Standing just shy of 555 ½ feet, the Washington Monument was the tallest structure in the world at its completion in 1884. Nowadays, you can ride one of the monument's glass-encased elevators to ...

Boom, roasted.5. Elevator rides of yore were much much slower. The elevator to the top of the Washington Monument today takes about 70 seconds. It’s the same as going up to the top floor of a 50 ...