred to as "our nation's attic" as it holds more than 140 million artifacts for "the increase and diffusion of knowledge". The Virtual Smithsonian exhibit celebrates the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary and highlights 360 specimens from the fourteen Smithsonian museums along with a virtual walk to the Castle (as the Smithsonian Institution Building is affectionately known.) The story is told in QuickTime and Shockwave with images, video and audio clips, and rotating 3-D morphing artifacts. Before you enter, click First Time Visitor, and the Virtual Smithsonian will test your browser, and let you know if you are missing any required plug-ins.
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By Barbara J. Feldman. Originally written on Feb 27, 2002. Last Modified on Jan 06, 2008.
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Honorable Mentions
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
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