The Washington Monument (above) is a pillar located near the west end of the
National mall in Washington, D.C. It was built to commemorate the first U.S.
president, George Washington. It is made of marble, granite, and sandstone
and is the world’s tallest stone structure, standing 555 feet 5⅛ inches.There
are taller monumental columns, but they are not all stone.

The Washington Monument under construction around 1860

The Washington Monument was dedicated on a wintry day before George
Washington’s birthday.The celebration, shown above, lasted into the night,
and ended with the first fireworks display to be held on the grounds. The
monument would not open to the public for another three years,however,
to allow for the completion of the interior stairwell and elevator.

Arial view of the Washington Monument

Thanks to J.R. Miller for reminding us of the fact that our birthday girl,
Katharine Ross married former Portlander Sam Elliott in 1984.

Chris Hillman, one of the original members of The
Byrds is celebrating his 66th birthday today.

Stage,television and film actress Brenda Vaccaro
is celebrating birthday number 71 today. Brenda
co-starred with Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight
in “Midnight Cowboy”(1969), for which she was
nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best
Supporting Actress.