
Memorials and monuments —
The dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial on Sunday, October 16, 2011 added another impressive monument to the tourist trail in Washington. The site features a 30-foot statue of the late civil rights leader gazing out on the Tidal Basin. Following are some of the U.S. capital's other historic monuments.

Jefferson Memorial —
Various types of marble, limestone and granite make up the Jefferson Memorial. From Vermont to Georgia and beyond, the sources of the materials give physical representation to the original states and the expanding union.

Korean War Veterans Memorial —
The Korean War Veterans Memorial honors all of the American services and includes statues of figures in uniforms representing each branch.

Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool —
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. Daniel French was responsible for the imposing sculpture of Lincoln.

Washington Monument —
The Washington Monument varies in color because sections of it were started at different times -- in 1854 and later in 1879. The two sections used marble from different quarries, and weathering and erosion have made the difference more noticeable. The momument has been closed temporarily since the August 23 earthquake.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial —
The black granite wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial bears 58,267 names of those who died in the Vietnam War, but it's possible for that number to change each Memorial Day depending on submissions to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

World War II Memorial —
Each of the 4,048 gold stars on the Freedom Wall represents 100 American service personnel who perished or were never recovered in the war.

Ulysses S. Grant Memorial —
Ulysses S. Grant forever sits astride his favorite horse, Cincinnatus. There are reliefs of two infantry groups on the pedestal for the statue of the 18th U.S. president and commander of Union forces in the Civil War.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial —
The Roosevelt Memorial represents all 12 years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, including a sequence of four outdoor "rooms" that signify each of his terms in office. Roosevelt's dog Fala sits at his feet.