This article is from the archive of our partner .

Amid reports of spotty cellphone service and "localized casualties," Tuesday's earthquake gave rise to a completely fantastic rumor that slowly seems to be gaining merit -- or at least earnest investigation: That the Washington Monument was tilting to one side. About 45 minutes after the 1:51 p.m. quake, Fox News started reporting that it had gotten reports the Washington Monument was leaning. "Megyn Kelly just shared word that a D.C. police officer told a Fox News producer that there is concern that the Washington Monument may tilting following a 5.9 magnitude earthquake," Fox News Insider reported. The Washington Times picked up the story, and Twitter immediately seized on it as one of the most fascinating (if unbelievable) reports of the day.

It seems clear to us (though we aren't there), that the police officer who talked to Kelly was referring -- possibly in a semi-joke -- to the distant possibility that something had gone wrong with the monument. This tweet from CNN's Jim Acosta seems to support that: "park police have cleared the entire mall area surrounding the Washington monument. An officer quipped 'so it doesn't fall on anybody.' " As the Washington Post reported, all the monuments and memorials around the National Mall were shut down following the temblor. And indeed, the National Cathedral was damaged. But The Monument, witnesses quickly started reporting, did not tilt. The latest from Associated Press is this quote from National Parks Service spokesman Jeffrey Olson, who "says that there was 'absolutely no damage' to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial or other tourist destinations along the Mall."