The building of the Washington Monument had…

The building of the Washington Monument had proceeded quickly after Congress had provided sufficient funding.

In four years, it is completed, with the one hundred ounce (two point eighty-five kiliogram) aluminum apex/lightning-rod being put in place on December 6, 1884.

The apex is the largest single piece of aluminum cast at the time, when aluminum commands a price comparable to silver.

Two years later, the Hall–Héroult process will make aluminum easier to produce and the price of aluminum will plummet, making the once-valuable apex nearly worthless, though it still provides a lustrous, non-rusting apex that serves as the original lightning rod.