Marble Facts

The powder on chewing gum is finely-ground marble.

The Washington Monument stood unfinished for over 20 years on a foundation too weak to carry the rest of it. In 1879, Army engineers dug out 70 percent of the earth under its base and poured concrete beneath it while the stump stood right above them. Then they built it to 555 feet. The color line where work restarted still shows today, about a third of the way up.