I've only seen the Washington Monument once in my lifetime. It was 1997, and I was in Washington for a special event. I'll never forget my walks around all the monuments. These were landmarks that I had learned about many times, and now I could say that I seen them. I was awestruck. And although I didn't get a chance to climb to the top of the Washington Monument, I would never have thought that it would ever succumb to earthquake damage after standing since 1884.

On August 23, 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter of Mineral, Virginia, shook that part of the world causing damage in many places. And one of the historical structures taking a hit was the Washington Monument. The damage was severe enough to close down all tours of the monument, and set into action a plan to repair the damage.

Right now a structure surrounding the monument has been constructed for the workers to perform there magic. But in the meantime, lights have been added for our viewing pleasure. I'd like to visit once more before this historical moment disappears.

AP News has the lighting ceremony video without commentary:

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