The capstone is a single, pyramid-shaped piece of marble, and at the very top of that is a tiny aluminum pyramid, called a pyramidion, from the same term used with the Egyptian obelisks (and their toppers) that inspired the Washington Monument. A lightning bolt from a storm passing over the D.C. Unbelievable split-second video, as FOX DC reported, caught the nation’s most familiar obelisk being struck by lightning on Saturday night. America you had better pray and get God back into this country. And that’s just the science side: “Commercially, it includes all decorative calcium-rich rocks that can be polished,” Britannica explains.īeginning in 1848, the monument was built over a long period of time with marble from different sources, which is why there are noticeable color differences-the same as you’d get with different batches of colorful yarn. A post on Twitter said: Freak Lightning Strikes Washington Monument on 4 June 2020 America I think GOD JUST SHOWED UP. 'The Washington Monument will be closed today. How can this happen without wrecking the monument? How often does lightning strike the historic structure? We have questions.įirst and foremost, the Washington Monument is made of white marble, but marble is a varying natural rock that comes in endless mixes and colors. Project lead Thomas Lincoln Casey of the Army Corps of Engineers responded by installing a spiked collar for the monument to divert the lightning strikes. WASHINGTON, DC The Washington Monument closed Monday for repairs after lightning hit the monument during a fierce thunderstorm early Sunday morning. INSANE Video from our Sk圜am WOOOOOW #lightning #WashingtonMonument /iYmwDwDUMO- Ryan Sprouse June 5, 2020 The Washington Monument, at 555 feet, is routinely struck by lightning on its aluminum crown, which has been melted down from multiple strikes per year. This image of a triple lightning strike over the Washington Monument was captured from a safe location as a powerful summertime thunderstorm rolled through.

Lightning strikes washington monument