News Digest

Shrinking economy? Washington Monument ‘25cm shorter than it was’

Has the Washington Monument shrunk? Government surveyors have determined a new height for the U.S. capital’s landmark - about 25cm shorter than what has been thought for more than 130 years. The new official measurement, to be announced on Monday, puts the monument at 169m, as measured from the floor of the main entrance to the top. Ever since the stone obelisk was completed in 1884 to honour the nation’s first president, the historic height has been recorded at 169.2m.

The building didn’t change height because of anything; it is just where you start from.

Dru Smith, chief geodesist with the National Geodetic Survey

The only observable height change was the pyramid-shaped tip had been rounded off over time. Surveyors in 1934 also noticed the peak had been rounded and believed it was due to frequent lightning strikes that melted the aluminium tip. However, experts say the difference is due to the fact that the base point used now is likely different from what is believed to have been used in the 1880s. The original measurement conducted in 1884 used four brass markers as a base for measurement. Those markers remain in place 22cm below ground – and it is possible the markers were at ground level in the past.