Monuments to the Dead
How America learned to remember — by fighting about it every single time. Seven memorials around the Tidal Basin, from the World War Two gold stars to the sinking Jefferson: the lawsuits, the insults, the twenty-one-year-old who got a B-plus, and the long argument a country has with its own memory.
What You'll Experience
Plan your walk
Know the route before you buy
- Starts at
- Introduction
- Ends at
- The Reveal
- Walking plan
- 2h · ~1.6 miles
- Schedule
- Start, pause, and resume anytime
Included in the app
- Professional narration
- GPS-triggered stops
- Downloadable tour audio
- Ask the Historian Q&A
- Optional end-of-tour reveal
- All 9 story stops
A taste of what you'll hear
9 stops, each with its own story. Here's a preview.
"You're standing in the middle of the National Mall, surrounded by the most powerful collection of memorials on Earth. And every single one of them almost didn't happen."
"Nineteen soldiers in stainless steel, walking through juniper bushes toward a pool of still water. Each one about seven and a half feet tall. Nearly a thousand pounds apiece. Fear on their faces. Ponchos billowing."
"So. Seven memorials. Seven arguments about stone and memory. Time to sort out what was mine. And the first thing to say is where I wasn't."
Tour itinerary
Every stop on this walk
Explore the route before you go. Each stop has its own story preview, location details, and place in the larger tour.
- 11IntroductionYou're standing in the middle of the National Mall, surrounded by the most powerful collection of memorials on Earth.38.8894, -77.0406 Read this stop
- 22The World War Two MemorialThe World War Two Memorial. Fifty-six granite pillars. Two triumphal arches. A wall of gold stars.38.8894, -77.0406 Read this stop
- 33The DC War MemorialYou're looking at a small, round, marble temple with twelve columns and a dome. It's forty-seven feet tall. It looks like a bandstand.38.8882, -77.0435 Read this stop
- 44The Vietnam Veterans MemorialThe Wall. Two hundred and forty-six feet of polished black granite on each side, meeting at a vertex ten feet and three inches above your...38.8911, -77.0476 Read this stop
- 55The Korean War Veterans MemorialNineteen soldiers in stainless steel, walking through juniper bushes toward a pool of still water. Each one about seven and a half feet tall.38.8878, -77.0478 Read this stop
- 66The Martin Luther King Jr. MemorialThe address of this memorial is nineteen sixty-four Independence Avenue. They chose that number for the Civil Rights Act of nineteen...38.8863, -77.0443 Read this stop
- 77The Franklin Delano Roosevelt MemorialSeven and a half acres. Four outdoor rooms. Waterfalls that get louder as you walk deeper. A bronze breadline. A bronze dog.38.8836, -77.0444 Read this stop
- 88The Jefferson MemorialThe Jefferson Memorial. A hundred and twenty-nine feet of white marble modeled on the Roman Pantheon. Twenty-six Ionic columns.38.8814, -77.0365 Read this stop
- 99The RevealSo. Seven memorials. Seven arguments about stone and memory. Time to sort out what was mine. And the first thing to say is where I wasn't.38.8814, -77.0365 Read this stop
Stories first
Every stop is built around people, conflict, ambition, and consequences—not a plaque read aloud.
Most of it is true. The extra mischief is just a wink at the end, but the story is what carries the walk.
Have questions? Just ask.
Curious about something you heard? Want to know more about a place? Ask us anything — we have a lot to say. It's more fun when it's a conversation.
Ready?
Download the app, head to the starting point, and press play. The stories start themselves.
Get the AppBefore you go
Quick answers
How much is this tour?
$9.99 as a one-time purchase in the iOS app. The Washington DC city pack is $14.99 and includes every currently available tour in the city.
Can I use it with spotty cell service?
Download the tour audio on Wi-Fi before leaving. Cached narration plays without streaming; map tiles and other online features may still need a connection.
Do I have to start at a specific time?
No. Start when it suits you, pause for a detour or meal, and resume later. Check the opening hours of any venue you personally plan to enter.
Are admission tickets included?
The purchase covers the Bad Historian audio experience. Transportation, food, and admission to third-party attractions are not included.
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Monuments to the Dead
$9.99 · one-time