Jay watched coverage of President Barack Obama's inauguration and kept hearing references to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. He wondered what the difference is between a monument and a memorial.

According to National Park Service nomenclature (nps.gov/ legacy/nomenclature.html), a monument honors a landmark, structure or other object of historic or scientific interest, such as the Colorado National Monument, west of Grand Junction, a natural wonder; a memorial commemorates a person or episode, such as the Lincoln Memorial. So, clearly, the Washington Monument is an anomaly and is considered a memorial within the Park Service.

As to why it's called a monument, David Barna, chief of public affairs for the Park Service, said that's probably simply the name the monument had when it came under the service's jurisdiction. The obelisk was sponsored by the Washington National Monument Society, and construction was complete well before the law authorizing declaration of national monuments was enacted in 1906.

Here's a new one to ponder:

What's the average length of time a movie shows in Denver? I don't go to many, and by the time I get around to it, my target movie has left town! - Sarah

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