For some reason there's something so satisfying to directors of action and disaster movies about leaving the District of Columbia in complete ruins. Aliens and giant insects started laying siege upon D.C. as early as the 1950s (Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, anyone?) but within the past ten years, blasting D.C. to smithereens has become far more en vogue. In fact, the White House was blown to bits in two separate movies just last year. As such, we've compiled a chronological pictorial history of D.C. getting flooded, blown up and otherwise completely obliterated on film. We're sure there are other movies that have destroyed the capital (tell us in the comments!) and we purposely left out dystopian flicks Logan's Run and The Day After Tomorrow since those don't involve destruction, per se. But do enjoy these ten photos of wreckage caused by alien attacks, geological catastrophes and terrorists courtesy of Hollywood.
Earth Vs The Flying Saucers (1958)
Superman II (1980)
Independence Day (1996)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005)
Category 7: End of the World (2005)
2012 (2009)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
White House Down (2013)
· Hollywood just loves to blow up Washington, DC in movies [SLIDESHOW] [Daily Caller]
· D.C. Destroyed On Film: Attacks From Aliens, Terrorists And Climate Change! [HuffPo]
· 'White House Down,' 'Olympus Has Fallen': Washington Destroyed in Film [Daily Beast]
· Map: How Hollywood Has Destroyed America [Deadspin]
· A Complete Guide to Destroying Los Angeles on Film [Curbed LA]