How a Pigeon Helped Build the Washington Monument

In 1876, when constructing the 550-foot (167 meter) tall Washington Monument, (when it was 153 feet, or 46 meters tall), workers had to get a rope to the top, but they did not have any sort of scaffolding. They tied a thread to the leg of a pigeon, put him inside the unfinished tower and made a sudden noise. The frightened bird flew up to the top, and out. A string was attached to the thread and pulled to the top, and then a rope was pulled to the top with the string.