Since I was tooling around working in DC this week, I got to do a little bit of touring on Capitol Hill. In my quest to learn everything about anything, I picked up a few fun facts about the building where Congress convenes. In my quest to share knowledge with anyone that cares to hear it, I will share these facts with you now.

Lady Freedom

Lady Freedom is Lady Liberty’s sister, and she sits atop that big domed building in Washington. That’s where the actual House of Representatives and Senate are located, along with the offices of the really important people, like the Speaker of the House. Lady Freedom is 19’ 6” tall, and by law, no other statue in DC can be taller than her. It’s because of this law that the Lincoln Memorial portrays the sixteenth President sitting down … They wanted to show him as largely as possible, and by sitting him down, they managed to make him as big as possible while keeping him at a law-abiding 19’.

State Statues

Speaking of statues, throughout the Capitol building, there are monuments representing historical figures from across the nation. Each state is allowed two statues, representing important figures from that state. California (my home state) chose Ronald Reagan and Father Junipero Serra. Find out who represents your state here.

The Taney Clock

In the chamber where the U.S. Supreme Court used to meet (before they realized that meeting in the same building as the legislature muddled the lines of separation between the three branches of government) there is a clock that runs five minutes fast. In 1837, Chief Justice Roger Taney got fed up with his fellow justices’ tardiness, so he ordered the big clock and had it set five minutes fast.

My mom does the same thing.

This Old House

The room that served as the House of Representatives from 1807-1857 eventually had to be abandoned due to its poor acoustics. The smooth, doomed ceiling created several ‘whisper spots,’ areas where someone could hear another person whispering from across the room. I’m sure you can see how this makes politics difficult.

Also in the Old House (now known as the National Statuary Hall), there are seven bronze plaques embedded in the floor. Each one is located in the spot where a Representative that went on to become President sat.

Candy Desk

On the Republican side of the Senate, in the back row, one of the desks closest to the door is filled with candy. The Senator that sits in that seat is responsible for stocking the desk with candy from his or her home state, and anyone is welcome to help him or herself. Sweet, huh? Get it? Sweet?? (Sorry, couldn’t help it.)

So many other fun and interesting things about the Capitol, but I realize that I’m a giant dork and not everyone is interested in knowing random factoids about the Capitol. By the way, ‘Capitol’ refers to the building where a legislative body meets, while ‘Capital’ is the seat of the entire government. So the Capitol exists in the Capital.

Ok, I’ll stop now.

Oh! Did you know that there are secret steps all the way up to the dome, and to use them you have to be escorted by a member of Congress? A dome tour has now been added to my bucket list.

Ok, now I’ll really stop.

I mean it this time.