There are 898 steps to the top of the Washington Monument, but if you're younger than 40 years old, you have never had a chance to climb them. The steps closed in 1976 because too many people had heart attacks trying to climb up or hurt themselves falling down. Yes, Virginia, even though DC is the fittest city in the country, you still can't make the 20-minute climb to the top for a killer stair workout because the National Park Service doesn't trust you, according to the Washington Post. The District's Height Act, recently re-endorsed by the NCPC, makes sure that everyone in the city can see the top of the 46-story obelisk, even if they can't climb to it. [WaPo]
The Real Reason You Can't Climb the Washington Monument's Stairs
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