Diane Geiger, age 9, of Danville, Ill., for her question:
WHEN WAS THE U.S. CAPITOL BUILT?
Standing on Capitol Hill near the center of Washington, D.C., is the U.S. Capitol building. This is where Congress meets.
A government contest was held in 1792 to find a design for the Capitol. An American doctor and amateur architect named William Thornton turned in the winning entry.
The Capitol's cornerstone was laid in 1793 by President George Washington. In 1800, after a seven year construction program, Congress met in the new building for the first time.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops captured the city and set fire to the Capitol. Congress couldn't meet in the Capitol again until 1819, and workers didn't finish rebuilding the structure for another 10 years.
In 1863 a new dome was attached to the Capitol. The spectacular bronze Statue of Freedom, a woman wearing a headdress of eagle feathers and holding a sword and shield, was added atop the dome. About the same time, builders completed a 32 foot eastern extension to the Capitol's central section.
The Capitol has 540 rooms. Many of them hold important mementos of America's past as well as sculptures and paintings by some of the world's finest artists.
The Senate wing extends to the north of the Great Rotunda. This wing houses the Senate Chamber, where the Senate meets. Here also is the former Supreme Court chamber, where the court met from 1810 until 1860. The chamber has been restored to look as it did in the 1850s.
The wing where the House of Representatives meets extends south of the Great Rotunda. The House wing also includes Statuary Hall, with exhibits of statues of outstanding Americans.
The Great Rotunda, in the center of the Capitol, measures more than 95 feet in diameter and is more than 183 feet high.
The Capitol's architecture follows the classical style of ancient Rome. The building has a huge cast iron dome as part of the Great Rotunda. The dome's white painted surface looks just like the white marble exterior of the rest of the building.
Many rooms are open to the public, and each year more than 10 million people visit the Capitol. Visitors may also attend sessions of Congress if they first get passes from their representative or senator.
A number of funeral ceremonies have taken place in the Great Rotunda. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were honored in this way.
Besides its importance as a government office building, the Capitol also serves as a symbol of the United States of America.