Most people think the Pentagon's famous five-sided shape represents military symbolism or strategic design. The real story is far more surprising: the world's most recognizable military building got its iconic shape because it had to fit around the property lines of an experimental farm in Arlington, Virginia. When architects had just one weekend in July 1941 to design the world's largest office building, they shaped it to match the boundaries created by old farm roads.
Hains point is named for Peter Conover Hains, a prominent Major General in the U.S. Army and served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I.
It's hard to believe that 2020 is nearly upon us, but it's also hard to imagine what it must have been like on December 31st, 1919 - the last New Year's Eve before Prohibition was enforced. Take a look at this mildly amusing cartoon from The Washington Times.
See the oldest known photo of the U.S. Department of State, taken in 1857. Learn more about the old State Department building before it was located in Foggy Bottom and even before it was located in the State, War, and Navy Building next to the White House.
Take a look back at 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. circa 1931. See the traffic lights, traffic-cop gazebo, and streetcar switch tower in this amazing old photo. Source: Shorpy.
The story of Allen L. Adams, a soldier who dropped out of high school in 1965 to join the Army and was stationed at Ft. Myer in 1967. He disappeared one night, and it wasn't until 1996 that his body was found in an abandoned building. This unsolved mystery still remains.
At 16th and K St. NW, there once sat a three story Victorian town home, the site of corrupt political dealings within the Harding administration, This is its story.
In 1921, the Secretary of Treasury, Edwin Denby, issued a 'shoot to kill' order to the Marines on a train leaving Union Station in Washington. Read the full story here!
Take a look back in time to explore Washington, DC before the Great Depression. See photos of 18th, N St. and Connecticut Ave. and 21st and Florida Ave. from 1929.
Take a look back at Washington DC's history through a fascinating 1839 print. From lost sheep and cows on Pennsylvania Ave to the bustling metropolis we know today, this print offers a unique glimpse into the past of this iconic city.
